Reviews

Cudi released Satellite Flight: The Journey To Mother Moon—the EP turned LP—through a digital-only drop with little warning. It felt like Cudi was sticking to his mantra that he does what he wants, when he wants. But this was no impulsive decision. Satellite ...

These days, Virginia Beach producer and vocalist Pharrell can do no wrong. Whether it’s producing Marvin Gaye-inspired pop hits, crooning over cheesy French disco or wearing a hat that looks like it was tailored for Smokey the Bear, the seemingly ageless falsetto manages to always come off cool. As a...

President’s Day marked a brand new release from DC rising star Shy Glizzy, with Young Jefe, an 18-track tape hosted by DJ Bigga Rankin, and featuring production from Zaytoven, Cardo, Roger Beat and others. Despite touching on familiar subjects, Young Jefe has its memorable moments, and when taken together, they result in an impressive, statement of a mixtape that should go a long way towards growi

Watching a veteran rapper hit a cold streak that he can’t seem to snap out of is not fun. We've unhappily watched many former stars fall on hard times, and while some find ways to resurrect their careers, others never bounce back. Juvenile’s The Fundamentals is an unfortunately flawed attempt to break out of a deepening rut by a legendary artist who’s lost his way. Juvenile has ...

Having dominated 2012 with “There He Go” and “Hands On The Wheel,” ScHoolboy Q took his time building himself as the next big thing out of TDE. Q represents a quarter of the Black Hippy crew, alongside Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, but his independent releases, as well as collabos with the likes of Macklemore, 50 Cent and YG, showed that he could stand on his own two as a solo artist. The

In 2013, Curren$y was on a tear, releasing five projects, which included a slew of EPs, one full length mixtape in New Jet City, and the 20-minute Jetflix documentary. Continuing to think outside the box and carve his own lane, the Jet Life head honcho collaborated with BitTorrent for the Jet Life BitTorrent bundle...

If Rocko's latest mixtape, Lingo 4 Dummys, had dropped around 2005 when the dirty south was taking over, then by all means this mixtape might be considered a cult classic. Rappers could be spitting slang he's created on Lingo to this day. Hip-hop has had a resurgence since then, however, and with such artists as Kendrick Lamar, J...

The Last of Us is arguably the dopest game of the Playstation 3's generation, so it made perfect sense for developer Naughty Dog to want to tap into the greatness one more time. With Left Behind the single-player DLC for The Last of Us, Naughty Dog has developed another stellar installment for the goose bump-inducing franchise...

The young rising Brooklyn natives Pro Era released their highly anticipated mixtape The Secc$ Tap.e 2. The compilation comes two years after the release of The Secc$ Tap.e , where the Beast Coast rappers carry a more matured, picturesque, and sensual vibe to the sequel...

Maino made headlines late last year as a result of his well-publicized feud with Atlanta based rapper Trinidad Jame$, who said "We (Atlanta) run y'all musically," at a concert in Brooklyn. Maino took exception to Jame$'s comments, with the tension culminating in a recorded phone conversation between the two rappers, which was actually more Maino yelling at Jame$ as opposed to an actual c

Mere moments into Cilvia Demo you get the feeling that young Isaiah Rashad is still searching for meaning. Throughout his pilgrimage, within sundry soundscapes, he grapples with his own existence as a product of both inherited behaviors and conditioned ones...

It’s usually tough to dominate an album if you don’t utter a word, but 9th Wonder managed to do just that. His production takes top billing on almost every one of the 25-tracks on 9th Wonder Presents: Jamla Is The Squad. Each beat is seemingly better than the last and choosing a favorite instrumental on the project is next to impossible. It gives a...