Can you imagine if your first mixtape featured Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Melonia Fiona and Pharrell, who also happened to be the one funding it? Well, Cris Cab can. Read the rest of this entry »

The ability to emote honesty in song takes courage. Yet it’s the stripping down of oneself which creates an earnest relationship with a fanbase, the vulnerability creating affability. As a listener, I take comfort in knowing that not every artist – male or female – is an invincible superhero incapable of fear and hurt. Read the rest of this entry »

I was raised by three commandments. Gangsta Rap > Hipster Rap. Tupac > Biggie. And “Hit ‘Em Up” > everything.

I’m a born and raised West Coast cat and, even though Pac was before my time, he was still the first rapper I was blessed enough to hear. Since then, my iPod has been stacked with tracks from him, Eazy, Snoop, Ren, Crooked I, Game, the D.O.C. You name it and I got it. However, there’s one exception to my undying West Coast attachment and that is the 2008-present Ice Cube. Read the rest of this entry »