Hip Hop Album Reviews

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Rita J – Artist Workshop

Hip-Hop has for awhile now been seeking out in vain a new face to spearhead the next generation of legitimate female emcee’s. Rita J is officially my nomination for that very role. After you listen to the Chicago bred, ATL based and lyrically inclined young woman’s debut Artist Workshop, you’ll be hard pressed to find [...]

Taking New York Hip-Hop back to more tried and true territory, a fresh and very game MC from the City’s largest borough aims to show you just how famished he is to bring back a sound that is dying off all too quickly… Bekay doesn’t rap to impress people. The young Brooklyn bred, snarling wildcat [...]

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Fresh Daily – The Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion

The newest Brooklyn standout, Fresh Daily, emerged onto the scene after being formerly known as Ill Tarzan (I believe a lawsuit ensued) with his first release under the new moniker, The Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion. Gorgeous Killer features all-star beatsmiths Illmind, 88-Keys and Analogic to name a few, along with appearances from Okayplayer-rooted [...]

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JC Poppe – Sleep Therapy

It’s not often that I hear of a hip-hop head, no less a talented one, hailing from the cheese state of Wisconsin. I certainly was not hesitant to listen to this record, but rather curious to hear what this mostly unaffiliated-with-hip-hop state had to offer. To my surprise, I was rather pleased, and I think [...]

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Deto-22 and Sketch Tha Cataclysm – The Sharing is Caring EP

This intriguing project is the collaboration of two one-time Connecticut-based MCs/Producers, Deto-22 (Dee-toe twenty-two) of the group named Phenetiks, and Sketch Tha Cataclysm, the now-Minneapolis-resident and solo MC and producer probably best known for his highly-regarded album Party Music for Pissed Off People. Both Deto and Sketch polished off perfectly symmetrical performances on the effort, [...]

Returning to drop his sophomore album three years after releasing his much awaited debut, the one time shelved Atlantic records artist Apathy has unleashed a bevy of new work that not only showcases his ample talent as a hardcore narrator, but also introduces you to his skills in the field of production. “Wanna Snuggle” is [...]

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Sol – Dear Friends, EP

(Note: This Review also appears on the Seattle hip-hop blog 206up.com.) Sol’s debut album, The Ride, blazed onto the scene in February of this year and was met with a very welcome reception. The young rapper’s beyond-his-years confidence on the mic and particular brand of intellectualized battle-rap was a welcome addition to Seattle’s hip-hop landscape. [...]

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Khingz – Cold Hearted In Cloud City

This Review is from Seattle hip-hop blog 206up.com In previous posts I’ve championed Khingz and his music because of the overarching sentimentality that drives it. Whether it’s an unabashed embrace of his sci-fi nerd tendencies, fastidious examination of his race, or total lack of fear over expressing the fact that he’s in love (be it [...]

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Steddy P – Style Like Mind

So anyone that knows me or my taste in music knows that I have a wide pallet, especially when it comes to Hip-Hop. I love my old school shit (if you don’t, you should get the fuck out of Hip-Hop right now), traditional B-Boy manifestos and obviously my left field progressive shit (shout out Uncommon [...]

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Dumhi – Indian Summer

The term “Indian Summer” is usually known as a casual saying to describe warm Autumn weather rather than the the Philly based, Indie beatmaker Haji Rana Pinya and the OkayPlayer.com-formed group Dumhi. I promise that’ll change as soon as you spend some time with the latter. Following up several excellent releasess, Haj, Mash Comp, and [...]