It’s only a few days after the release of his latest project, Success Served Cold, and Donny Goines is upset. That’s right, the New Yorker’s a tad mad he recorded multiple records worth of material for this street LP, but people are still classifying it as a mixtape. Read the rest of this entry »

“Love Today” is summed up by its hook. “Shorty want my d*ck, and her friend want it too.” Read the rest of this entry »

The B-Girl’s back but don’t expect any simplistic rhyme cadences from Rapsody. North Carolina’s lyrical Wonder Woman lives up to her name because she ensures that her bars won’t be taken in vain. And with that, some congratulations and a healthy round of applause are in order. This MC is spitting at the notion of the sophomore slump and saving it for the microphone so you can Thank H.E.R. Now. Read the rest of this entry »

“I got a shout a couple years ago about a DJ in Brighton who’s playing the hell out of that record. So you certainly find a younger generation discovering and remixing stuff that I did, and making it all fresh again. Which is great for me; I love the idea that what I did then can still be relevant now.” — Paul McCartney for CNN, 6.15.11. Read the rest of this entry »

“Carolina, we got now and next.”

As a general rule, I avoid female rappers like I do this heat and I generally with both when I have to. Kooley High’s Rapsody gets a pass for bringing along Mez and Laws to snag my attention and “Top Five” was worth the few minutes spent listening and then rewinding Read the rest of this entry »

The lyrical gunner by the name of Laws is looking to take his next project back to a golden era of music. No, he’s not following eLZhi’s footsteps and recreating Whut? Thee Album album or anything. As an avid Paul McCartney fan, he’s personifying his songwriting skills into the legacy of the former Beatle to create Yesterday’s Future, a collaboration with LRG, Mick Boogie and Don Cannon. Read the rest of this entry »

No matter the amount of success 9th Wonder manages to achieve yearly, there’s still no slowing his quest to reach even more untouched ground that lay ahead of him. With It’s A Wonderful World Music Group getting their feet wet through his and Rapsody’s projects last year, Big Remo is stepping in for The Away Team to make a bruising impact with weighty bars and tales of taking from the rich with Robin Hood Ree. Read the rest of this entry »

They say there’s no honor amongst thieves & with the amount of disgruntled rappers that appear once the limelight begins to dim, I’m inclined to believe that. Honor does exist in the game & it’s good to see it in practice every now & then. Laws & CyHi took “Honor,” their ode to the people who’ve helped put them in the position they’re in now, and gave it the video treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

In his essay The Talented Tenth, W.E.B. DuBois reasoned that one in ten black men would rise to be leaders in the world & that in turn more classical education would be needed to help them reach their potential. Raleigh, NC duo Actual Proof, Sundown & Enigma, are striving to carry on that line of thinking after fittingly meeting at 9th Wonder’s Hip-Hop In Context course at N.C. Central University. Read the rest of this entry »

Hinting at a tragic tale of two lovers immediately conjures up thoughts of Romeo & Juliet but that isn’t quite the case with Laws’ depiction of a fractured civil union. Originally heard on the Orlando magician’s extra inning for the fans, 5:01 (Overtime), Laws is catching a chase in the physical form as the girl of his dreams gets her “Run, Forrest, Run” on. Read the rest of this entry »

Aw, how nice was it of Laws and CyHi to dedicate a song to us?

Big and bright, “Honor” is an atmospheric sound cloud that found it’s inspiration from every one of the followers, friends, ticket buyers and downloaders, who have positioned these budding young talents into a lifestyle fitting of a stage. Look up and listen, because these two artists not only have the talent to achieve greatness, they know their place and what it takes to get to the next level. Read the rest of this entry »

Gender be damned, Rapsody is a rapper on a mission to smash all stereotypes and judgments. In her latest offering, Return of the B-Girl, she plays the fitting role of Luke Skywalker to prove she can keep up with the best of them. The tape features many recognizable guest stars including Big Daddy Kane, Skyzoo, Rah Digga, Phil Adé, and Mac Miller, with 9th Wonder handling the great majority of the behind-the-scenes to guide young Jedi along the journey. Read the rest of this entry »

My boo is mad that I’m buzzin’, she’s scared that I’m movin’ on/A stubborn mothaf#cka, I stuck with her just to prove her wrong…

I think it was Maurice Garland who tweeted this awhile back: isn’t it odd how “FTW” (for the win) and “WTF” (what the f#ck) use the same letters to describe completely different emotions? This ain’t got nothing to do with nothing, I just thought that I should mention. Respect to Weezy. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the annual event we all love to hate to on. Rap stars of new and old all convene under the house of Black lampoonery to dispel our attention from something more conducive to human existence. But as arguably the biggest nucleus that promotes most of the happenings of our beloved culture, the love side of the relationship with BET shoots to the forefront as they do give those that deserve it a bit of shine, even if comes courtesy of a generic environment. Read the rest of this entry »

The most remarkable aspect about overtime in any event is that even with the expected fatigue setting in, an extra effort is still inevitable. Laws brought the pain in the 5th quarter for 5:01 and recruited a couple super-lyrical friends for the remix to “Hold You Down.” Ya know, so you can see exactly what they’re saying. Read the rest of this entry »