Last day of the year and everything’s in the books. The best and worst projects, the mixtapes, the “Notable Quotables” and even a full list of slept-on releases*. With the formalities out of the way, we offer our bi-annual** round-up of the 100 songs we played ad nauseam***. Read the rest of this entry »

What is an album anymore? As more artists begin to take their careers independent, the idea of a glitzy, major label LP begins to lose its luster. Mixtapes and self-releases have become the new barometer Read the rest of this entry »

With more than 300+ girls to pick from, you would think choosing a Cooler of The Year would be a daunting task. How can it not be with so many lovely ladies of nearly all races, ethnicities, boob sizes and (acceptable) hip-to-waist ratios. But one Cooler girl stood out from the pack of beauties Read the rest of this entry »

Remember 2011′s mixtapes for several reasons: Houston invaded Harlem, a Detroit MC remade a Hip-Hop Holy Grail and a vaunted Ohio duo vowed to “elevate the game.” But remember it foremost as the year that 30 tapes dared to be different, expanding the possibilities of what a “Hip-Hop mixtape” could (and should) be. Read the rest of this entry »

Dig a hole. Bury yourselves.

We’ve gathered here today on this annual ceremony, not to mourn, but to celebrate the DEATH of music that has stolen precious minutes we shall never get back for our cherished lives. The album still holds its rank as the premier event in an artist’s career but there’s too many distractions (first week sales, features, artificial beef) shifting us away from the most important aspect: the music. Read the rest of this entry »

With another calendar damn near in the books, this time of the year is always reserved for looking back. What’s hot? What’s not? What stood out? What faded away as quick he/she/it came? Being apart of the family here, most of those questions are answered for me ahead of time. That being said, one in particular remained. What artist converted me into a fan in 2011? Read the rest of this entry »

They say if you snooze, you lose, and that couldn’t be more true for good albums overlooked for numerous reasons. Whether it’s falling victim to a popularity contest, lack of a big name co-sign or having substandard promotion, sometimes deserving projects don’t get the accolades that’s owed to them. Read the rest of this entry »

If you ever find yourself having to explain to an alien what exactly gives Hip-Hop its distinctive voice, all you have to remember is that the power is in the words. Unlike nearly every other genre of music where melody and vocal influxes play a huge factor on the quality of song, a rapper’s biggest assets is what they say and how creatively they can say it. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 was the year of dragon slaying, V12 engines, chilling murder mysteries and good ‘ol ‘shrooms. Those who spent the year plugging away at these vidya games know what we’re talking about. The past 365 saw some great releases we’ll no doubt keep playing past doomsday even if sequels dominated the past twelve months. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ll keep it all the way 100 with you, TSS Family. Reviewing albums this year has been bit of a chore because rappers these days only care about first week numbers instead of managing the number of the tracks on their albums. Notice how half of the industry’s 3rd quarter releases magically got delayed in time to catch the holiday buyer’s eye, no matter the cost? However, that’s another story for another day. Read the rest of this entry »

Like we always do at this time, we gathered as a Crew to throw together a list of the songs that have fueled our playlists from January through July. Be all, end all? Nope, the 75 songs listed are just ones that we enjoyed. Some joints plainly needed highlighting again or haven’t been spoken on until now. Read the rest of this entry »