Jurassic 5 is known for its throwback sound, which harks back to hip-hop’s golden age. Although purists have always gravitated toward the group’s old-school-inspired music, the crew is looking at gaining a wider audience with its latest effort, Feedback, which features collaborations with Dave Matthews and super-producer Scott Storch, as…

Monsieur Leroc’s third album is a hodgepodge of styles with a little of his signature twisting thrown in. Leroc’s production, which is often compared to DJ Shadow’s and Money Mark’s, spans underground/indie hip-hop (“Me So Hungry,” featuring Radioinactive), jazz (“Freewheelin’ Frankie,” featuring Courtney Mace) and funk (“Baby,” featuring Bargain Josh)…

Black Moon burst onto the hip-hop scene in the early ’90s, just as the hip-pop of MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice was vanishing and Snoop and Dr. Dre were bringing the West Coast rap scene back to prominence. The act carried East Coast hip-hop on its back and introduced a…

In 1998, when Canibus was in the midst of a battle with LL Cool J and spit the lines “Mad at me cause I kick that shit real niggas feel/While 99% of your fans wear high heels,” his scathing assessment wasn’t that far off the mark. With the exception of…

Rush Ya Collaboration albums are generally hit or miss. Their success hinges on how well the artists are able to jell with each other. Unfortunately for local MC Ancient Mith and German producer XNDL, the crew behind Rush Ya, A Modern Day McCarthy reveals a noticeable lack of chemistry; the…

As a graf artist, DJ and MC, AWOL came up in the same California underground scene that gave birth to such respected hip-hop artists as the Shape Shifters and the Project Blowed crew. He’s released a handful of projects with the likes of Daddy Kev and Fat Jack and has…

As the Terror Squad’s official DJ, Miami-based DJ Khaled has made a name for himself on the mixtape scene over the past few years. So when it came time to make his inaugural record, he had a long list of artists he could use on the project. Typically, a DJ…

Busta Rhymes has recently embarked on a career makeover. He’s got a new label, a new haircut and a new body. But his latest album, The Big Bang, is reminiscent of the Busta of the ’90s: hungry, charismatic and crazy. The Dr. Dre-produced opening salvo, “Get You Some,” finds Rhymes…

In 2002, when the Streets (aka Mike Skinner) burst onto the scene with his debut, Original Pirate Material, he was lauded for his offbeat flow and the careless attitude he dropped over British two-step garage beats. Skinner must’ve anticipated the shelf life of garage, however, because two years later, he…

It’s been seven years since Ice Cube released a solo album and even longer since he’s been on tour by himself. But with his Westside Connection lying in the hip-hop graveyard, his hunger to get back on the mike was fueled, and Cube took off an entire year from Hollywood…

On 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents — their second album and debut for the newly relaunched Rawkus Records imprint — the Procussions have pretty much moved on from their golden age of hip-hop sound. This time out, Stro’s production is much more progressive, rhythmic and melodic, though the influence of…

A child prodigy who’s been playing the piano since age five and attended college at sixteen, John Legend played with Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Janet Jackson, among others, before Kanye West noticed his talent and took him under his wing. On Get Lifted, his debut disc, Legend runs the…

Daniel Dumile is bored with hip-hop. He’s gotta be. What else could explain the rapper’s many personas? On any given day, he’ll transform into Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, maybe Madvillain, King Ghidra or, if he’s up to it, the rarely seen Zevlove X. On most days, however, he’s MF Doom…

Listening to Porch Thinkin’, you get the sense that Arkansas Bo was one of those cats that got along with everybody in high school. He’s witty, funny, intelligent and more fun to hang out with than pretty much everyone else. And that persona translates well to his debut disc. Although…

Shortly after releasing Double Up in 1999, Mase left hip-hop while at the top of his game to get his life right with God. Five years later, he’s back, and not much has changed — well, except for the fact that he’s noticeably cleaned up his act. In the past,…

After making a significant amount of noise in Denver’s hip-hop scene for the past few years, Break Mechanics have finally released their debut album. Without question, Paas, Q-burse and Lo are dope MCs. And drummer Darren Hahn, bassist Casey Sidwell and keyboardist Greg Raymond are among the most talented musicians…

Mobb Deep has been rapping about the same thing for ten years. And it’s gotten tired. While songs like “Got It Twisted,” “When You Hear theŠ” and “Neva Change” conjure up images of dark, wet New York City streets and back alleys with a sound that we’ve come to love,…

Want to make a hit record? Here’s the formula: Get a hot beat and come up with a catchy hook. That’s it. It’s that simple. Seriously. At least that’s all the Terror Squad — Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Prospect, Armageddon and Tony Sunshine — did with “Lean Back,” the summer’s…

Slick Rick (aka Ricky Walters) was the centerpiece of hip-hop’s golden era, that period of time after Run-DMC had its success and before MC Hammer started dancing for Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 1988 he released The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, a masterpiece filled with witty lyrics and the MC’s…

With the release of its third record, Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit, Slum Village has been paired down to a duo. Jay Dee and Baatin may be gone, but T3 and Elzhi haven’t missed a step. The bangin’ first single, “Selfish,” featuring Kanye West and John Legend, proves that…

Originally released in Australia in 2002, Michael Franti’s much bootlegged and downloaded album, Songs From the Front Porch: An Acoustic Collection, has finally arrived on U.S shores. The ten-song opus from the Spearhead frontman features seven previously released tracks from that band’s acclaimed Stay Human, Everyone Deserves Music and Chocolate…

In the summer of 2002, Truth Hurts, aka Shari Watson, couldn’t have had it better. She had a huge radio and club hit with the DJ Quik-produced single “Addictive,” featuring hip-hop living legend Rakim. She had a star-studded album, Truthfully Speaking, produced collectively by Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Organized Noize and…