Reviews

For some, it makes sense to live by the rule of thumb that says: set your expectations on the lower side, and chances are you won’t be disappointed. Admittedly, that was the mindset most Cam'ron fans experienced when they got a taste of the initial 1st of the Month series in July. You'...

Bandman Kevo was one of the earliest Chicago rappers to watch out for in 2013 and he's rapidly been bubbling out of his region. The World Star Hip-Hop friendly rapper grabbed the attention of many with "All Foreign," which also featured a collaboration with Soulja Boy...

Few captured the zeitgest of 2013 better than PARTYNEXTDOOR, who ascended impossibly fast from the hazy lights of Drake’s Houstatlantavegas. A co-sign and an October's Very Own blog post on April 2013 from the most visible figure in hip-hop instantly transformed PND’s “Make A Mil” into a buzzing single, but unlike his OVO boss, PARTYNEXTDOOR had no interest in divulging details about himself to sw

When Sir Michael Rocks' new album, Banco, reaches the masses on today, it will have been a little over three years since the last joint effort with producer Chuck Inglish, his initial confidant from both artist's introductory group, The Cool Kids...

Ever since Nas declared "Hip-Hop Is Dead" on his eighth studio LP, a growing number of rappers have added their voices to the art form’s eulogy. Awakening from his five-year hibernation, Queens MC Cormega returns to decry the flossed out state of hip-hop on Mega Philosophy. T...

“A black figure...in the middle with chaos and gunfire…the beast is runnin' rampant.” Those are words Common rapped on “Chi-City,” a song off his 2005 album Be. That album, now considered by some to be one of the few hip-hop classics of the 2000s (XXL gave it its highest rating), was a detailed account of life on the city’s South Side, where Com grew up. When you listen to it, you can’t he... Read

Young Thug is perhaps the ultimate realization of André 3000 and Lil Wayne’s weirdo rap aesthetic; he’s an oddball being championed mostly for his eccentricity. Regardless of how you feel about him there’s no denying that there would not be a market for his rare brand of noise rap without their influence. He is a derivative of t...

B.o.B recently released the second installment to his No Genre series. Before the release, the ATL rappper sparked some interest for No Genre 2 with the single “Swing My Way” featuring Sevyn Streeter. Fans of No Genre were ready to see what else the 2009 XXL Freshman had to offer. With featu...

Lil Durk's getting back on his grind, but he wasn't always focused on creating music. In April, the 2014 XXL Freshman was in the beginnings of a heated feud with Tyga, which stemmed from referencing his fiancée Blac Chyna on an unreleased track called "Get Dat Money." Back and ...

Is there any crew in the game that has perfected the art of the tag team like Odd Future has? The Golf Wang misfits have boasted subsidiary acts like EarlWolf, The Internet, & MellowHigh - among others, but none of those incarnations features as heavy traction as the duo of Hodgy Beats and Left Brain -- collectively known as MellowHype. Th...

Soulful sonic waves and intoxicating drums flourish throughout Fly.Union's sophomore effort, Small Victories. Consisting of rappers/producers Iyeball, Jayswifa and MC Jerreau, the Columbus, OH natives continue their odyssey in becoming hip-hop's unstoppable trio...

Over the course of his career, Trey Songz has pulled from R. Kelly's vibrant blueprint dedicating his vocals content that quickly grabs the attention of most people between 19-35; women, sex, club antics and straight flexin'. Anticipated as an album to reach No...