Considering the tragic circumstances surrounding the end of GURU’s life, it’s not surprising that this project has taken nine years to arrive. As opposed to the ghoulish cash-in of Born Again and seemingly infinite posthumous Tupac albums, One of the Best Yet delivers a heart-felt farewell to the beloved MC Keith E.E. from members of…
Listening to this album again reminds me of a few important facts. For starters, certified mentalist The Jaz aka Jaz-O was making some great beats in the late nineties. Secondly, apparently Avirex still held some weight in certain sections of Brooklyn in 1998. Thirdly, this vaulted LP from the guys who would later put out…
Here’s a priceeless TV spot showing the late Combat Jack in his prime as a Rap Lawyer. The highlight for me is watching Combat smiling while the Problem Children are rapping in the parking lot at 4:29 – you just know he’s thinking ‘These guys are hot trash’. Fritz Celestin sez: ‘Reggie was my cousin…
That chip on S. Carter’s shoulder just keeps growing… When creative freedom isn’t freedom at all
An analysis of the genius that is the third Gang Starr LP. Gang Starr’s Daily Operation – the first minimalist rap album
Is that a Parliment, an American Spirit or a Newport? Feeling confused and/or guilty that you’re not frothing at the mouth over the third RTJ album after reading gushing reviews from both well-established critics and Hipster Music Mafia interns? Fear not, for you are not alone.
Notorious rag the New York Post were having a slow news day this weekend so they’ve directed their attention to ‘exposing’ Ka for leading a ‘double life’ as fire chief during the day and an ‘anti-cop’ rapper by night. I thought it was fairly well known that Ka worked for the NY Fire Dept within…
Having previously covered his early childhood on Son of Yvonne, Ace continues to reminisce about both the good and bad ol’ days of life in Brooklyn while attending high school via a long bus ride. Unlike the fictionalized scenarios he acted out on Disposable Arts and A Long Hot Summer, here we find Ace recalling…
Big shout to Irish Craig for lacing me with these and saving me buying a tape I can’t even play until I figure out where I left my Sony Megabass Walkman. Interesting to note that they brought back the Force MD’s a few years before Ghostface did it as well.
Last year I had the opportunity to interview The Original Gangster of Hip-Hop himself, Just-Ice. While it didn’t exactly go as planned, it was reassuring to speak to a rapper who was exactly how I imagined him to be from listening to his records. It proved to be a baffling, frustrating and sometimes hilarious journey…
AZ is a great rapper who also made his mark as a Conservative Rap Coalition style icon thanks to his affinity for sweater vests, polos and sensible shirts. While he had to work a little harder than most to escape Nas’ shadow (I’ve deliberately excluded anything involving him here), when he has the right beat…
The career of The Jaz aka Big Jaz aka Jaz-O is tricky to summarize. On one hand, he had to deal with being eclipsed by his young protege, which is always going to be a blow to the ego. On the other hand, Jay-Z did seem to attempt to repay the favor by offering to…