Predictably, my comment the other day that LL ‘never lost a battle’ ruffled a few feathers among Canibus fans. LL vs. Kool Moe Dee was already covered a while back, but I guess there’s no other way to settle this than to dig out all the garbage songs recorded in this drawn-out and unsatisfying war…
Category: The Unkut Opinion
The Importance of Being LL
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Buyers Remorse
Back when you actually had to pay for new music, a trip to your local record spot was fraught with danger. Not so much in the sense of getting your new Nikes snatched off of your feet, but something much more serious – wasting you’re dough on a bullshit tape! Before the internets allowed us…
Started Off Good, Ended-Up Great – Rap’s Most Improved
It’s one thing to shit on all these over-the-hill MC’s that need to put down the mic, but what about the flipside of the equation? The fact is, there are a rare breed of rapper dudes who didn’t peak on their debut and have actually developed into better lyricists over the years. Crazy talk, right?…
Don’t Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out – Rappers Who Should Quit
With dudes who haven’t even dropped official albums almost retiring, as well as BS publicity stunts like Jay-Z pretending to throw in the towel after The Black Album, it begs the question: If you could force one MC to retire/quit today, who would it be and why?
No Country For Old Moufs – Over-30 Rap Record Round-Up
As time marches on, hip-hop is now at the stage where there are a significant number of rapper’s in their 30’s and 40’s releasing new music. No big deal, right? Except that now that internets record labels can release your album with a promotional budget of $50, all these characters who might have been left…