Just read this wonderfully comprehensive feature on Big L over at Complex, titled Casualty of the Game: The Big L Story, and was inspired to collate a few stories of my own from past interviews. T-Ray, Peter Oasis, Milano and AG all share some memories involving The Devil’s Son…
Category: Features
In-depth coverage
CRC-Approved Rap: May 2014 Edition
The latest rap-up of rap that didn’t get posted here this month because I’m too effin’ lazy but was still approved by Conservative Rap Coalition standards.
Him-Lo – The Unkut Interview
Him-Lo has been dropping music on these here internets for the past couple of years, but it wasn’t until his Horsepower mixtape that I really paid attention. Turns out this Philly Lo-Lifer has been deep in this here shit since the golden era of Philadelphia hip-hop, and his brand of non-progressive, anti-social rap is just…
No Country For Old (Rap) Men: Did We Expect Too Much From Hip-Hop?
There’s a lot of talk about what rap should and shouldn’t have done, but why does it having to do anything beyond being great? No Country For Old (Rap) Men: Did We Expect Too Much From Hip-Hop?
Five Great Rap Rip-Offs
Here are a few examples of not-so-subtle examples of rappers wearing their influences on their sleeves. $20 says the first comment reads: “YOU FORGOT ACTION BRONSON / GHOSTFACE!”
AG – The Unkut Interview
Photo: richdirection Photo: richdirection Andre The Giant has been holding down Bronx tradition ever since he first got his starting shot on Lord Finesse’s “Back To Back Rhyming” and “Keep It Flowin’” from the Funky Technician LP. From there he formed Showbiz & AG and ushered in the birth of the Diggin’ In The Crates…
An Oral History of New York’s Early Hip-Hop Clubs
Phade, Gizmo and Milk at the Latin Quarters, 1987 During the formative days of the mid 80’s, when Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow and the Fat Boys were the biggest names in rap, the New York club scene was a vital part of the hip-hop food chain, providing both essential networking opportunities and the chance for new…
Tape Box: Grand Master Flash and the Furious 5 Live At T- Connection, 1979
Yet another sure shot from Troy Smith‘s old school tape collection, this excerpt captures Melle Mel, Cowboy and ’em ripping over the “7 Minutes of Funk” break.
Dino Brave [The UN] – The Unkut Interview
As a founding member of The UN with Roc Marciano, Dino Brave has experienced a lot of Long Island rap history first hand. Inspired by the Spectrum City crew coming up (which would later evolve into Public Enemy), Brave had his time in the spotlight cut short thanks to bad timing in the crumbling music…
This Is What Roc Marciano’s Debut LP Originally Looked Like
Schott Free just blessed his Instagram with the track listing for an early version of Roc Marciano’s debut solo project, back when it was intended to drop on SRC Records. As you can see, only a portion of these tracks made the final version (albeit with some changes to the names and spellings). Here’s what…
CRC-Approved Rap: April 2014 Edition
So April is over and done with, which means it’s time to look back at some of the Conservative Rap Coalition Approved raps that weren’t posted this month for whatever reason. Here are eight tracks from last month that won…
Matt Fingaz [Guesswhyld Records] – The Unkut Interview
Matt Fingaz is living proof that unpaid internships can be more than just slave labor for record companies, as he was able to parlay his connections into an independent record label with Guesswhyld Records before he made the move into project co-ordination with the B.O.C (Business of Coordination) management company with Stat Quo, which handles…