When 4,5,6 collaborator T-Ray declared that, “G Rap is the realest. Nas, Pun, Raekwon – all of them owe their styles to him. He’s like the Muddy Waters of hip-hop” – he summarized exactly why the Kool Genius of Rap continues to influence the style and technique of today’s finest rappers. By combining a wicked…
Category: Print Work
The 90’s Files – Kool Kim of UMC’s
“We used to all work at the Statue Of Liberty – it was me, U-God, Method Man, Deck and Hass – and that’s where I met Hass. Me and Meth used to go to public school together, back when he was just Clifford Smith and I was just Kim Sharpton. Me and him used to…
Large Professor – The Unkut Interview
The Live Guy With Glasses is one of hip-hop’s top shelf legends, and having worked on some of rap’s greatest ever albums – in addition to his own stand-out work as the front man for Main Source and as a soloist – he refuses to kick back and relax, continuing to bang out beats and…
The 90’s Files – F.T. of Street Smartz
Name: F.T. (Fuc That aka Full Time) from Street Smartz. Affiliations: Lead MC in Street Smartz, which consisted of F.T., Maoz and Syx. Part of the Tru Criminal Records family, which included AK Skills, 151 and God Sunz. Claim To Fame: Contributed tracks for a number of movie soundtracks, including Bones (‘F-It-Less’), Rush Hour 2…
Eric B. – The Unkut Interview
Wondering what Eric B. has been up to since Don’t Sweat The Technique? After he released his self-titled solo album in 1995, Eric focused his energies on a number of lucrative business ventures (including a chain of restaurants), which in turn offered him the opportunity to set-up a community center to help local kids stay…
The Unkut Guide To Hip-Hop’s Most Notorious Projects – Part 2
The second and final part of Unkut‘s round-up of New York’s most hardbody housing projects. Thanks again to DP for the assist. In case you missed it….Part 1. NAME: Marcy Projects. LOCATION: Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn. ACTUAL FACTS: Marcy Houses has twenty-seven, 6-story buildings with 1,714 apartments. Completed January 19, 1949, the development is home to…
The Unkut Guide To Hip-Hop’s Most Notorious Projects – Part 1
The PJ’s have always been an essential part of New York hip-hop, for better or worse. You’ve heard the names of these housing projects shouted out in songs over the years, but unless you’re a well-traveled NYC resident, it’s likely you don’t know a whole lot about some of these landmarks. Here’s a piece I…
Freddie Foxxx – The Unkut Interview
There’s not much that Freddie Foxxx hasn’t done in his long career. Whether it’s working with all your favorite producers, stealing the show from big name MC’s with his legendary cameo spots or just plain knocking rappers out for charity, Bumpy Knuckles has got you covered. Fresh off the release of his shelved Crazy Like…
The Unkut Guide To: J.V.C. Force
Pic courtesy Meaning of Dope. After forming meeting at high school out on Long Island, Curt Cazal, B Luv and AJ Rok (who was originally from Mt. Vernon) would spend three to four hours every day rehearsing their routines. It wasn’t until they were all in college that the J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E (Justified by Virtue of…
Ten Simple Ways For Rappers To Hit The Internets
So, you’re a rapper looking to reach your fans and make some new one along the way via the series of tubes that we like to call the interwebs, huh? Beyond the mandatory official MySpace and Facebook pages, if you follow these ten simple rules you’re guaranteed to be the next Souljah Boy by the…
LL Cool J – The Unkut Interview
Photo: Janette Beckman I only got twenty minutes to kick it with LL, but who’s complaining? It’s safe to say he appreciated getting a quick break from answering questions about his favorite flavor of ice cream and how many stomach crunches he does every morning. In many ways he’s the blueprint that everyone from Biggie…
The Rap Bandit – The Unkut Interview
NAME: The Rap Bandit. AFFILIATIONS: Grew up with The Source founder Jon Schecter in Philly. Part of the original Mind Squad at The Source magazine, where he also penned the ‘Media Watch’ section under the name Pistol Pete. Later moved the column to Vibe magazine. CLAIM TO FAME: Pioneered the art of making fun of…