Grandmaster Flash, 'The Bridge' (Adrenaline/Strut)
A more reliable guide to the '80s than usual.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 02.19.09 5:25 PM
Flash's first studio album in more than two decades isn't for wallflowers. "Tribute to the Breakdancer" and "Here Comes My DJ" (with the effusive DJ Kool of "Let Me Clear My Throat" fame) showcase the legendary turntablist's ear for party starters.
SHARE THIS:
EPMD, 'We Mean Business' (Ep Records)
Hip-hop legends avoid the bozack with funky fresh flow.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 12.02.08 12:24 PM
EPMD are back together again, more than a decade after the Long Island duo's initial 1997 reunion. Despite some truly awful lyrics -- "Don't make me get mad and Barack O-bomb-ya" is particularly wince-worthy -- both Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith sound reenergized, boosted by spirited cameos from Redman, Method Man, and Keith Murray.
SHARE THIS:
Jake One, 'White Van Music' (Rhymesayers)
Versatile 50 Cent studio hand ain't just about a gangsta party.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 11.06.08 4:09 PM
The debut album from G-Unit producer Jacob "Jake One" Dutton plays like a crowd- pleasing beat reel for future employers.
SHARE THIS:
Everlast, 'Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford' (Martyr Inc./Hickory/TRP)
Okay, we know "what it's like"; maybe it's time to move on.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 11.06.08 10:51 AM
Erik "Everlast" Schrody's transformation into a guitar-strumming folkie on 1998's Whitey Ford Sings the Blues was a savvy career move, both artistically and commercially. After all, how many early-'90s white rappers are still working?
SHARE THIS:
GZA/Genius, 'Pro Tools' (Babygrande)
Once again, a Wu Mc drifts into irrelevant lyrics and weak beats.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 10.14.08 6:42 PM
The GZA's G-Unit dis "Paper Plate" on his fifth solo album confirms that he's behind the times: Beefing with 50 Cent to promote yourself is so 2005. Then again, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan MC also name-drops Ivan Koloff (Who? Professional wrestler from the 1970s) and Vinnie Johnson (Who?
SHARE THIS:
The Spin Interview: Q-Tip
After Q-Tip transformed hip-hop with A Tribe Called Quest, he endured solo exile and ran the celebrity gauntlet. Will he now be accepted back as an MC elder? He's prepared, regardless. "I take what I do seriously," he says, "But it's a lighthearted seriousness."
By Thomas Golianopoulos 08.04.08 4:28 PM
Kamaal "Q-Tip" Fareed is the leader of Queens, New York–based group A Tribe Called Quest, whose innovative first three albums are perhaps hip-hop's most universally beloved -- by both fans and critics. Tensions plagued 1996's disappointing fourth, Beats, Rhymes and Life, and the trio split in 1998.
SHARE THIS:
