SremmLife 2 isn't anything groundbreaking. If you've heard any hip-hop from Atlanta within the last few years, then you know what you're getting into. When it works, it provides some good turn up music.
The Divine Feminine was the album that really made me a fan of his and on Swimming Mac Miller takes those silky smooth soundscapes and themes to a whole new level.
The latest joint project from Apollo Brown featuring Joell Ortiz is a respectable effort in essential East coast hip-hop although it stays strictly within the lines.
Tubi's catalog is stacked with just about every overlooked, forgotten, or possibly imaginary film to ever feature a rapper.
Much to the ire of "old heads", 2016 was undeniably the rise of "mumble" rap, as more and more artists with little to no actual lyrical ability began to gain significant stature in the culture. But is this a sign of a new, less skilled direction for hip-hop? Or is it just a normal cycle that all genres of music go through?
THECLECTIK's latest is a mad mix of hip-hop fusion that may sound crazy on paper, but it works in execution; and the project's to the point lyrics about navigating society in an ever more disconnected world make for one of the more intriguing listens of the year so far.
The "I Found You" music video does exactly what good music videos are meant to do – visually portray the feel of this stylishly simplistic and playful song.
Check out our sit down with rising rapper West, where we talk about his new single and video "Checks", going viral with his previous song "Euro$tep", Chinese rappers and influence, writing vs freestyling, and more.
There was a shocking lack of topical social commentary from one of rap's most vocal social activists, and I think that was a huge missed opportunity. But if you miss that real 'soul' of hip-hop and real bars, then you can do much worse than Radio Silence.
Vic Mensa pens a deeply personal and politically conscious debut album that delivers solid production and lyricism but doesn't deliver the promised star quality you expect from someone signed by Hov himself.
Smoke DZA's "Not For Sale" is an homage to classic hip-hop and it may not open him up to a new audience outside of his already core fans or hip-hop purists but it's still yet another solid addition to an impressive and growing discography.
More Life is his most experimental project to date; delivering a collection of the different eclectic sounds that have been inspiring his music lately. While initially I was disappointed that we didn't get more straight up hip-hop, especially after the more pop leaning Views, it's hard to argue the results. More Life is another win for him and will undoubtedly mainstream a lot of the artists and sounds it employs.
Boogie's major debut won't go down as a game changer but it is a highly focused project that delivers on his vision and is true to his artistry. Albeit, it could have benefited from a few more bright spots on the otherwise melancholic affair.
While you can draw comparisons to many well-known rappers, J’Moris exhibits enough individuality and musical/lyrical capabilities to pique the interest of both hip-hop connoisseurs and those not that familiar with the genre.
T.I. has finally figured out how to bridge the gap between the old 'trap king' we loved and grew up with and the more socially charged side we've been getting in recent years. 'Dime Trap' is his best project in years and should not be slept on.
I Still Am felt like a check list of song types lacking a lot of Yo Gotti's blunt charisma that elevated his past music above generic street fare. By far his weakest project in recent memory and not even a strip club anthem of the year like "Rack It Up" can spice up this bland assortment of music.
Today we're excited to be premiering the latest single from Jay Americana. "Sweat" is a unique blend of hip-hop and electronica that replicates the pounding sound and intense atmosphere of a dance floor.
Newly opened at The Baltimore Museum of Art, “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century,” treats hip hop’s roots, impact, and essential figures with the same intellectual rigor and prestige it would a presentation of ancient Egypt, Greece, or Rome.
Blue Chips 7000 will represent a return to form for many of Bronson's fan. It's chock full of phenomenal cinematic production, vivid imagery rich lyricism, and quotables for days. It plays things fast and loose and Action Bronson is absolutely razor sharp throughout.
In order to be distinguished from what’s not real, every movement needs its own distinctive traits and symbols; the hip-hop movement claimed its own identity through elements like fresh kicks and gold chains.
Mike WiLL Made-It was the real draw for this album and his production was pretty much the only thing that kept me pushing on through Edgewood. That's not to say that I think Trouble is a particularly bad rapper, it's just that I don't think much of anything about Trouble in general. There's a considerable lack of charisma or even energy with everything he does that left me feeling indifferent.
The soundscapes are as gorgeous as anything Kanye's put out in the last 3 years - lush, grim, and just sparse enough to let Pusha T run wild; and run wild he does. It's high-art coke rap and it's about as cinematic as you can get with music.
BlocBoy JB's album is a safe project that triples down on everything that's gotten him to this point, but it still remains to be seen if he has what it takes to outlast his own dance craze.
Real African rhythms with rumbling guitars and Zamba’s lyrics, with neither the beats, rhythms, or Zamba’s raps missing a single step.