There have been a lot of huge losses over the past year, but I’ll admit, none have hit me harder than the loss of the elusive masked super MC MF DOOM. Perhaps, more than anything, it’s the comfort his music has given me on a personal level over the…

Thank You, Doom.

After kicking off the year with the surprise release of his eleventh studio LP, Music to Be Murdered By, Eminem is ending this universally shakey year the same way. Released as a deluxe version of the LP, Side B is a 16-track expansion that delivers…

Review: Eminem's 'Music to Be Murdered By: Side B' Lyrics Coast Through Remarkably Familiar Territory

It’s hard to recall a period when the talents of R&B artists and the warm vibe of upper echelon R&B albums was more crucial. A handful of R&B singers stood out amongst the rest in the face of a year that can be described as nothing less than the most…

Best R&B Artists of 2020

Editorial – Classic Christmas songs all have a common thread in that they manage to capture the season’s magic and wonder. However, there is no right way to celebrate the holidays; some music isn’t celebrated to the same degree because it fails to…

12 Christmas Rap Songs You Absolutely CANNOT Play Around Children

In troubling times, nothing can help soothe anxiety like the act of getting lost in a great film. 2020 was (especially in the case of movies) uncharted territory. Worldwide lockdowns caused considerable setbacks — halting theatrical releases and…

Best Movies Within Hip Hop Culture 2020

Things move at a breakneck speed in this era of Hip Hop — and with months feeling like years, out of sight spells out of mind for many fans. 2020 has been a rollercoaster that has managed to bring with it some unexpected high notes from artists who…

Biggest Hip Hop Comebacks of 2020

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In October 2016, Kid Cudi had hit rock bottom. He checked himself into rehab and shared a heartbreaking letter on Facebook in which he described himself as a "damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions." Four years later, the man who was once "on…

Kid Cudi's 'Man on the Moon III: The Chosen' Is a Triumphant Finale

Over two decades after Busta Rhymes released his platinum-selling tenth LP, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front, the 48-year-old MC returns with the sequel — his first release in 11 years. The long-awaited Extinction Level Event 2:…

Review: Busta Rhymes Echos His Legacy With ‘Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God’

Vinyl coppers assemble!
Sacramento rap vet Mr. P Chill has been admirably busy in these troubled times, dropping some pretty poignant and timely tunes. “Millions of Militants” saw him combine with Mike Colossal to spit some bars about Trump’s regime…

Mr. P Chill Drops An Ode To Crate Diggers Worldwide

UK producer Big O, during one of the most creatively draining periods in modern human history, managed to stay busy. He dropped a few highly recommended collaborative LPs: Ocean Grown with Loki Loko and a deluxe version of A New Day with Dankery…

#UnsignedHype: Jamaica Queens MC L.O.U. & UK Producer Big O Reconnect For “The Preordained”

While the Griselda wave put a larger spotlight on Hip Hop’s underground, some more casual listeners aren’t fully abreast of the timelines that have run concurrently with the group’s success. One such timeline is that of Rochester, New York MC .38…

Hip Hop Nucleus: TRUST Gang Mastermind .38 Spesh Is Building A Legacy Laden With Classics

Whether or not you believe that Atlanta rap titan and entrepreneur T.I. has three or four classics under his belt — a claim made on his new LP The L.I.B.R.A. (via the song “Pardon”) — it’s hard to argue against his catalog. Having an 11-album solo…

Review: T.I.'s 'The L.I.B.R.A.' Is Proof The Self-Proclaimed King Of The South Hasn't Lost His Edge

Editorial – While the head-to-head Verzuz battles orchestrated by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz to date have been incredible shows of mutual respect, the November 19 season two premiere promises to be one of the platform’s more unpredictable matchups —…

The Origins Of Gucci Mane & Jeezy's Bad Blood Beef

In times as troubling as these, following one of the most universally mentally taxing periods in contemporary human history and an unbelievably divisive and polarizing election that saw the country reach an apex of division, Sacramento MC Tru Judah…

#EARLYLISTEN: Tru Judah Delivers ‘The Healing,’ A Collection Of Motivational & Spiritually In-Tune Gems

During a 2018 interview with Exclaim, Westside Gunn said, “My debut will be like [Supreme Blientele], just on steroids. Westside Gunn today is going to be Westside Gunn, even on Shady.” Over two years removed, the Griselda mastermind has finally…

Review: Westside Gunn's Shady Records Debut 'Who Made the Sunshine' Has Inklings Of A Creative Genius

Anyone who followed my writing over the years knows that — aside from being especially drawn to eclectic groups — I am a sucker for a great story. This week, I found both of those things after being put on to a new release titled WORD from…

#DISCOVERY: The Mighty Heard’s Long Lost LP ‘WORD’ Is A Treat For Fans Of Live Hip Hop & Funk

As the late DJ Shay notes on one of his sobering interludes from Conway The Machine’s latest release From King To A GOD, there is always a quotable to be found Conway verse. His lyricism has been established over a laundry list of projects, earning…

Review: Conway The Machine's 'From King To A GOD' Marks A Glow-Up For The Griselda Rapper

Following a creative hiatus, Virginia MC Cool Hand Trew has made a triumphant return with his brand new LP, The James Crockett Experience. First dropped September 4, 2020, the eclectic project features underground (see true school) giants and a…

Cool Hand Trew Returns With New LP Featuring Blu, Sadat X, Jean Grae & More

Interview – In the Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight Rises, the villain, Bane, utters the haunting quote, “You merely adopted the dark … I was born in it, molded by it.” After a conversation with Detroit native and Griselda artist Boldy James,…

Boldy James' Unreleased Song Stash Includes A Dilla-Produced LP

INTERVIEW – There is something to be said for defying expectations and following your creative spirit; few producers in today’s landscape can lay claim to a career shift as unexpected as that of 22-year-old former Vine star Jay Versace.
Over the past…