Bandini

On His 20th Birthday & B4.Da.$$ Release Date, Joey Bada$$ Reflects In Song (Audio)

In just 20 years on Earth, Joey Bada$$ has accomplished a ton. That being said, January 20, 2015 may be the biggest day in his life to date. Hours ago, the Brooklyn, New York released his debut album, B4.Da.$$, and turned 20 years old at the same time. The benchmark... Read more

January 20, 2015 Audio

Crooked I & King Tech Are Masters At Their Crafts…But Graffiti Isn’t One Of Them (Video)

King Tech is one of the true masters of Hip-Hop radio, thanks to his and Sway's Wake Up Show, which lives on today. Along the way, Tech has produced albums, coordinated freestyles, and shined the light on legends, while giving way to emerging voices including Eminem, Tech N9ne, and Crooked... Read more

January 20, 2015 Video

DJ Premier Crosses The Ocean To Make A Rowdy Cut For England’s Four Owls (Audio)

From Craig David to the Brand New Heavies, DJ Premier has been one of the Hip-Hop mainstays who has been open with overseas collaboration. The Gang Starr producer/DJ seemingly sees no boundaries in Hip-Hop, and has been particularly open to making joints with artists from the United Kingdom. That quality... Read more

January 20, 2015 Audio

Joey Bada$$ Is Taking A Big Step This Week. He’s Ready, With A Freestyle (Video)

Today (January 20) welcomes Joey Bada$$' debut, B4.Da.$$ to the marketplace and music shop shelves. Backed by Sony Red, the Cinematic/Pro Era release includes production contributions from DJ Premier, The Roots, and Statik Selektah, among others. The moment also capsules a five-year rise to prominence, since the Brooklyn, New Yorker... Read more

January 20, 2015 Video

Killer Mike Looks At Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In A Different, Timeless Light

In his latest journalistic pursuit, Killer Mike reflected on the life and holiday memorial surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing at Okayplayer, Mike applied Dr. King's message to 2015, and urged the followers of the Civil Rights martyr and his own fans to raise their level of action. An... Read more

January 19, 2015 Fresh

Eazy-E & Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 1994 Interview Surfaces…Glimpse The O.G.’s (Video)

In many ways, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was Eazy-E's final act of greatness. The Compton Gangsta Rap mogul looked to Ohio to find a quintet that sounded like nothing else in the space. Krazyie, Layzie, Wish, Bizzy, and Flesh-N-Bone combined G-Funk with Gospel with Midwest choppin' to provide a style that stood... Read more

January 19, 2015 Throwback

It’s An Aftermath Party…Dr. Dre & Black Hippy Come Out For Game’s 10th Anniversary

Game has had a curious relationship with the label who helped bring him to stardom—and that doesn't mean G-Unit. Only one of Game's albums was an official Aftermath Entertainment release—the 2005 major label debut that turned 10 years old yesterday: The Documentary. While Jayceon Taylor has remained a flagship act... Read more

January 19, 2015 Video

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Owes A Lot Of Thanks To Stevie Wonder, Read Why…

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there is a lot to remember and think about in the first place. One of the items, is making the holiday in the first place. Following Dr. King's 1968 assassination, one of the millions of people whose world was rocked was... Read more

January 19, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Nas vs. Big L…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 19, 2015 Throwback

What If The Wire Was Set In Gentrified Brooklyn? Kevin Hart Illustrates… (Video)

HBO's "The Wire" awakened a multitude of viewers to the grittiness of Baltimore, Maryland's underbelly. The hit show magnificently highlighted the total characterization of the drug trade, from corner-boys, to kingpins, henchman, to police officers, media, government, and transporters. David Simon's crime drama has been off the air for almost... Read more

January 18, 2015 TV

Sadat X Is Making Moves With King T, Black Rob, Cormega & Skyzoo. Sample His New LP (Audio)

In less than 48 hours (January 20), Sadat X will release his tenth solo album, Never Left on CD and digitally. The Loyalty Digital effort features the Brand Nubian MC (who is also part of Trinity) making his first LP since 2012's Love, Hell Or Right. 'Datty X teams with... Read more

January 18, 2015 Audio

10 Years Ago Today, The Game Released The Documentary. Consider It A Classic?

Ten years ago today (January 18, 2005), The Game (n/k/a Game) released The Documentary. His major label debut would garner double-platinum status, and afford Dr. Dre his first star protege from the same Compton, California streets—more than six years before Kendrick Lamar. Game's debut quite definitively remains his highest-profile and... Read more

January 18, 2015 Throwback

Rest In Peace To A$AP Yams, A$AP Mob Co-Founder

This morning (January 18), the Hip-Hop world has been rocked with confirmed news of another tragic death. Twenty-six year-old Steven "A$AP Yams" Rodriguez, a co-founder in the A$AP Mob, and critical force behind the breakthrough of A$AP Rocky has died. Members of the Harlem, New York collective have confirmed the... Read more

January 18, 2015 Fresh

Masta Ace Kills Sounds Sharp Alongside DJ Rob A on Put to Paper (Audio)

If you look at Masta Ace's complete discography, you will likely note that the Brownsville, Brooklyn MC/producer gives the same attention to detail and craft in guest work that he does on his own acclaimed releases. Kid Tsunami's "TwoThousand40," DJ K.O.'s "Ladder Of Success," and R.A. The Rugged Man's "The... Read more

January 18, 2015 Audio

J Dilla’s Donuts Gets The Ultimate 44-Minute Fan-Made Visual Companion (Video)

Besides the posthumously-released "Last Night Of The Donut," J Dilla's 2006 album Donuts was not the kind of album that yielded videos. Stones Throw Records, who are independent greats at making compelling, cool visuals to match their extensive, dynamic discography, let the music do the talking when it came to... Read more

January 18, 2015 Throwback

Joey Bada$$ Drops Wisdom While DJ Premier Drops A Scorching Beat (Audio)

"B4.Da.$$" is the title of Joey Bada$$' studio debut, releasing this coming Tuesday (January 20) on Pro Era/Cinematic/Sony Red. The Brooklyn, New York MC reflects this title, not just as a conveniently clever time-capsule of his rise to stardom, or an ah-ha to the doubters and skeptics. Rather, the Pro... Read more

January 17, 2015 Audio

Murs Is Feelin’ Himself On A Groovy Track From Company Flow’s Mr. Len (Audio)

Murs and Mr. Len have long run in adjacent circles. When Murs started to make his ascent to being one of the premier MCs in Hip-Hop, it was through his Def Jux work (End Of The Beginning, Murs 3:16). Definitive Jux was launched by El-P, the former musical partner of... Read more

January 17, 2015 Audio

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Big Pun vs. RZA…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 16, 2015 Throwback

Do Remember: Haze Presents…NY Reality Check 101 (Mixed By DJ Premier)

This week, it was announced that 2015 will see the release of DJ Premier's first solo album, Last Session @320. The album and its title are an homage to the closing of HeadQCourterz Studios (f/k/a D&D Studios), which had been Premier's professional home for nearly 25 years. As fans eagerly... Read more

January 15, 2015 Throwback

Cormega Confirms 2015 EP, Produced Entirely By Mobb Deep’s Havoc

Following 2014's critically-acclaimed Mega Philosophy album by Cormega (now available on colored 2LP vinyl), it appears as though the Queens, New York veteran MC is well underway into a follow-up. Yesterday (January 14), 'Mega announced, via Twitter, that he is currently planning his first EP, produced entirely by Havoc, of... Read more

January 15, 2015 Fresh

Freddie Gibbs Hits The Hard Drums With A Verse To Match (Audio)

After making a jam with Wu-Tang Clan's GZA late last year, Hanni El Khatib teams up with Freddie Gibbs. Commissioned by Converse, "Satin Black." Boasting that he gives two curse-free verses, Gangsta Gibbs still finds PG ways of describing his garage full of old-school's, his "by any means" approach, and... Read more

January 14, 2015 Audio

Beanie Sigel To Make A Follow-Up To Public Enemy #1 Mixtape

Just over one month since he was shot in New Jersey, Beanie Sigel has new material on the table. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC survived what is believed to be a near-fatal shooting, at least the second such attack in his lifetime, and has returned to work. What's more, according to... Read more

January 14, 2015 Fresh

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Lil Wayne vs. Game…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 14, 2015 Fresh

Joey Bada$$ Rocks His Dilla & Roots-Produced Track With The Roots (Video)

Quite curiously, Joey Bada$$'s debut album, B4.Da.$$ (January 20) includes a track co-produced by The Roots, and the late J Dilla. While the snippets of the Sony Red-distributed LP were promptly pulled from YouTube, many Heads are curious how the Brooklyn, New York millennial would sound alongside the iconic collaboration... Read more

January 14, 2015 Fresh, Video

Blu & Large Professor Come Together For That Signature Extra P Remix (Audio)

Back in 2012, Blu teamed up with W.A.R. Media's Mela Machinko for a Coalmine Records single, "Kiss The Sky." Johnson Barnes was in his pocket, and dropped some smooth stream of consciousness on a chopped down beat that paid homage to '70s Soul and scratch DJs at once. Nearly three... Read more

January 13, 2015 Audio

Phonte & Oddisee Channel Pain Into Beautiful Art, Reacting To The World Today (Audio)

In the wake of the 2014 murders of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and so many other Black men at the hands of law enforcement, there was a large outcry for artists to react, reflect, and somehow find the words we, the people, could not. Those expressions are indeed... Read more

January 13, 2015 Audio

Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin Going To January Online Auction

Even after a reported (by RZA) $5 million offer, the Wu-Tang Clan wants to see if their guarded, completed album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin can draw more interest. Dazed Digital reports that the Clansmen will take the single-copy LP, recorded in Marrakesh, Morocco, produced by Cilvaringz, will appear... Read more

January 13, 2015 Fresh

Erick Sermon Speaks Openly About Earnings, Helping Create Atlanta’s Scene (Video)

Erick Sermon does not do a ton of interviews. However, when the EPMD and Def Squad co-founder speaks, he's never big on canned, diplomatic answers. E-Dub opens up in a major way when speaking with This Is 50's Jack Thriller. The Brentwood, Long Island MC/producer breaks down his 2000s-era comeback... Read more

January 13, 2015 Throwback

Common & John Legend Capture The Glory Of “Selma” (Video)

Less than 48 hours after Common and John Legend carried Golden Globe trophies (presented by Prince) off of the stage for their song "Glory," they offer up the video. The "Best Original Song" winner from the film Selma cross-promotes Ava DuVernay's latest work in the visual. Along the way, there... Read more

January 13, 2015 Video

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Jay-Z vs. AZ…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 13, 2015 Fresh

This Might Be Grand Puba’s Best Song In 10 Years & It Resonates (Audio)

Unlike Sadat X and Lord Jamar, both of whom stay incredibly active in songmaking and social media, respectively, Grand Puba plays the background. Stud Doogie is the faction of Brand Nubian who often wants his silence and privacy, taking an extended break since 2009's Retroactive. However, recent events and world... Read more

January 12, 2015 Audio

Crooklyn Dodgers ’94 & Crooklyn Dodgers ’95 Trade Uniforms In This ILL Blend (Audio)

DJ Hellee Hooper (a play on famed Soul II Soul/Bjork/No Doubt producer Nellee Hooper), swapped the vocals of Special Ed, Masta Ace, and Buckshot from "Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers" with the instrumental to the 1995 original (Chubb Rock, O.C., Jeru The Damaja). The results (thus "94.5") trick your mind,... Read more

January 12, 2015 Throwback

DJ Premier Announces His First Solo Album, Last Session @ 320

Less than one week into his new studio home in Astoria, Queens, big news is coming from DJ Premier. The longtime Gang Starr producer/DJ has announced his first solo album, Last Session @ 320. Planned for 2015, the title is presumably an homage to the 37th Street address of his... Read more

January 12, 2015 Fresh

Breaking Bad Spin-off Better Call Saul Begins Next Month. Catch The Official Trailer (Video)

"Breaking Bad," in all of its glory, was one of the most captivating, cliff-hanging, and entrancing television series of all times. Within Vince Gill's cross-over hit for AMC there were some splashes of comic relief from Walter White and Jesse Pinkman's meth-cooking madness: attorney Saul Goodman. The mass-advertised phone-book lawyer... Read more

January 12, 2015 TV/Film

Lil Wayne Apologizes For The Wait With A Song To Appease All Of His Fans (Audio)

Lil Wayne is out for 2015. Only brandishing the Young Money flag for the year ahead, Mr. Carter will crack open the calendar with his upcoming mixtape, Sorry 4 The Wait 2. After a slow last year, Weezy F. goes to his YM site and takes Future's hit "Sh!t," and... Read more

January 12, 2015 Audio

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): KRS-One vs. Masta Ace…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 12, 2015 Throwback

Freddie Gibbs Writes Stuart Scott Editorial, Says He May Have Saved His Life

Freddie Gibbs is an evocative MC. However, the Gary, Indiana lyricist is not typically known for being overly sensitive to others. So when the ESGN leader takes time to pay a long-form homage to life of another, it's big. Gangsta Gibbs penned an editorial for Billboard today (January 12), reflecting... Read more

January 12, 2015 Fresh

Eminem Grants One Teenage Fan’s Final Wish

Many Eminem Heads know how much the superstar admires the life and music of Tupac Shakur. Eminem even worked extensively, as a producer, on some of 'Pac's posthumous albums, including 2006's Pac's Life. Although a lot can be said about the final years of 2Pac's life, one moment always speaks... Read more

January 12, 2015 Fresh

E-40 & Too Short Dust Off The T.W.D.Y. Tag and Co-Sign IamSu! (Video)

In the late 1990s, when the Bay area was largely ignored by mainstream radio and video outlets, T.W.D.Y. formed. Ant Banks' super-collective The Whole Damn Yay included icons such as Rappin' 4-Tay and Captain Save'Em, with strong involvement from the likes of Too Short, E-40, Mac Mall, B-Legit, Spice 1,... Read more

January 12, 2015 Video

Sound Bwoy Bureill Was Intended For Heltah Skeltah? Smif-n-Wessun & Da Beatminerz Recall (Video)

This past Saturday (January 10), Smif-n-Wessun's debut album, Dah Shinin', turned 20 years old. The Wreck Records release from General Steele and Tek was a benchmark moment for the Boot Camp Clik, and largely perceived as a follow-up to Black Moon's Enta Da Stage, given the tight-knit collective's overlapping production... Read more

January 12, 2015 Throwback

Common & John Legend Are Presented With Golden Globes…By Prince (Video)

Moments ago this evening (January 11), it was a historic moment for the careers of Common and John Legend. The former G.O.O.D. Music label-mates, as a pair, took home "Best Original Song" Golden Globes for the song "Glory" from the film Selma. Not only does the honor put John and Comm'... Read more

January 12, 2015 Video

The Beastie Boys & Nas Unearth A 5 Year-Old Visual That Hasn’t Aged A Day (Video)

It was a major affair back in 2009 when the Beastie Boys and Nas released the spiking commentary track "Too Many Rappers." The Def Jam superstars of 1986 teamed with the critical label acquisition of 2006 in a song that was appropriate for the times. Released on vinyl, and also... Read more

January 12, 2015 Featured-homepage, Video

D’Angelo’s One-Hour 2014 AFROPUNK FEST Performance, In Full (Video)

After a career that could be described as largely dormant for more than a decade, 2014 was the great wake-up for D'Angelo's output. While the closing month of the year afforded musically-starving fans with a third album in Black Messiah, August was incredibly telling. It was then that the Richmond,... Read more

January 11, 2015 Video

DJ Dahi Drives Stevie Wonder’s All I Do Through The Trap, Then To The Jungle (Audio)

In the last five years of Hip-Hop music, DJ Dahi has made hits—and never seems overly concerned with getting his name out, or on the track. A Los Angeles, California native, the man born Dacoury Natche has produced hits for Big Sean ("IDFWU"), Drake ("Worst Behavior"), and ScHoolboy Q ("Hell... Read more

January 11, 2015 Audio, Fresh

There Have Been A Gang Of Death Row Records Documentaries, But This One Stands Tall (Video)

Starting when the label was less than six years old, documentaries started releasing around the creation, controversy, and commercial dominance of Death Row Records. Started by Marion "Suge" Knight and Dr. Dre in late 1991, the Los Angeles, California-based label released classic, multi-platinum albums by Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Tha Dogg... Read more

January 11, 2015 Throwback

A.O.T.P. Meets D.I.T.C. As Apathy Announces Collaborative LP With O.C., Perestoika

Veteran Willimantic, Connecticut MC/producer has announced—via a new video—that he is planning three albums for 2015. A member of veteran charting act Army Of The Pharaohs, recent super-group Get Busy Committee, and founder of Demigodz, Apathy has stayed quite busy since his shelved tenure at Atlantic Records in the early-mid-2000s.... Read more

January 10, 2015 Fresh

GZA Freestyles, While Ol’ Dirty Bastard Beat-Boxes In A Bathroom In 1991 (Video)

In 1991, GZA (as "The Genius") was on the same Cold Chillin' Records that he would later diss on "Labels." The future was bright for the Brooklyn, New York MC who was working with Easy Mo Bee on Words From The Genius at the time. Released in February of that... Read more

January 9, 2015 Throwback

Picking Up Girls Gets Trippy In Childish Gambino’s Sober (Video)

For Hip-Hop artists of the moment, is anybody making as alluring videos as Childish Gambino? Donald Glover's career in film, television, and the performing arts comes to life in so many visual companions to his acclaimed songs. "Sober," from the STN MTN / Kauai project is no expection. Set in... Read more

January 9, 2015 Fresh, Video

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): Eminem vs. Xzibit…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 9, 2015 Fresh, Throwback

Roosh Williams Reminds All That Mortal Kombat Is Always Relevant (Video)

Houston, Texas MC Roosh Williams has been abuzz for a hot minute. Gearing up for his latest album, after a few DIY efforts, Unorthodox, the rapper shows why he earns that title. Although there's some regional and local elements to his music, Roosh's delivery isn't what the latest crop of... Read more

January 9, 2015 Fresh, Video