For over two decades, Mariah Carey has been knocking out hits and keeping her name relevant. Whether it’s with her sheer beauty or knack for hitting the high notes, this ageless superstar has seen music evolve more-so than most female vocalists in any genre. However, while many of her recent R&B counterparts have gained success from catering their tunes specifically to a Hip-Hop audience by collaborating with rappers, most of them wouldn’t even be around if weren’t for Mimi headlining that urban crossover style in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »

Bone-Pugs-N-Harmony: how no one thought of making a viral video along these lines earlier is mind-blowing. Read the rest of this entry »

Hip-Hop gets such a bad rep sometimes. Go ask any group of random people what they think about the constantly-evolving genre and you’ll undoubtedly hear half the answers harping on how endangering such reckless noise can be for our youth. But, the truth is most of those crusty old blame-shifters probably haven’t Read the rest of this entry »

Everybody’s from somewhere and rappers, more than artists in any other genre, always seem to be the first to big up their cities on wax. No matter the state, country or ward they were birthed, MCs can’t help but put on for their area code. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re trying to tie down your wedding playlist and looking to close out the magical night on a high note, consider ending with a song everyone in attendance can belt out word for word. While Mo Thugs’ dust-kicking classic “Ghetto Cowboy” might not be your personal send-off, the rockin’ reception hall I was at last weekend couldn’t have been happier Read the rest of this entry »

No matter how many MCs submit music to the masses on the regular, certain skills can separate the masters from the morsels in an instant. One of the more clearly defined of those traits is the ability to recite words with both speed and precision. Read the rest of this entry »

Rap’s had more than its fair share of artists who found success and then fell off after failing to recapture the musical magic. Remember how great Big Daddy Kane’s career was before and after Prince Of Darkness? Thought so. For every few that have taken a tumble from the mountaintop, there are others who were able to find their ways back to peak performances. Here are 20 albums which mark the return to form for a few of rap’s best talents. Read the rest of this entry »

If someone told me I had to kick off every month for the rest of my life with this specific song and no other, I’d be alright with that. And, no, it’s not because of the title. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine going to see one of your favorite groups, then stumbling upon the opportunity to kick it with them after the show. Bottles opened. Blunts passed. Questions answered. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it was for two Chi-Town fans of Bone Thugs, who thought that experience would be theirs the other night after seeing the group live, Read the rest of this entry »

Graphic by Talia

The recent rally behind Lauryn Hill after her East Coast Rock The Bells stop will soon die down once fans remember the harsh truth — we lost Lauryn long years ago. Miseducation… Lauryn dropped out and even though she may make reappearances on stage & record, she will never be our Lauryn. Read the rest of this entry »

After 16 years in the music industry, one would be hard pressed to find something Bone Thugs-N-Harmony haven’t accomplished. They helped usher in a new sound when they first appeared on the scene. Having won several awards and toured the globe numerous times over, they’ve enjoyed both critical and commercial success as well. However, with the return of incarcerated member Flesh-N-Bone, the group was finally able to achieve the one thing that has been out of their grasp for so long: record a studio album with the original members intact. With the release of Uni-5: The World’s Enemy, the Cleveland quintet’s reunion falls short to a glorious occasion as they fail recapture the creative spark they had earlier in their career. Read the rest of this entry »

– After all the posturing and jive talk, Jim Jones & Co. took home the Band Of Ballers Crown for the second straight year. Best part is nobody was tased like in Philly. So much for all Black functions ending in violence.

– Is this the cover of the most anticipated Rap album of the year?

– Back like it never left The Boondocks (& Uncle Ruckus) had the internet going nuts with their antics.

– This Just In: Kobe Bryant Is Not Gay. Wish we could say the same about the first round of the NBA playoffs. Read the rest of this entry »

If resilience were a music certification, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s legend would have grown to folklore years before this point. Arguably the most successful Hip-Hop group in terms of sales to longevity to song quality ratio, the Cleveland, Ohio quintet have endured every debacle the industry could possible heave at them and have still emerged as supreme victors. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s still a bit hard for me sit through these days at the ol’ 9 to 5 after The Crew’s takeover of SXSW this past weekend. There are a million memories bouncing around my head, begging to be relived, and here am in a cubicle prepping sales calls. Bah-humbug. Read the rest of this entry »

Man, I don’t give a damn what TC says, the Bone Thugs are still good in my book.

Cleveland’s favorite fivesome has been heavy promoting their ninth album Uni5: The World’s Enemy with a steady flow of borderline bangers and have now put forth maybe the best of the bunch. “I’m Gone” finds the Bone boys’ sounding smooth as ever over a radio-ready single that’s as optimistic as a half-full glass of Hennesey and promotes the prolonged living that come as a result of prayer and persistence.

Definitely more of a “If I Could Teach The World,” than a “Mo Murda,” which is completely appropriate considering these vets have been miced up for twenty years.

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Download — Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – “I’m Gone”