Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow June 29, 2008If rap was all about production, then these guys would be the pinnacle. Everything on this album sounds...
Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple June 22, 2008Gnarls Barkley is one of those side projects that on first listen sounds new and fresh and groundbreaking...
Grand Puba: Understand This. June 22, 2008Was it still okay to say “Word to mutha” in 2002? I’m not one to push street vernacular,...
Edan: Primitve Plus June 15, 2008Edan has come out in his debut as a man on a mission to bring the old school...
3rd Bass: The Cactus Album March 30, 2008Do we remember these guys because they were good, or because they were white? I think the answer...
Urban Dance Squad: Mental Floss for the Globe February 7, 2008This stuff was somewhat ahead of its time. You can hear twinges of Rage Against the Machine and...
Ultramagnetic MC’s: Critical Beatdown February 7, 2008Another one that I originally had on tape. And, let me tell you, it sounded hot on my...
Analog Brothers: Pimp to Eat October 27, 2007Yeah, cuz Kool Keith needed another alias. And, actually, Ice-T probably did. Since starring in every straight-to-video movie...
Aesop Rock: None Shall Pass October 27, 2007“Puppies pushing sniffles?” I’m not sure what it means, but I love this album. Dark and dense, but...
Public Enemy: Apocalypse 91. . . The Enemy Strikes Black April 7, 2007I remember waiting for this album at our university’s “Midnight Madness” sales. It went on sale the same...
Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet March 7, 2007What a way to usher in the 90s. These were the days of anger and genuine concern. Bloods...
Murs & 9th Wonder: Murray’s Revenge February 7, 2007It’s good to see L.A. representin’, yo! And I can’t believe there is a modern hip-hop record that...
Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back February 7, 2007One of the best and most important albums of all time. This thing is just so fierce and...
Public Enemy: Yo! Bum Rush the Show January 2, 2007Like the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill, Yo! Bumrush the Show is a debut that is great in...
Viktor Vaughn: VV2: Venomous Villain June 25, 2006I’m not much for instrumental albums or albums filled with guest spots. So imagine my disappointment when the...
Busdriver: Cosmic Cleavage April 21, 2006Parts of this album sound like a Little Rascals soundtrack on acid. And then there’s like this weird...
The Pharcyde: Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde March 1, 2006Oh shit! And that’s a quote from this stoner party hip-hop album–one of the greatest of all time....
Aesop Rock: Labor Days January 17, 2006Despite the incredible density of Aesop’s rhyme style, I never seem to get sick of his twisted twistiness....