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Features

Gangstarr Foundation:

DJ Premier

Bum Rush Radio:

Gangstarr Tribute

DJ Lord Ron:

Product Of Tha Golden Era

Ayatollah:

A cold Feelin

	M.O.P:
	Mash Out Posse

	Foreign Exchange:
	Connected

“Mash Out Posse” serves as more of a promotional tool than an official album for Brownsville’s finest who in an effort to capitalize on their recent tour with Linkin Park revisit their catalog adding rock/metal tracks to their vocals with production handled by Shiner Massive. The rock/rap hybrid has rarely...more?

By now, you would have guessed that this musical synergy between Nicolay & Phonte - one which in 2003 immediately gave birth to "Light it Up" (the B-Side to Little Brother's "The Listening" single) - is unique in the sense that, it was conceived, worked on and finished without either artist having met each other...more?

	Shock G:
	Fear Of A Mixed Planet

	The Roots:
	The Tipping Point

It's been far too long since we have had new material released from Shock G and Digital Underground (DU). With rumors of Digital Undergrounds break up and of Shock's personal demons it didn't look as if we would ever hear any new material from him so I was shocked when out of nowhere I was made aware he had an LP completed and ready for release...more?

With the critically acclaimed and fanatically criticized "Phrenology" the Roots had a lot riding on this album and it raised a few questions, do they please the critics and continue to experiment with other genre bending styles or do they stay true to their loyal following and continue to evolve but stay grounded in their roots?...more?

	DJ Numark:
	Hands On

	Akinyele:
	Unreleased Classics '90-'94

Best known as one of the DJs for Jurassic 5, DJ Nu-Mark has ventured out with his first solo release. Blended together is a well done compilation of mellow instrumental tracks alongside some solid cuts from quality hip hop acts. It is an album that can be thrown on when just trying to relax or even for some slow grooving. The blends and track order create a record that is....more?

The title doesn’t lie, this album is packed with classics. Maybe the fact that some of the best albums of the last couple years have been previously unreleased material from golden-era artists is trying to tell us something? A majority of the tracks on this LP are at least 10 years old but they in no way sound it, and it’s brought to your attention in a...more?

	Encore:
	Layover

	Cottonbelly:
	X Amounts Of Niceness

When I first heard Encore's Self Preservation a couple years back, I had no idea who he was but his album made me want to learn more. It appeared as if he had stayed quiet for a while and then I unexpectedly caught him on the Hieroglyphics' Full Circle tour. I was amped to see him perform and to learn that he was releasing new material soon...more?

I've been hearing about this album for a while. Apparently a VERY limited number of this LP was pressed up and given to friends and eventually slightly reworked (in it's present form) and is now being released on Wrong Records. Still asking yourself “Who’s Cottonbelly?” Think Sade, think Sweetback, and there you are...more?

	7L & Beyonder:
	Vinyl Thug Music

	Halftooth Records Presents:
	You Don't Know The Half

DJ 7L has long been respected for his work as one of the most sought-after producers that the underground has produced. He first made his mark in the early 90's independent scene as one half of the duo 7L & Esoteric, grabbing heads' attention with some seriously tight production work and his presence behind...more?

Orchestrated by their flagship MC/Producer Oddisee (who put in work on Jazzy Jeff's 'Magnificent' LP) the LP plays like a well sequenced LP with guest spots from artists like J-Live, Grap Luva, Wordsworth, Little Brother and Kev Brown. On the lead cut "Quest to Find" Oddisee and...more?

	Gift Of Gab:
	4th Dimensional Rocket Ships Going Up

	Heiro:
	Full Circle

Being a huge fan of Blackalicious, I was eagerly awaiting to hear Gift of Gab's solo album. His smooth flow and intelligent wordplay is something that I was looking forward to hearing over some different production. Along with that, this would also be something to hold me down before the next full-length Blackalicious drops...more?

Ever since The Hieroglyphics dropped Third Eye Vision in 1998, most of us have been eagerly waiting to hear more from the group as a whole. They have kept us busy with individual projects, but it's been a five year wait until Full Circle was completed. Finally they are all back together and brought together...more?

	Necro:
	Brutality PT. 1

	Chaundon:
	Slow Leaks

Necro's reputation as one sick bastard is well known throughout the underground, as is his skillful ability to make those menacing, violent tracks. He's been churning out anthems of gore for well over five years now, constructing a body of work that is as psychologically disturbing as it is sonically brutal. A master of independent existence, Necro has subsided just below the radar of the majors...more?

Chaundon "The Backtwista" is the latest member of North Carolina's Justus League (JL) crew to deliver us product. His effort comes in the form of a mixtape that runs 26 tracks deep. In typical JL fashion, the mixtape sets off with the "WJLR" radio drop and parlays into a mix of snippets of songs from artists like Dr Dre, DMX and Lil Kim that when put together, describe what Chaundon has set out to do...more?

	Ugly Duckling
	Taste The Secret

	Sol Uprising:
	Sol Power

Ugly Duckling's second full-length album "Taste the Secret" is a step by step tutorial on how not to make interesting, exciting Hip Hop records and leads one to question just how in the hell they got to make a second record, as well as who are the people who actually bought the first one? Taste the Secret is built on a very corny foundation of mediocre tracks full of silly, uninspired beats and even worse lyrics...more?

Sol Uprising is the earthy and conscious alter ego of respected underground emcee Sci (from Scienz of Life) and vocalist/emcee Stacy Epps. The birth of Sol Uprising as a group was an organic continuation of the foundation that was originally begun with Scienz of Life; a foundation which grew into a tight collaboration between Sci and Epps. The collaboration was so...more?

	KRS-One
	Kristyles

	Black Eyed Peas:
	Elephunk

"After much hype that was surrounding the Kristyles project, it has finally been released. Something that everyone should be aware of is that there are some problems between KRS-ONE and Koch (the label) about the releasing of the record. I don’t know many specifics but I believe it has to do with some songs not being included that were supposed to, alongside with some other problems...more?

"When ‘Behind the Front’ first came out, I immediately became a Black Eyed Peas fan. With a sound that reminded me of Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest, I thought the peas were destined for greatness. Unfortunately their new album no longer contains any true joints or jams and does not make me want to clap my hands. The group that once brought inspiration and...more?

	Willmatic
	Sneak Preview

	Soul Supreme Presents:
	The Saturday Nite Agenda

"Willmatic" aka "Prop" of the Last Kind Crew has put together one of the most impressive EP's I've listened to in the last couple years. "Sneak Preview" is produced entirely by Mega Lawge (aka R-Diggy, also from the Last Kind Crew") and bangs from beginning to end. The "Intro" along with two other tracks feature ill cuts and scratches that don't overpower the track just for the sake of displaying turntablism...more?

This new project is an ambitious undertaking and combines old-school 70's classic feel with updated underground rhyme styles and subjects. Soul Supreme takes this combination to a new level and with major playas like Pete Rock, KRS-ONE, Big Daddy Kane, O.C. and A.G. with a new breed of MC's like Planet Asia, Rasco, L da HeadToucha, Shuman and Reks, well the album is just sick...more?

	D.O.C.
	Deuce

	Lightheaded:
	Pure Thoughts

Many of us in the so called culture of hip hop are being faced with the threat of war and destruction. The war that I speak of is so much closer to us than Iraq, Israel or any of those places that deal with that element on a daily basis and in a greater magnitude than we could ever tolerate. We are facing a war in Hip Hop. I'm not talking about the corny ass battles that rappers get into that...more?

Lightheaded is a crew that snuck up on me. Until I received their album in the mail, I had never heard of them and was skeptical when I popped in their debut disc "Pure Thoughts." The skepticism quickly disappeared after the opening track "Lightheaded Anthem" kicked in and set the pace for the album; an uptempo...more?

	MF Grimm:
	Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera

	Tony Touch:
	Last Of The Pro Ricans

MF Grimm finally drops his first full-length cd, which is an illustration of the struggles one person has with the world and the surroundings he is in. This is an ambitious project and Grimm does succeed in painting a very real-to-life picture of society through the eyes of one man and how to ultimately overcome the doings of the evil side of mankind. This can be seen taken as somewhat...more?

Tony Touch, most everyone around New York City knows him and has a collection of his mixtapes whether in R&b or Hip-Hop. This is the latest installment of a street mix DJ putting out a “studio” funded mixtape. DJ Clue and FunkMaster Flexx both have put out successful offerings in the past. Tony Touch has done this before with “The Piece Maker.” This offering showcases...more?

	Royce Da 5'9:
	Rock City Version 2.0

	Gang Tapes:
	DVD Movie

Royce Da 5’9, the latest in the rap game to represent Detroit. He has solid production names in the business like the Neptunes, DJ Premier, DJ Mighty Mi and Track Masters. Collabos include The Clipse, Amerie and Detroit’s own Eminem. With all that talent and star appeal, this album lacks in content by Royce himself...more?

Before c-walking was nationally co-opted by club-goers as an alternative to the Harlem Shimmy, even before Death Row rappers subtly set-tripped on record, sometime back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s Americans made their way to movie theatres to catch portrayals of an isolated war...more?

	Mr. Lif:
	I Phantom

	Common:
	Electric Circus

Mr. Lif delivers what people were waiting for, a full-length album. Finally, after two Ep’s, several singles, and many tours around the world, Boston MC Mr. Lif checks in with “I Phantom” on the Def Jux label. Most will refer to this as a “concept” album, meaning there is a distinct theme or subject matter that flows...more?

Change, growth, experimentation. All of these words are bound to come up in any conversation regarding Common's latest offering, "Electric Circus." I have always been one to welcome change. I have followed and supported Dr. Dre's vision from his drum-ridden efforts with early NWA...more?

	Little Brother:
	The Listening

	Nas:
	God's Son

With the end of the year approaching, Nas drops God's Son, a follow-up to last year's Stillmatic. With the success of the first single, "Made You Look," Nas solidifies that he can spit fire and bring it back old school style. The old school of Illmatic is what the masses are still yearning for. Fans got a glimpse of it on Stillmatic, but it still...more?

	Jay Z:
	Blueprint 2

	Talib Kweli:
	Quality

The gift part is that Jigga gave us some gems, but the curse is that the whole hip-hop double album saga has cursed an artist once again. A double cd was not necessary for this material, which was supposed to follow the classic, "The Blueprint." With predecessors like 2Pac, B.I.G. and...more?

Aaaaaah, Talib Kweli. We all know him from Black Star and Reflection Eternal, and after contributing to those two classic albums, Talib now proves to the world that he can go for dolo on his much-delayed debut, Quality. Though this is no "Train of Thought," this is a very good solo album...more?

	Scarface:
	The FIX

	Large Professor:
	1st Class

What's so admirable about Scarface is that when he raps, he never tries to impress anybody. With his voice, social commentary, and wicked on-and-off again flow, you can feel him AND believe him, unlike most icy, studio gangsta rappers today. That's why fans like myself have supported him, even on his okay days...more?

After more than a decade in the game, Large Professor (LP) has finally dropped his first "official" debut album. You may have downloaded his unreleased album from Geffen, or may have even copped the bootlegged vinyl that sounds like it was mastered underwater, but you can now finally...more?

	Peven Everett:
	Studio Confessions

	Various Artists:
	One Big Trip

"Performed, Written, Produced and Arranged by," is a phrase that comes few and far between when reading album liner notes. One listen to Peven Everett's latest offering "Studio Confessions" and immediately the cohesive and balanced sound implied by that phrase comes to light....more?

It was only a matter of time before it happened. As today's technology keeps evolving it was only natural the combination of the DVD and CD format would be combined to present a true multimedia experience. Heiro Emporium...more?

	Scratch:
	The Embodiment of Instrumentation

	Lone Catalyst:
	The Catalysts Files

For those who aren't aware of Scratch's background and his abilities, let me break it down real quick. Scratch is a member of the Legendary Root's crew and is 1/3 beatboxer, 1/3 vocal turntablist, and 1/3 organic producer. He has performed and/or recorded with artists like Musiq, DeLa Soul Jay-Z...more?

One of my biggest pet peeves is when an artist or group releases a greatest hits LP before it's necessary. Sometimes it's done as a means to get out of a bad contract, or simply to make more money off old product. Either way, it's a rip off right? Not exactly. While they have only released one album...more?

	J -Live:
	The Best Part

	Saul Williams:
	Amethyst Rock Star

If you're reading this. Chances are you are familiar with J-Live and his history. However, for those of you that aren't here's a quick recap. Back in 95' J-Live began writing, recording and producing tracks for his debut LP, "The Best Part." After finally being signed to London, his album was set to be released in 1999...more?

One of the most long awaited/anticipated albums, Saul Williams finally makes an offering. Amethyst Rock Star. Remember the limits of Hip Hop, because after listening to this album they'll be blown away. I don't even know what type of music to classify this as. It contains elements of Rocks...more?

	Jaguar Wright:
	Denials, Delusions, & Decisions

	The Philadelphia Experiment:
	Self Titled

You may have heard Jag performing with The Roots or more recently from her show stealing vocals backing Jay-Z on his MTV Unplugged appearance. If you have caught her live or heard anything else she has appeared on, her debut album is all that you would expect. Soulful, emotional, charismatic and at times vulgar and frank. Jag's...more?

TIt’s not often that a release sneaks up on you, without hearing a word about it, but this album did just that to me. I had no knowledge of this project whatsoever. Had I, I would have been first in line at the record shop. Straight up, this album may not be for all of you, but it damn well should be! This is a jazz project that was recorded over...more?