Photo courtesy Alexander Richter Killa Sha created the best rap album of 2007, but thanks to limited distribution and an absence of gimmicks, not enough people experienced his addictive GOD Walks on Water the first time around. With a follow-up titled The Shepard due in the near future, as well as a complete album with…
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…
The Dollar Bin
Photo: crate digga Everyone over the age of 15 would have bought records, CD’s and tapes at some point in their lives, and as a result most of us have a few bargains which we nabbed for next-to-nothing (not counting shit you stole). Whether it was a couple of copies of Raw Dope Posse for…
Did Prodigy Just Fire A Shot At Curtis?
Even though I posted this track already, this album has been getting constant attention in the car all week, and I couldn’t help but notice Prodigy‘s verbal swipe at his former boss at the start of his verse: ‘You outta your mind, you’re not feeling this hot shit/ Who got rich and stopped trying? You…
Boo-Ya Tribe Stop Ram-Raid At DMC’s (1990)
Tony Prince (DMC founder), talking about the 1990 world finals at Wembley Arena in the UK (7000 capacity), and some ram-raiders trying to get in by driving a car through the stage door: “I’m just about to go on stage and introduce somebody and two of our guys came running up to me saying, ‘There’s…
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?
Craig G – The Symphony, Duck Alert & Droppin’ Science (Live At The Apollo, 1988)
The Kingpin gets busy in front of an ever-rowdy Apollo crowd. Taken from the Special Edition of Marley Marl‘s In Control…Volume 1, out Aug. 4 via Traffic. As a bonus, Marley introduces each song from the original album in addition to the usual collection of 12″ versions that we’ve come to expect from these re-issues….
Combat Jack – The Unkut Interview, Part 2
Following on from Part 1, Combat Jack details some more tales from the front-line and discusses life after the music biz. Robbie: How did you find most of your clients? Combat Jack: The attorney I was working for, she let me build a hip-hop practice, ‘cos she saw the potential in me. I worked with…
Combat Jack – The Unkut Interview, Part 1
After some unforgettable inside-story posts at Bol‘s spot a few years ago – one of which gave me some great material when I interviewed Pete Rock – Combat Jack started his own site at the beginning of 2009. Having worked with hundreds of artists during his career as music attorney, CJ has behind-the-scenes tales for…