With the arrival of Raekwon’s Unexpected Victory, it appears fans are the ones who’ve won. The new mixtape, which dropped along with the ball two nights ago, features all of the cinematic details you’ve come to expect from Chef and actually happens to be the first free release of his two-decade-long career to boot. Read the rest of this entry »

Think back to the 1990′s. Hip-Hop was coming into its own as a cultural force and had more controversy attached to its name than anyone knew what to do with. Making a name for oneself was a hustle, too. This was long before the days of the Internet, when an artist could be a no name on Monday and hottest thing in the industry by Friday afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »

This definitely goes without saying but in terms of posse cuts:

1998>2008

You can front all you want but all these “hood anthems” we’re being bombarded with nowadays are straight up garbage, and forgettable. Does anyone remember Webbie was on the remix to “Speedin???” Who had your favorite verse on “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em)???” And why is that we refer ever new Khaled collabo as “I’m So Hood Part ____???” The usual suspects of the era still managed to be everywhere there was a studio, but in terms of actually making an impact, the difference is vast. In this day and age, all these dudes are concerned with is cashing a check. And you can tell because that’s all their regurgitated rhymes entail.

While the days of MC’s battling on tracks for bragging rights may be an afterthought at the moment, the legacy is not. Backtrack for a few minutes with these collaborative efforts that’ll guarantee to cause chronic neck spasms when you relive them. Read the rest of this entry »