Media Assassin Harry Allen loves him some Twitter. Good thing he drops some jewels like this: I don’t think LL Cool J’s legacy and value to the history of hip-hop has been, in any way, seriously addressed. Delete him, and much of hip-hop history vanishes, or becomes unfathomable. LL, in a very real way, may…
Author: Robbie Ettelson
Why Did M.O.P Tank?
This get me kinda vexed when I read it last night over at XXL: Foundation, the new disc by M.O.P did not make it into The Billboard 200. According to the Nielsen SoundScan report the disc sold close to 2,100 copies in its debut week. The fuck? Sure, there’s not a huge market for non-progressive,…
A Salute To Roc Raida
The X-Men defined the hardcore b-boy turntablist movement for a lot of us. Not to knock the more experimental techniques of the Bay, but catching them performing those beat-juggling routines live was incredible – so much so that I was compelled break tradition and give Raida a pound the first time I saw him perform…
Unkut Doesn’t Care About Jay-Z People
Jay-Z is the most influential rapper of the past ten years, but I only own one of his records. Have I failed as a rap fan, or is Jay just not that incredible? Looking back, we weren’t off to the best of starts as far as the artist/listener relationship is concerned. While he did his…
Philly Producer Says M.O.P Stole His Beat, Lil’ Fame Responds
Yesterday a producer from Philly named Kil emailed a bunch of blogs to tell them about how a beat of his had ended-up on the new M.O.P. album on the track ‘Rude Bastard’, but was credited to Fizzy Womack. Things really got interesting when Lil’ Fame left a response over at the DJ Premier Blog…
Cormega – The Unkut Interview
Much like his one-time partner in rhyme Tragedy, Cormega suffered a number of set-backs and betrayals early on in his career, but he’s continued to develop his technique and catalog over the years to the point that he’s now independent mainstay, thanks to a tireless work ethic and genuine respect for his loyal fan-base. Here…
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (aka How M.O.P. Won)
How about some hype hardcore? It seems that 90’s rappers are all the rage this week, as three old favorites once again attempt to make some noise in this here rap game. Are any of them actually worth walking to your local record store though?
Six OB4CL2 Beats That You Might’ve Heard Before
Who you think scanned this from their Icewater CD? I don’t need a watermark, look at the angle… You can’t own no loops in the rap game, but the fact that I was already more than familiar with the basis of six tracks from the Cuban Linx II album is seriously detracting from the listening…
Killa Sha – The Unkut Interview
Photo courtesy Alexander Richter Killa Sha created the best rap album of 2007, but thanks to limited distribution and an absence of gimmicks, not enough people experienced his addictive GOD Walks on Water the first time around. With a follow-up titled The Shepard due in the near future, as well as a complete album with…
Second Look: Brand Nubian – Foundation
Depending on who you speak to, either everything after All For One was rubbish or In God We Trust was an under-appreciated classic. But you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who considers any other Brand Nu LP’s to be worthwhile, which is not entirely accurate. Consider the long awaited return of Grand Puba and…
Rap Album Collector’s Editions That Need To Happen
Dwindling CD sales getting you down? Wondering why the rap game can’t buy you a pack of gum? Then take a leaf out of the video game industry’s book of rip-off’s tricks – the Collector’s Edition. Why settle for selling your new album for $15 when you can make a $150 version? Here are some…
The Dollar Bin
Photo: crate digga Everyone over the age of 15 would have bought records, CD’s and tapes at some point in their lives, and as a result most of us have a few bargains which we nabbed for next-to-nothing (not counting shit you stole). Whether it was a couple of copies of Raw Dope Posse for…