EDITORIAL

Here we are in the third week of April, the weather has finally warmed up and so has the underground Hip-Hop album release schedule. We’re approaching the stretch where highly anticipated Rap albums are beginning to be churned out at an alarming rate and with that high frequency of work dropping, some are bound to […]

Just when we thought the Winter was over for good, Jack Frost decided to hit us with one last go ’round of snow and cold weather before finally going bravely into that good night. Over the past week, seven more notable independent releases from the likes of Blu, Durag Dynasty, Von Pea and more hit […]

It’s now March, March Madness is finally upon us and the cold, unforgiving Winter will soon give way to Spring (although it’s putting up one hell of a fight thus far). Hip-Hop releases have finally begun to be churned out in greater numbers as the year goes on. The growing frequency of quality releases means […]

Kanye West has never been one to follow the crowd. When rappers were firmly planted in the baggy look, he popped up in a pink Polo, corduroy jacket, slimmer-fitting jeans, and a backpack. When rhyming about money, cars, and girls, was the formula for a hit record, he released “Jesus Walks.” Today, he’s still blazing […]

February saw a significant increase in Hip-Hop releases in comparison to January,  but things will finally begin to kick into full steam in March. The growing frequency of quality releases means this new Hip-Hop Wired feature “While You Were Sleeping” goes bi-weekly instead of just monthly.

January was a slow month for Hip-Hop releases in general but it will pick up again in February when this new Hip-Hop Wired feature “While You Were Sleeping” goes bi-weekly instead of just monthly.

We’ve finally reached the end of 2012 and there have been quite a few excellent Hip-Hop/Rap albums released throughout the past 365 days that both the listening audience and music journalists might have possibly missed. Given that multiple indie Rap albums drop every Tuesday and it’s pretty hard to keep up with everything that dropped […]

October 20th, 1992 was a notable date in Hip-Hop history for several reasons, most of them stemming from the fact it’s the day veteran MC/producer Grand Puba released his classic debut album Reel To Reel. You may ask why I’m writing about an album that failed to even sell Gold 20 years after its release. […]

September 22, 2012 will mark the 20th anniversary of the release of Redman’s classic debut Whut? Thee Album. Redman was originally a DJ for future member of Lords Of The Underground DoItAll AKA Du Kelly. Red just happened to rhyme for EPMD, at Du’s insistence, when they opened for the Long Island duo at a New Jersey […]

Chicago, resplendent with its towering skyline, has always battled with its reputation as a city plagued by corruption and crime. Just a short distance from the sparking downtown “Loop” area, the South and West sides of the Windy City show evidence of neighborhoods hit hard with poverty and gang culture.  Atop the heap stands Chief […]

Hip-Hop has had a dark cloud over it for the last 20 or so years: its use of the word “b-tch” in reference to women. Whenever anyone wants to lob criticism at Hip-Hop, its degradation of women always comes first. The word is the safety net for people that want to disregard any good the […]

Twenty years ago, EPMD released their fourth studio Business Never Personal. Eventually it would go on to become their fourth consecutive album to go Gold, but that’s only part of the story. EPMD’s previous album Business As Usual was their first on Def Jam and it featured the first appearance of Redman on wax. By […]