Despite II Trill being Bun B’s second solo album, both have been Pimp C’s just as much as his own. 2005′s Trill was a vehicle to keep an incarcerated Pimp C on the mouths and minds of everyone within earshot as Bun carried the banner of U.G.K. and Port Arthur, Texas on his shoulders. Fast forward to 2008 and due to the untimely passing of Pimp C, II Trill is dually a Bun B solo album as well as an opportunity for other’s to stop by and pay their respects to the late Chad Butler. With the loss fresh on his mind, Bun put his nose to the grindstone as he lyrically keeps this album afloat overcoming too many guest appearances and questionable beat selections.

Starting out the gate strong with “That’s Gangsta,” Bun breaks down what it exactly means to be one for anyone unsure of the term. J.R. Rotem gives him a beat strong enough to match the intensity of his words as Sean Kingston provides a great hook performance as he prepares for the second act of his career. On “Damn I’m Cold,” Lil’ Wayne puts down the styrofoam cup long enough to give Bun an adequate sparring partner as the two go back and forth on coming up in the game. Bun connects with Lupe Fiasco on “Swang On ‘Em” to set the ground rules for visitors to the South. The marching band backdrop give the two emcees a versatile sound bed where they can both spit at a comfortable pace. Read the rest of this entry »

Words By K1NG

Lyfe Jennings probably has one of the most distinctive voices in R&B of recent years. Fortunately, he’s enjoyed relative success, striking platinum and gold with his first two albums when he hasn’t exactly been a monster on the Billboard charts. This can be attributed to his first two albums being structured in such a way that it was hard to choose singles. The songs were all preceded with a skit in which he explained the song and how it related to his life. The aforementioned albums received critical acclaim but individually it left a feeling like you are missing out on the story of the album.

Surprisingly his newest album, Lyfe Change, is a break away from his previous formula. Although there are no skits in between each track, the album flows together smoothly, with plenty of noteworthy tracks that can be lauded for their positive messages and solid production. Read the rest of this entry »

With all the press that Foxy Brown has gotten the past few years, you would think the Ill Na Na was enjoying a flourishing rap career with numerous promo spots. In all actuality, her last album Broken Silence was released in 2001 and she’s had more appearances in court than a recording booth. But a change is seemingly on the horizon for the BK representer. After overcoming a bout with hearing loss and being released from prison this past April, Fox Boogie’s back to keeping the drama on wax with her latest LP Brooklyn’s Don Diva. Although no longer with Def Jam, Foxy maintains all her usual posturing and primping in typical prima donna fashion, but does little to make for a glorious return on this somewhat “disjointed” collection. Read the rest of this entry »

The legendary Roots crew is an enigma within the realm of Hip-Hop because they are known for their live performance & use of instruments, moreso than for their actual albums. This is partly due to the fact that they don’t cater to the desires of fans or try to keep up with what’s going on in the current landscape of rap music. They do what they do & if you like it cool; if not try again next time. It’s also because since they make their living on the road, that they feel free to do whatever they want (& their label is willing to tolerate) when they put together a studio album. Staying with the darker sound found on their last album Game Theory; The Roots give us Rising Down, the title believed to have been taken from the book “Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means.”

Wasting no time in unleashing the title track, Black Thought is joined by Mos Def & Styles P. on “Rising Down.” The three emcees speak on the ills of society over a sparse backdrop of a keyboard loop & drums. The theme continues on “Get Busy,” as Black Thought, Dice Raw, & Peedi Crakk continue to weigh-in on what’s going in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

1989 marked a monumental year for ladies in Hip-Hop music. With influential “femcees” like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah conveying experiences from the female perspective, the culture found a definitive counterbalance to the increasing male bravado. It was also the year Lil’ Mama was born. Fast forward to 2008 and while the aforementioned legends have moved on to other forms of entertainment, Niatia Kirkwell b.k.a. Lil’ Mama is poised to fill their storied footsteps, claiming to be the Voice Of The Young People. Her debut single “Lip Gloss” was written off as just another ringtone magnet, but numerous interviews and radio spots found the youngster insisting she was much more beneath the surface.

On her debut Voice Of The Young People (VYP), the Brooklyn starlet proves her competent mic skills throughout with admiration, but several questionable beat choices and amateur choruses make her rookie season a predominant frisbee.

Seeking to give her youthful listeners some jewels to grow by, songs like “L.I.F.E.” and “Broken Pieces” are honest attempts at creating music with profound subject matter. “College” is a reflective account of a daughter visiting an incarcerated father and gaining invaluable knowledge on the curveballs life has to offer and T-Pain supplies a perky summer jam on “What It Is (Strike A Pose)” for Lil’ Mama to rock in true b-girl fashion. Read the rest of this entry »

In the video for “Go All Out,” Eddie Murphy’s brother Charlie Murphy and Buckshot take a stab at Buck’s backpack, now infamously associated with the term “backpacker.” Charlie claims he was Buck’s inspiration to sport the accessory in the 1993 “Who Got The Props” video, but I highly doubt that. Here I go dropping my old man again but I remember that backpack fad (See Method Man – Yo! MTV Raps Finale Episode) and seeing heavy doses of kids rocking their Jansport’s. Class apparently was not the destination.

Influence can be a mother and one of those kids watching that “Props” video was 9th Wonder. Maybe he rocked a backpack too but while developing his own niche as a beat smith, you can’t argue his influence by the Boot Camp sound (He’s admitted he can recite Buckshot lines from memory). Evidently this is proven from Buckshot & 9th Wonder on The Formula (Duck Down). Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past few years several artists have attempted to transfer critical acclaim overseas in the U.K. into commercial success here in the States. Next up to bat with the support of John Legend is Estelle Swaray, a London-bred rapper/singer, who is the first artist to come out on his Homeschool record label. But who is Estelle? Is she a singer that raps? Or a rapper that sings? In actuality she’s an artist who is adept at both that lets the music dictate what she does. Her stateside debut Shine explores the many sides of love & shine is just what she does throughout the album. Read the rest of this entry »

Words By Jesse H.

Sometimes albums come out that put a soundtrack to your mindset at a certain point in your life. From note one, it’s a disc that feels right at home in your headphones.

There are also albums that when they drop, can define or reshape the sound of a whole city.

Hearing an album that fits one of these types is rare, but when an album qualifies for both, and still has a density that merits repeated spins, its like finding a stray twenty dollar bill in your winter coat pocket from last season.

Being only 20, most of my experience with discs that fit both categories has been retrospective. I’ve read page after page on every classic album imaginable, but there’s nothing like buying one of those discs the day it comes out and having it set off a revolution in the inner linings of your ear drum on first listen. The last album that I remember pulling me in so dramatically on first listen was Ghostface’s Fishscale. While there were a lot of factors as to why the music hit me so hard, the bottom line was that it sounded so damn unlike anything I’d heard before, even Toney’s previous catalogue (which is armor plated in its own right).

I was visiting New York for the first time in my life, and the day before the album was released, I was riding on a coach bus from D.C. to NYC with a handful of people from my high school who I didn’t know very well.

That day, arriving in NY, we drove straight to Times Square. After soaking in the sheer mass of the advertising effort for a few minutes, I booked my way to the Virgin Records Superstore, slammed an Andrew Jackson on the counter and walked out a happy customer. Taking out the blue disc with the fishnet painted lightly on it (does anyone else appreciate disc art anymore?), I pressed play and after laughing through the “Return of Clyde Smith,” was hit forcefully in the brain by the first few vocal squeals of “Shakey Dog,” Then the horns kicked in. Damn. It was like a kick to the synapse. I could have listened to this album through a tin can and a wire and it would have sounded like a masterpiece. Driving around and seeing the city for the first time while listening to that album was one of the best audio/visual moments of my life. For me, and probably for the rest of my life, the sound of New York City is defined by Fishscale (Imagine seeing the Empire State Building for the first time while “The Champ” graces your ear canals simultaneously… pretty mind blowing stuff). Read the rest of this entry »

It’s amazing how far a slick tongue and pin-up girl body can take you. Miami’s diamond princess, Trina used her potty-mouthed lyrics to gain notoriety in the Rap game and her voluptuous curves to grace countless magazine covers. With her omnipresent visibility in thongs and swimsuits, one would think her recording career had become secondary, if nonexistent all together. But music is what pays the bills and Ms. M.I.A. is back on her fourth album to let the world know that she’s Still The Baddest. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s talk about underdogs for a second. Like the secondary candidates for a job position or the small college vying for respect in the NCAA tournament with just as much heart to compete with their rivals that dominate the popular vote. It’s always an uphill battle when the odds are against you and you’re always having to show n’ prove. For nearly a decade and a half, lyrical connoisseur Anthony Cruz a.k.a. AZ, has carried the tag of the overlooked MC without merit – even after touching platinum with the failed supergroup The Firm and his own debut album Doe Or Die. His dedication to his craft has allowed him to survive several transitions in the culture’s identity even without the glossy accolades of some of his peers. You could say his consistency has earned him respect opposed to the money and power. Read the rest of this entry »