Following up the success of his 2011 mixtape Live.Love.A$AP was never going to be an easy task, but A$AP Rocky manages to build on that foundation with his 2013 debut record. Long.Live.A$AP proves that all those fires on the blogosphere were no accidents and all the hype over this young gun from Harlem was well-earned. Continue reading »
Compton-based rapper Kendrick Lamar’s brilliant good kid, m.A.A.d city is an inspired trip that reminds us that some artists are still making complete albums with realized visions and cinematic sensibilities. At just 25, Lamar’s wisdom is off the chain and his abilities on the microphone are amazing. He draws out bars in double and triple time, easing through … Continue reading »
There’s little doubt that Trey Songz, the Virginia-born singer and rapper, has taken more than a few pages out of R. Kelly’s book. Songz has the proclivity for sexualizing everything down pat and exacts emotional spasms at times, enlarging words in a corny gospel-meets-porno tenor and rubbing his moderate vocal talents for all they’re worth. Continue reading »
To say that Bigg Jus’ Machines That Make Civilization Fun is not your grandmother’s hip hop record would be an understatement. This is an indefinable, demanding, multifaceted warren of an album. It is also an extremely rewarding experience. Continue reading »
New Orleans rapper Curren$y is under the bright lights with The Stoned Immaculate, his eighth studio album since 2009, and he has the talent to use the opportunity to get his message out to the world. It’s just too bad said message is extraordinarily uninspiring, misogynistic and unoriginal. Continue reading »
As far as radio-ready pop rap goes, B.o.B’s second record is pretty decent fare. Strange Clouds has all of the markings of a hit, including a wide array of guest stars and melodic, offhand tracks good for summer cruising and spring clubbing. Continue reading »
At her best, Nicki Minaj is a perverse Barbie doll with a filthy mouth, a bogus accent, and semi-psychotic leanings. At her worst, the Queens-based rapper and singer produces the sort of bland noise that can be found on just about every other rap-tinged pop recording. Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is Minaj’s second album and it finds her … Continue reading »
Queens rapper Action Bronson knows his culinary delights, that’s for damn sure. As a chef-turned-emcee, he’s not above dropping names like Morimoto between references to duck prosciutto and smoked brisket. His Well Done, an apt title if there ever was one, isn’t all food references and lip-smacking notions. Proud of his Albanian descent, Action Bronson rolls easily over … Continue reading »
Rapper Immortal Technique opens The Martyr, his free mixtape, with a commandment to burn the music onto a CD for the purposes of sharing it with as many people as humanly possible. The album from the Peruvian-born, New York-based emcee is an astounding piece of dedication and intelligence, a sea of information and political science set to … Continue reading »
