AltWeeklies Wire
Why Does the Bay Area Have a Hard Time Harboring Hip-Hop Venues?new
Hip-hop is one of the most popular genres on earth, and San Francisco is a world-class city. Yet this town seems hostile toward this musical nightlife with such revenue-generating potential. Why?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Garrett Caples |
08-06-2008 |
Music
South African Hip-hop Hero Tumi Goes Solonew
Tumi has the verbal dexterity of Pharoahe Monch and the lyrical clarity of Nasir Jones. His moniker often gets bandied about in "who's the best MC?" conversations across the globe.
NOW Magazine |
Addi Stewart |
08-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Kid Sister, the New Queen of Hip-Hop?new
With only a minute amount of material actually released, the buzz around this potential new queen of hip-hop is so overwhelming that when her mug graced the cover of URB this summer the immediate gut reaction was "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense," and not "Wait, she doesn't even have a record yet!"
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
07-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
On a Positive Note, Fetti Profoun is an Immensely Talented Rappernew
However, as far as Fetti's lyrical content, there has been little progression since Valley Fever, his 2006 debut.
Phoenix New Times |
Niki D'Andrea |
07-29-2008 |
Reviews
Queens-born Rapper Homeboy Sandman is Headed For the Big Timenew
Actual Factual Pterodactyl is not only the best-named album to come out of the New York hip-hop underground this year; it has the added benefit of being exactly the kind of album that you would hope for from something bearing its name.
New York Press |
Hamilton Nolan |
07-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Erk tha Jerk Makes Bay Area Hip-Hop a Whole Lot Smarternew
Erk tha Jerk is a slender guy with horn-rimmed glasses and a gallows humor. He isn't afraid to clown someone using insults that could potentially go over that person's head. And his most famous song, "I'm So Dumb (the Hyphy Diss Song)," might have been the most petulant thing to air on KMEL this year.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
07-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Black Pegasus Mixes Politics with Punchlinesnew
The Black Mexican may sound like a gimmicky concept itself, but it's no novelty record. As a battle rap veteran, Robert Houston offers up plenty of punchlines, but serious subtexts also find their way into the mix.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
07-22-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Pharcyde Reunite for Rock the Bells Blowoutnew
This culture often kills the dreams of hip-hop optimists like me, but 2007's Wu-Tang Clan/Rage Against the Machine reuniter and Rock the Bells president Chang Weisberg has brought about another miracle: all four original members of the Pharcyde are set to perform together on hip-hop's biggest tour of 2008.
NOW Magazine |
Addi Stewart |
07-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Play-N-Skillz Cements Its Reputation as a Production Team with Lil Wayne's Latest Singlenew
So can Dallas get some respect as a source for hip-hop?
Dallas Observer |
Pete Freedman |
07-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Organizers Confront the Genre's Image Crisisnew
Wes Jackson has planned a broad lineup that represents various stages in hip-hop's existence from new artists to performers fro mteh golden age and elder statesmen.
New York Press |
Billy Jam |
07-10-2008 |
Music
Who is Portland's King of the Chrome, Spinnaface?new
Like Batman or Portland's own Famous Mysterious Actor, the emcee refuses to divulge the man behind the mask.
Willamette Week |
Sara Moskovitz |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Hip-hop Newcomer D/Will Gets Cerebral on Two New Releasesnew
He approaches music with the kind of devout seriousness usually reserved for, say, a theologian contemplating transubstantiation. The dude is emphatically not messing around.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Lil Wayne: Totally Sane in the Membranenew
Despite drinking enough syrup to kill a small horse, Lil Wayne is actually quite calculated.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Ben Westhoff |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Prophetic Bridges Milwaukee's Disparate Hip-Hop Scenesnew
Like just about everything in the city, Milwaukee’s hip-hop scenes are divided by racial and geographical boundaries. Without pandering to either demographic, his upcoming album, Mo Profit, Mo Progress, holds appeal to East Side backpackers and North Side trappers alike.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
06-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
No One Does It Better Than Spinderellanew
She's uncharacteristically humble in light of her membership in the iconic rap group Salt-n-Pepa, whose relevance has possibly been overshadowed by Cheryl "Salt" Wray and Sandra "Pepa" Denton's recent reality TV appearances.
The Portland Mercury |
Jalylah Burrell |
06-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
