Jeremih Felton is in a tough spot. He did not know that he would be signed on the spot after performing for Def Jam's L.A. Reid & Karen Kwak. He did not know that he would appear on a single for one of the most anticipated records of the year in Fabolous' upcoming LP, Loso's Way. He also did not know that his debut would spawn one of the bigges...

Aubrey "Drake" Graham has come a long ways since his role as the physically disabled hoops star from Degrassi. Following the release of his initial mixtape, Room For Improvement, as well as the critically acclaimed Comeback Season, Drake caught the eye of Young Money CEO Lil' Wayne who became a mentor of sorts to Graham. February 13, 2009 marked ...

By Christopher "DiZ" Lamb It has been a long three years for fans of the legendary Mos Def. After the release of experimental (yet still decent) opus, The New Danger in 2004 and the universally panned True Magic in 2006, fans watched in fear; fear of whether Mos would revert back to the jazzy vibes and peerless lyricism that shone bright on his ex...

Calling all hip hop practitioners; it’s that time again. While vacationing at the beach for Memorial Day, I stumbled across a young swag team of skaters. Each was practicing some new move that usually only the pros take a stab at. One of the kids had his Zune player jammed into his ears as if it were a diamond stud. When inquired as to his musica...

Four young ladies. Two sets of childhood friends. The ravishing quartet, consisting of Binkie, Lesley, Naomi & Sarah, have come together to form the dynamic girl group Electrik Red. Their debut disc is defined as "a play on the stereotype of how a lady is considered to act and supposed to say". Aligning themselves with arguably the best penman ...

It's amazing that even a veteran with an expansive sense of longevity as Busta Rhymes is not immune to the insufferable album pushback. Originally titled When Hell Freezes Over, his ninth disc has seen many pushbacks (originally scheduled for release in December 2007) as well as numerous title changes (Blessed, Back On My Bullshit, as well as B.O.M...

"Dr. West" finds Mr. Mathers preparing to exit rehabilitation and having a brief interaction with Dr. West, who encourages him to take a drink and give in to his dependence on drugs, before transforming into his own devil, Slim Shady. Waking from what was only a nightmare segues into the serial killer thriller "3am", which acts as Marshall Mathers'...

"And then it comes to me like an epiphany" - Chrisette Michele: Epiphany There was no place to go but up for Chrisette Michele Payne. After breathtaking cameos on albums by two of hip hop's greatest (Jay-Z's Kingdom Come and Nas' Hip Hop is Dead), Chrisette Michele released her hopeful debut, I Am, to much critical acclaim. 2008 saw only two came...

It is not easy being a white emcee in hip hop. No one knows Asher Roth's troubles more than veteran emcee Eminem; it is hard to break through in a genre that was created and is dominated by African Americans. Just as African Americans came to accept and respect Eminem, Asher Roth has to let his mic skills speak for themselves and what better way to...

Deeper Than Rap definitely begins on a high note with the probing "Mafia Music", acting as a great introduction while Ro$$ throws barbs at 50 Cent ("Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain't asking for a cent / Burn the house down, gotta buy another / Don't forget the gas can, jealous stupid motherfucker"). Next up is "Maybach Music (Part II)", the sequel...

Jadakiss is one of the few emcees that reps New York, the Mecca of Hip Hop, to the fullest. Boasting that he's "top 5, dead or alive, and that's just off one LP", Jadakiss has released two great albums, but has yet to deliver that undeniable classic record. After finalizing a deal that saw him signing with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records, Kiss went i...

Welcome to Part 2 of my attempt to argue that Lupe Fiasco is the greatest emcee that we've seen thus far. There have been a few arguments against Lupe Fiasco that I hope to evaluate here: 01.) He has recorded and released only two studio albums. The Notorious B.I.G. had released only two albums before his tragic death and is still viewed to this...

Lupe Fiasco Albums: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006); Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007) Best Material: Fahrenheit 1/15 (Part I): The Truth is Among Us; Fahrenheit 1/15 (Part II): Revenge of The Nerds; Fahrenheit 1/15 (Part III): A Rhyming Ape; Lupe The Jedi; Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor; Lupe Fiasco's The Cool "Word to the nigga that took...

It has been an amazing three years for Terius "The-Dream" Nash. After being behind the scenes strictly as a songwriter, The-Dream took the world by storm in 2007, creating monster hit singles for Rihanna ("Umbrella") and J. Holiday ("Bed") before releasing his excellent debut album, LoveHate. The-Dream soon went back into the studio and lived up to...

It is quite understandable why Joe Budden would title his sophomore effort, Padded Room. After seeing his original sophomore album, The Growth, reside on the shelf in development hell after numerous pushbacks, Budden was finally released from Def Jam and went on to go independent with Amalgam Digital. After releasing the well-received Halfway House...