N.Y.OIL, 'Hood Treason' (Babygrande/P.E.M.G.)
Exā€“Native Tongues wannabe gets older, angrier, wiser?
By Will Dukes 09.18.08 4:04 PM
Back in 1991, N.Y.OIL (then known as Kool Kim of the U.M.C.s) dressed like a color-blind Breakin' extra and rapped with clever ebullience about "blue cheese." Seventeen years later, he's resurfaced as an angry elder statesman with a blunt hard-truths message that (mostly) succeeds where it might easily annoy.
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Nappy Roots, 'The Humdinger' (N.R.E.G.)
Scrabbling country boyz struggle with rim envy -- sigh.
By Will Dukes 09.18.08 3:29 PM
After emerging six years ago as the South's quintessential regular joes with the single "Awnaw," and five years after their equally down-home but less commercially successful second album, Nappy Roots return, trying to reconcile hard times with their desire for a more garish lifestyle.
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J-Live, 'Then What Happened?' (BBE)
Indie-rap rhyme scholar weighs in with respectably smart set.
By Will Dukes 09.18.08 3:05 PM
Since his classic underground debut album, 2001's The Best Part, former Brooklyn schoolteacher J-Live has enjoyed cultlike status as the quintessential no-frills indie MC -- literate but genially pointed.
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Bun-B, 'II Trill' (Rap-a-Lot/Asylum)
After partner's passing, H-town's baddest dude bounces back.
By Will Dukes 05.29.08 3:35 PM
Legendary Houston fixture Bun B has a flair for Southern-fried folksiness and lyrics that are as poignantly evocative as they are salaciously entertaining.
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The Roots, 'Rising Down' (Def Jam)
Philly crew masterfully reconcile their conflicted mission.
By Will Dukes 05.15.08 2:32 PM
As a general rule, Roots albums don't offer immediate gratification. Their concept-driven themes demand repeat listens, which doubtless can be attributed to the complex, good-cop/Bad Lieutenant dichotomy between the band's founding members, drummer/producer ?uestlove and MC Black Thought.
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