With Saigon, J. Cole and Big K.R.I.T. there's a resurgence in rappers talking about real things. Saigon has been putting in work for over 10 years. It's good to see the album is finally dropping on February 15, after some classic mixtapes. Click here to download. While you wait for... Read more
CyHi killed his verse on So Appalled and MURDERED his freestyle on Shade 45. Dude is poised to come up in 2011. Could G.O.O.D. Music become the Young Money of 2011? Click here to download.... Read more
His last song sounded like Wu-Tang Clan making gangsta rap. This one is more laid-back 70's soul but the lyrics are still g. Click here to download.... Read more
The 2 were joined by CyHi Da Prynce, another dope up and comer in the game. Peep some of the other similarities between J. Cole and Big K.R.I.T. here. http://vimeo.com/18394927... Read more
These are from Rick Ross' Ashes to Ashes mixtape. Click here to download if you missed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IG4xgt-OVA&feature=player_embedded With Ross riding that Barry White sample it makes me realize he's kind of like the hip-hop Barry White: husky voice, overweight sex symbol, big bushy beard...hmm...Check the comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np5VvHx-1T4... Read more
Click here to download. Here the Nina Simone and Terrence Trent D'Arby songs below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktsU01lfzLU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcUmIRw0N5w... Read more
Wayne's version maintains the darkness of the original Jennifer Hudson version. Click here to download. Here's the Dreamgirls version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRJAOzzg1nE... Read more
It's been pretty well-documented that Oprah has had her issue with hip-hop, primarily regarding lyrics she believes to be detrimental to the community. It makes sense then that if she were to do a show about hip-hop, it would be one that was designed to inspire and uplift. Thus, the... Read more
The underground never sleeps... Money Is Reality Click here to download. Start It Like This Click here to download. Both of these tracks are on 1982's new EP titled The Evening News. Click here to buy it. Support good music.... Read more
Has there ever been 1 hip-hop label more dominant in a year than Young Money/Cash Money? It depends on how you define "dominant." If you're talking purely about record sales, Death Row and maybe even Bad Boy had more dominant years in the 90s. But this is a different era... Read more
It's fitting that the video for Monster leaked today. This has been a year of leaks for Kanye West. Some were unexpected, but most of them were completely under his control and were part of one of the most daring album promotion plans ever. Kanye bucked the system. He said... Read more
This one is more high art from Kanye. The execution of Nicki Minaj's verse is very dope. This is clearly a work in progress, but you get the picture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WL-J0uo7_Y&feature=player_embedded... Read more
The role of women in hip-hop should not be overlooked but it often has been. For more than a decade (including the 90's which many consider to be the Golden Age of hip-hop) women were a staple in rap music. In fact, they were so much a part of the... Read more
When's the last time you went back and listened to some of your favorite hip-hop albums from back in the day? I'm guessing if you randomly picked 10 of your favorites and listened to them from front to back, you would want to skip at least 5 tracks on each... Read more
This one is surprisingly dope. Vado and Raheem mesh much better than you would expect. Click here to download. It's a fine line between corny and laid back, but when a hip-hip ballad is done properly it's a good look. Here are a few others that have straddled the line... Read more
If you missed, Dontcha Wanna Be (My Neighbor), it was on the criminally slept on Nottz album You Need This Music. Click here to download the mixtape and listen below:... Read more
Teena Marie: 1956 – 2010. There will be many tributes to Ms. Marie, who was known to bring the funk both solo and with her longtime partner in crime, Rick James, but tonight we will let the music do the talking. Tonight, we celebrate Lady Tee: Behind the Groove Square... Read more
Why is it not a surprise that Jay-Z is all over this one? Jay-Z has been talking about Dead Presidents ever since Reasonable Doubt in 1996 and his relentless pursuit of C.R.E.A.M. has been documented thoroughly on every album. In 2010, he was associated with some major firsts for hip-hop... Read more
These are courtesy of The Rub, one of the dopest DJ collectives around. For 1979-1980, click here. For 1981-1990, click here. For 1991-2000, click here. For 2001-2009, click here.... Read more
EVERYBODY knows the music business as it has existed for the last few decades--where sales of recorded albums are the primary financial-driver of the business--is in trouble. The record industry, like other entertainment businesses, tends to be a bell curve: During the vast majority of times, the music tends to... Read more
Everyone knows New York City was the birthplace of hip-hop. For years, the dominant s0und in the genre was from the city that never sleeps. In the late 80's the West Coast, particularly LA, began to take over and it had a several year reign that corresponded with the fall... Read more
The mixtape will drop later today. In the meantime, check out RetroSuperFuture ft Wiz Khalifa, which will be on the mixtape. Click here to download.... Read more
There was an earlier version of this a few days ago, but this is the fully mastered version. It features CyHi Da Prynce, Pusha T, Big Sean, Musiq Soulchild and Teyana Taylor. Thank you for an incredible year of music, Kanye. Click here to download.... Read more
The song samples the mighty Pimp C (R.I.P.) from UGK: Click here to download. You can find more Stalley here. And, here's a classic joint from UGK: http://www.vimeo.com/2818789... Read more
This one is a bit of a contradiction. The incredible underground releases this year certainly contributed to the musical strength of the year overall, but underground rap is consistently pretty strong. It's the hits that are more unpredictable. That's confirmed just by looking at Soundscan sales info. This year will... Read more