Jordan Commandeur

DJ Jazzy Jeff’s New Album Is A Magnificent End To An Incredible Trilogy (Audio)

Different eras of Hip-Hop fans may know DJ Jazzy Jeff for various achievements in his career. Some first encountered Jeffrey Townes' turntablism and production skills thanks to DJ Jazzy & The Fresh Prince. Others have learned of the innovating mix-master through his stellar solo career, mixtapes, and collaborative works. With... Read more

May 8, 2018 Audio

Meek Mill Is Using His New Platform To Be An Advocate For Criminal Justice Reform (Video)

Meek Mill was released from prison late last month, and he has been on a mission ever since. The platinum, #1-charting Philadelphia MC was the focus of an NBC special Dateline episode that aired Sunday (May 6). Filmed just 18 hours after his April 24 release from a prison cell,... Read more

May 8, 2018 Lifestyle, News, Video

TDE’s SiR Delivers One Of His Most Powerful Songs To Its Jamaican Roots (Video)

While SiR had to grind for years as an engineer and songwriter, is firmly set in the spotlight now. After dropping a well-received EP titled HER TOO only a month after announcing his signing to TDE in 2017, fans were clamoring for his full-length debut on the label. It took... Read more

May 8, 2018 Video

Jedi Mind Tricks Is 25 Years Strong. The Group Shows No Signs Of Backing Down (Video)

Philadelphia’s underground anti-heroes Jedi Mind Tricks have released the first music video for their ninth album. While group front-man Vinnie Paz rotates between JMT, Heavy Metal Kings, Army Of The Pharaohs, and a celebrated solo catalog, it has been three years since The Thief And The Fallen. While style seems... Read more

May 5, 2018 Video

Apollo Brown & Locksmith Are Releasing An EP. The 1st Song Leaves No Question It Will Be Dope (Audio)

Locksmith has been in the game long enough to go from prodigious street poet to battle MC, to prolific recording artist. Although Lock' is straight out of Richmond, California, his music is not what many might expect from the region. His lyrics do not glorify drugs, sideshows, or violence. Instead,... Read more

May 1, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

KRS-One Explains Why He No Longer Performs The Last Verse To “The Bridge Is Over” (Audio)

KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock made one of Hip-Hop's most iconic diss records in Boogie Down Productions' "The Bridge Is Over." In the eyes of many, the song was a second-round knockout punch against the Juice Crew's MC Shan, DJ Mr. Magic, Marley Marl, and Roxanne Shanté—four artists that... Read more

April 29, 2018 Audio

Pete Rock Gives A Fantastic Update On The De La Soul Project He & DJ Premier Are Producing

Hip-Hop luminary and Grammy-winning producer/DJ Pete Rock was on hand for the Seattle, Washington Museum of Pop Culture’s grand opening of their new exhibit, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes. The legendary beat creator was invited to DJ the engagement and was also an honored guest. While Rock wasn’t conducting interviews... Read more

April 24, 2018 Exclusive, News

Cardi B Finesses The Charts & Breaks 2 New Guinness Records

Cardi B’s music may not be polarizing in the eyes of some Hip-Hop Heads, but the numbers do not lie. The Bronx, New York rapper has an unabashed energy that has attracted a wide fan-base, and her numbers reflect her rapid rise in popularity. She is literally on top of... Read more

April 19, 2018 News

Kanye West Is Writing A Philosophy Book On Twitter. So Far, It’s Insightful

Kanye West has pushed the boundaries of what is expected from a musician, and he continues to do so. While fans are always eager to hear any new music from the superstar, his interviews and tweets are often just as anticipated. So, when he returned to Twitter last week after... Read more

April 19, 2018 Lifestyle, News

Brand Nubian’s Unsung Tells The Group’s Story In Full. Slow Down & Watch (Video)

Brand Nubian is one of the most influential Hip-Hop groups. In the eyes of many, they are also heavily underrated. Grand Puba, Lord Jamar, Sadat X, and DJ Alamo introduced a sound, style, and consciousness that became a formula for a new breed of Heads in the 1990s. Further, this... Read more

April 18, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

Bobby Sessions Takes Back His Identity In A Jarring & Symbolic Video

Bobby Sessions is a veteran product of the Dallas, Texas Hip-Hop scene. He has been spitting verses with raw social commentary since the turn of the decade. Meanwhile, Bobby has repped the HIGH STANDARDz family since his debut album LOA (Law Of Attraction) launched the label in 2016. That impressive... Read more

April 15, 2018 Video

Action Bronson Is Independent Again. He Celebrates With A Lovely Collabo With Alchemist (Audio)

For the first time in roughly five years, Action Bronson is a free agent. After publicly griping about the situation with his label Vice/Atlantic Records online last Spring, the New Yorker returns to the independent status that earned him a strong following at the top of the decade. Since then,... Read more

April 13, 2018 Audio

Naturally 7’s Acapella Remake Of Digable Planets’ Hit Is Slick & Cool Like That (Video)

Naturally 7 are a seven-man acapella group out of New York City. However, the septet strafes the line between traditional vocal group and beat-boxers. They don’t simply sing. Each member has also all mastered imitating a specific instrument. While they have dropped eight albums full of original material since they... Read more

April 13, 2018 Exclusive, Video

Daniel Caesar & H.E.R. Show Great Soul Music Lives On (Video)

Within only four years time Oshawa, Ontario native Daniel Caesar has stepped forth as one of the most exciting new voices of Soul music. While he did not win the Grammy for "Best R&B Performance" this year, he was nominated in the company of Bruno Mars, SZA, and Kehlani. Further,... Read more

April 11, 2018 Video

Michael Millions & His Virginia Crew Rework D’Angelo In A Way That Burns (Video)

Hip-Hop fans may be familiar with Nickelus F. He was an early Drake collaborator, he had a memorable BET "Freestyle Friday" run, and he has been a devoted representative of Richmond, Virginia. However, unless heads are familiar with Nickelus' albums, they may not be up on his crew, AGM (Associated... Read more

April 10, 2018 Ready Or Not

Meek Mill Is Free…At Least In His Powerful New Video

Although he is currently incarcerated 40 miles outside of Philadelphia, Meek Mill continues to represent for his city, and demonstrate the potency of last year's Wins & Losses album. In his latest music video, Robert Rihmeek Williams is a free man delivering some of the best art of his 15-year-music... Read more

April 10, 2018 Video

Joey Bada$$ & The Flatbush ZOMBiES Show Brooklyn Is STILL In The House (Audio)

In 2017, The Flatbush ZOMBiES seemed relatively quiet. Other than a couple of appearances on A$AP Mob projects, these eccentric Brooklyn spitters seemed to be laying deliberately low. Well, fans should have known that they were just locked up in the lab concocting a sophomore worthy of their debut, 3001:... Read more

April 6, 2018 Audio

M.O.P.’s Lil Fame Releases His First Solo Video & Billy Danze Is Still By His Side

Lil Fame and Billy Danze have endured many eras of Hip-Hop while consistently giving audiences that hardcore Rap that they entered with during the mid-1990s. While the Mash Out Possé has made songs that brought Brownsville Brooklyn attitudes and antics into the mainstream, the two artists have never done solo... Read more

April 3, 2018 Video

Masta Ace & A Band Rock The House In A Personal & Emotional Tiny Desk Concert (Video)

NPR’s Tiny Desk is not only an intimate performance space, but the video segment has also become an apparent stamp of approval from National Public Radio that identifies an artist as high caliber and culturally significant. Following his Juice Crew band-mate Big Daddy Kane's February performance, Masta Ace hits the... Read more

April 2, 2018 Video

ANoyd Antagonizes The Mic In A Blistering 5 Fingers Of Death Freestyle (Video)

Bloomfield, Connecticut lyricist ANoyd (pronounced "annoyed") has been mashing on the gas ever since he came in the game, about five years ago. That is the year he appeared on Apathy’s album that was dedicated to both MCs’ home state, Connecticut Casual. He has also recorded several songs with another... Read more

March 24, 2018 Video

Westside Gunn & Mr. Green Partner For An EP. Here’s A Sample From That Stash (Audio)

The Griselda family's breakthrough player, Westside Gunn, seems to be going even harder in 2018 than he did in 2017, and that says a lot. Having dropped several full-length projects, appeared in the Shady Records BET Cypher, as well as a collabo 12” with MF DOOM in 2017, one might... Read more

March 22, 2018 Audio

Quadir Lateef & Statik Selektah’s EP Aims To Get An Ugly Reaction (Audio)

Ruff Ryders MC Quadir Lateef has been hovering on the fringes of notoriety for years. This imposing wordsmith has caught the attention of everybody from DJ Green Lantern to Chuck D to Russell Simmons over the years. While he started as a Spoken Word poet, this artist has developed into... Read more

March 21, 2018 Audio

Roc Marciano & Action Bronson Show Hip-Hop Can Be Grimy & Soulful At The Same Time (Video)

Roc Marciano has piloted a unique lane in Rap. Since his solo debut, Marcberg, in 2010, each consecutive project seems to be more anticipated than the last. With Rosebudd’s Revenge last year, the Hempstead, Long Island MC/producer's buzz reached a new pinnacle in the eyes (and ears) of many. So,... Read more

March 14, 2018 Video

Kooley High Reach For The Ceiling In The Group’s Newest Video

The “Hip-Hop group” seems to be an endangered species in today’s landscape. There are plenty of collectives comprised of loosely-associated solo MCs, or super-group side projects. However, acts with more than two members are becoming rarer and rarer. Enter Kooley High, a North Carolina Hip-Hop crew who are driven by... Read more

March 13, 2018 Ready Or Not

Jean Grae Knocked With The Hardest Bars & The Industry Opened The Door (Audio)

Jean Grae was a refreshingly honest and forthright MC when she first emerged out of the New York City underground scene in the late 1990s. Previously known as What? What?, Jean made it abundantly clear to all within an earshot that she was bringing that raw spit. Known to share... Read more

March 1, 2018 Do Remember

Class Is In Session As Rob Swift Delivers Keynote Speech At Indiana University (Video)

One of the forefathers of the turntablism movement, Rob Swift, gave a keynote speech on “research and teaching as it pertains to the art of DJing” at Indiana University this week. Rob is a co-founder of one of the most influential DJ crews of all time, the X-Ecutioners. That famed... Read more

February 25, 2018 News, Video

QBert & The Invisibl Skratch Piklz Rock A Party With Breathtaking Turntablism (Video)

The title of “DJ” or disc jockey took on a whole new definition once Hip-Hop got a hold of it. While it started as a way to signify those that played and mixed records, it came to represent so much more in the 1980s and ‘90s as a part of... Read more

February 20, 2018 Video

Sa-Roc Raps Like A Queen Straight Outta Wakanda (Video)

Sa-Roc has been putting out quality Hip-Hop music for a decade as of this year. And with 13 projects in that time, she stays working on her craft. Roc is dedicated to both mic mastery and self-realization, and her music reflects both pursuits. Now, while she didn’t drop a full-length... Read more

February 20, 2018 Video

Rapsody’s Chrome Video Is About So Much More Than Car-Jacking

Rapsody is proof that an MC can carry on traditions, while still being current and successful. The Snow Hill, North Carolina native is getting the shine that 9th Wonder and JAY-Z knew she deserved years ago when they each signed her to their respective labels. Her soulful but raw lyricism... Read more

February 19, 2018 Video

Black Milk Creates 1 Funky & Electronic Mix. He Unveils Some New Music Too. (Audio)

Black Milk came into the game as a hungry, young producer in the Slum Village camp. He was lucky enough to place two beats on Slum Village’s 2002 album, Trinity (Past, Present and Future). However, by the next Slum album, Detroit Deli, in 2004 he had production credits on almost... Read more

February 14, 2018 Audio, Mixes

Lyric Jones Is More Proof Of Why This Is A Renaissance Period For Women MCs (Video)

Planet Asia's Gold Chain Miltary has assembled a clan of lyrical assassins, two of which just happen to be women. One of those MCs is L.A. transplant Lyric Jones. "Nat Queen Cole" (as she calls herself in this cut) has been on her grind in the last couple months, dropping... Read more

February 9, 2018 Video

Skyzoo & Raheem DeVaughn Hit The Bakery To Slice Some Devil’s Pie (Video)

If you haven't listened to Skyzoo's new album, In Celebration of Us, this first music video may be just the nudge you need. Both his 2017 projects, Peddler Themes and The Easy Truth with Apollo Brown, raised the lyrical bar in a time when it often seems to have been lowered.... Read more

February 9, 2018 Video

J.I.D.’s Video Is An Animated Cartoon Tribute. But The Raps Are Very Real.

While J. Cole is recognized as one of the best MCs of this generation, his nose for talent is still underrated. Sure, people know who Bas, Cozz, Lute, Omen, and EarthGang are, but heavily due to the fact that they're Cole’s opening acts (and label artists) on any given Dreamville... Read more

February 7, 2018 Video

Ill Camille Is A Lyrical Soldier. She Fights On For Her Rap Dreams (Video)

Hip-Hop at its best does more than make you move; it makes you think. When a song shares one’s personal experience, listeners going through the same thing don’t feel so alone. And on the other hand, for others, it opens their eyes. Either way, this is the kind of powerful... Read more

February 6, 2018 Ready Or Not

DJ Spinna’s Moving 90-Minute Mix Teaches Black History, In Audio

DJ Spinna is well known for his massive record collection, varied musical tastes, and extensive mixes. This Brooklynite has refused to be pigeon-holed and has created essential mixtapes and compilations that focus on a wide variety of genres including Hip-Hop, Soul, Funk, Deep House, Jazz, Post-Disco, R&B, and more. He... Read more

February 6, 2018 Audio, Mixes

Black Thought Lists His Top 5 MCs & The Reasons He’s A GOAT (Video)

The latest episode of the Touré Show podcast released this week, and the guest is none other than Black Thought of The Roots. This insightful conversation (named "How To MC") took place in late 2017 at the Brooklyn Museum and was filmed in front of a live audience of a... Read more

February 1, 2018 Video

Focus The Truth Wants To Know If You’re Down To Ride With Him (Video)

The name Focus The Truth can be read two ways. It could be interpreted as an alias (Focus) coupled with a title (The Truth), or the moniker can be taken as a whole and viewed as a statement of what this MC does — focus the truth. Either way, this... Read more

January 30, 2018 Ready Or Not

AFH Ambrosia for Heads

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