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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otTDPrtg2sY&feature=player_embedded#! Props to 2dopeboyz for putting the video together. Click here for more Saigon.... Read more
1. B.o.B. - Bobby Ray dropped several crunk-filled mixtapes before releasing his first official album. When the album dropped, however, it was filled with lots of pop, rock and just a little bit of crunk...and it was dope. In addition to garnering 5 Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year,... Read more
http://www.vimeo.com/18002640 Here's a side-by-side comparison of the brothers Thornton, aka The Clipse. Who do you think is nicer on the mic?... Read more
Curren$y's version is called Daze of Thunder. Rick Ross and Kanye still rocked this track the best, but Curren$y holds his own. http://www.vimeo.com/17995715... Read more
Now that the year is winding down and new music is slowing to a trickle, it's the perfect opportunity to take a look back at 2010 and what made it such a phenomenal year for hip-hop. Stay tuned for 9 more reasons until the end of the year. First up... Read more
Fortunately Diggy keeps doing these songs justice. If he can get some original material this tight he's going to have a very bright future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARYQH_Q4fZw Click here to download. If you missed it, here's how Diggy fared covering Mobb Deep's Shook Ones.... Read more
Eminem and Lil Wayne performed on SNL last night. Welcome back, Weezy. They did No Love, Won't Back Down and the first televised version of 6'7". Could this be the next hip-hop stadium bill?... Read more
Like Me, the first track that leaked from this mixtape was a banger. It's a short, but solid project. Click here to download the mixtape. The tracklist is below. 1. Never Lie (Intro) 2. Like Me 3. My Name 4. Interlude 5. Mindstate 6. Gz Up 7. Gettin’ That 8.... Read more
So what are the similarities? Both have silky smooth, sing-song flows (say that 5 times fast), are tall and lanky, are super laid-back, are eminently likeable and each have a well-documented love for the medicinal herb. If that's not enough, a picture is worth a thousand words: Click here to... Read more
It's not a secret that hip-hop was born from black culture and, to date, has been comprised primarily of black performers. As a result, there have been few rappers of other colors who have gained mainstream acceptance, and they generally have come one at a time (The Beastie Boys, 3rd... Read more
That cat's range has impressed me. He dropped All Feelin' earlier in the year and it was a totally different sound but still dope. Props to NahRight.com. Click here to download. Here's Digable Planets' Rebirth of Slick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM4kqL13jGM... Read more
Real talk, these 2 sound like they've been music together for years. RIDICULOUSLY hot G-Funk: Click here to download. And here are 2 of my favorite DJ Quik joints of all time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6kky3k-MVk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOs6qNJevvE... Read more
This is from Spice 1's upcoming album Notorious Bastards, Vol. 1, which drops next week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AfYKQUvhSc Click here to download.... Read more
If you've been rockin' with me for a minute, you know how I feel about Big K.R.I.T. This one is soulful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtdMBvIqFKI Click here to download. ... Read more
This is a remix to Nas' No Ideas Original. The drums Large Professor used for the remix are reminiscent of those he used for Nas' Halftime. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GYjbFuTmS0 Click here to download. Here are some of Large Professors classic joints: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUFwwEXTuY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAj8JnAhgqY&feature=related And of course the song that launched Nas' career:... Read more
Blu has been making a comeback as of late. He and Exile supposedly have another project coming out next year. In the meantime, here's how he gets down with Mr. Brady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ZPx7NYWvc Click here to download. And in case you forgot how Diamond D gets down, check these out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIY5--ufw8Q... Read more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMQc-AH75gA Click here to download. Also, here's Wayne's first interview post-prison. He called into DJ Drama's radio show on Shade 45 to discuss the new single, video and many other things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZVwSKJeQn8 ... Read more
This song continues the "dancefication" of hip-hop, but it works. Check out NahRight's take on the video and the trials of blogging here. http://www.vimeo.com/17795826... Read more
They go in on the classic beat used by the Ultramagnetic MCs on Funky and then 2Pac and Dr. Dre on California Love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktpNWX2Qn58 Click here to download. Here's California Love for the West Side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWOsbGP5Ox4 ...and Funky for the East Coast OG's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oV13dHUfEM ... Read more
This one looks like it was funded by Landy cognac but the music is cool, so it's all good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dAfOTb-Abg&feature=player_embedded Check the comparison to Tha Dogg Pound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pvR48FvXy4 The West Side is making a long-awaited comeback.... Read more