So I was listening to some AM radio in the car for some reason (i.e. my ipod battery ran out) and caught the last part of a conversation with Adam Bradley, an Associate Professor of Literature at the University of Colorado who wrote a book called Book of Rhymes about the connection between rap and…
A Salute To Mr. Magic
Today hip-hop has lost one it’s true pioneers – Sir Juice, aka Mr. Magic, passed away after suffering a heart attack. Not only was Magic the first rap DJ to have an exclusive rap show on commercial radio on WBLS (The Rap Attack with DJ Marley Marl and Fly Ty) but his often brutal honesty…
LL Cool J Vs. Canibus Revisited
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…
Video: LL Cool J’s First Performance on Soul Train
Stick around for the interview with Don Cornelius for bonus comedic antics…
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,…
A Salute To Roc Raida
The X-Men defined the hardcore b-boy turntablist movement for a lot of us. Not to knock the more experimental techniques of the Bay, but catching them performing those beat-juggling routines live was incredible – so much so that I was compelled break tradition and give Raida a pound the first time I saw him perform…
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…
Philly Producer Says M.O.P Stole His Beat, Lil’ Fame Responds
Yesterday a producer from Philly named Kil emailed a bunch of blogs to tell them about how a beat of his had ended-up on the new M.O.P. album on the track ‘Rude Bastard’, but was credited to Fizzy Womack. Things really got interesting when Lil’ Fame left a response over at the DJ Premier Blog…
Cormega – The Unkut Interview
Much like his one-time partner in rhyme Tragedy, Cormega suffered a number of set-backs and betrayals early on in his career, but he’s continued to develop his technique and catalog over the years to the point that he’s now independent mainstay, thanks to a tireless work ethic and genuine respect for his loyal fan-base. Here…
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…