In-depth coverage
DJ Premier and GURU’s third LP isn’t the most stripped-down rap album you’ll ever hear – it’s a veritable smorgasbord of sounds in comparison to the likes of the first Schoolly-D album or anything from Rick Rubin era Def Jam – but considering the technology and resources that they had available to them, Daily Operation…
The late Black Rob was always great, but around the time that he released his second album, The Black Rob Report, he really hit his stride and recorded two tracks that I still listen every chance I get. ‘Jeans and Sneakers’ was originally an unholy alliance between a heavily-edited promo rap for Biggie’s planned Brooklyn…
If you were hanging out at clubs in 1992, there was no way you could miss the impact of the SWV’s ‘Right Here’ [Human Nature Mix], which was also the second and final modern R&B tape I bought after the What’s The 411? album. Who could forget that video with ya gals suited up for…
Issue #62 of The Source (with a cover date of November 1994) marked the point that co-founder Dave Mays said ‘fuck it’ and threw-in a four page special on the group he was managing at the time just before the issue went to press. As a result, Jon ‘J. The Sultan’ Shecter, James Bernard, Reginald…
Countless demo tapes and outtakes have appeared on Youtube and boutique vinyl releases over the last twenty years, yet these five tunes still elude me: 1. Showbiz and Diamond D – ‘Where’s AG?’ 2. Da Lench Mob – ‘Pin The Tail On The Honky’ 3. KRS-One – ‘Return of the Boom Bap’ [OG version with…
Before rap blogging, print magazines dipped their toes into the wacky world of making fun of rappers. More often than not, this led to someone getting put into a yoke at an open bar even the following week. Let’s hope that no interns were harmed following the release of the 5th anniversary issue of XXL…
A lot of good rap was released in 1994. But for my money, the finest example of the artform was demonstrated by the Intoxicated Demons from Corona, Queens. While Illmatic took rhymes to new heights, as a complete package there was nothing that approached the first long player from this trio of rap maniacs, with…
Akafella, you mad bastard. Sure, the Ak is no making bank off his strip club that, legend has it, was paid for by the payout he got from a mechanic that fucked up his motorcycle repairs and almost killed dude. He also made the immortal ‘Put It In Your Mouth’ which recently received an oral…
Another tragic chapter in the story of Queens super group Screwball this week, as news spread that Hostyle has passed away. Fondly remembered for his energetic delivery and stream-of-consciousness flow, the ‘One Eyed Maniac’ made his mark on a number of guest shots in the 00’s, and most recently returned in 2015 with a song…
As much as I enjoy droning on about how good rap was in 1987, there’s nothing like the buzz of listening to a brand new rap LP. While there is far more terrible rap being released now than a decade ago, having the means to release music as often as you want rather than being…
This interview was originally conducted ten years ago, while Mr. Barrier was promoting a new rapper he was working with who none of us can remember. Since I was compiling some material for a Queens book idea that never panned out, I held back the best parts – namely, the stuff about the park jams…
In one of the most obvious snubs in recent history, some limey bastard over at the BBC music website went and ran a poll on the best rap songs of all time by surveying 108 international ‘critics’. From this list of retired bloggers, Twitter pests and two bit hacks (with a handful of actual legitimate…