Jon Caramanica

REALITY: Biggie and Tupac don't matter anymore.

It's easy to remember Madonna's vivacious side, but she was desperate, too, a theme that the best of this indie tribute captures neatly. Apollo Heights'

Since their days in Sleep, Al Cisneros and Chris Haikus have been making monastery metal, a druggy, often quiet combo of Black Sabbath and Low.

Chris Carrabba's early songs were lovelorn, wussy morsels -- crisp, tautly melodic, and deeply felt. He was concise, and he was heartbroken, and then he…

More Atmosphere than Atmosphere themselves, upstate New York's Gym Class Heroes have finally untangled the emo-rap paradigm, understanding that it's the target demographic first, then…

Twenty of the best seconds in pop last year belonged to Hawthorne Heights. On the hook from "Ohio Is for Lovers," the Dayton, Ohio quintet's…

Mainstream country music has always been popular, but last year it got idiosyncratic, with songs that quoted OutKast, video cameos from Kid Rock, and a…

Hip-hop is such a global juggernaut that it's easy to forget there are still regional black sounds, too. Detroit has its techno and, more recently,…

When Bun B and his entourage descend, the block is empty -- a vacant lot on one side, a ramshackle house shy a few windows…

8SPIN Rating: 8 of 10Release Date: August 30, 2005Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def JamThis review was originally published in the September 2005 issue of SPIN and featured a grade…

DJ/rupture Special GunpowderTigerbeat6…

Having good taste is easy; translating it into great art is another thing altogether. DJ/rupture and Diplo have both made their names as curators of…

It's a hip-hop truism--the first album is the one where you get the most bragging done. The follow-up? Well, that's where you gloat about your…

Talib KweliThe Beautiful StruggleGeffenMos DefThe New DangerGeffen…

The Streets/Dizzee RascalIrving PlazaNew York City…