HipHopDx Reviews
Pete Rock - New York's Finest
Considering he's of the premier producers in all of hip hop, the initial response to hearing about NY's Finest: "NY emcees rhyming over Pete Rock tracks? Sign me up!"
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah
New Amerykah is unorthodox, unconventional, and may take a while to grow on an audience that feasts on a steady diet of pop culture. However, in an era of disposable music, this one will stand the test of time.
Pastor Troy - Attitude Adjuster
Pastor Troy's rhyming can seem dated or excessively watered down substance wise, but this may or may not deter his loyal fans.
Akrobatik - Absolute Value
What Ak lacks in productivity, he more than makes up for in quality. Absolute Value lives up to its name with 14 tightly packaged songs, assisted by some of Hip Hop's best.
Nicolay & Kay - TIME:LINE
TIME:LINE is satisfying enough to be worth the listen and shows exciting progress for an up and coming producer.
Chaundon - Carnage
On Carnage, Bronx-bred rapper Chaundon promises to solidify his charismatic presence and establish his lyrical dominance in the dog-eat-dog world of rap music.
QN5 Music - Baby Blue For Pink EP
As the Baby Blue for Pink EP was recorded for the "Hip Hop head who doesn't want to hear Michael Bolton bleeding out of his eyes while [they're] getting [their] groove on," it's hard to say QN5 doesn't come correct.
Kool G Rap - Half A Klip
As long as this EP is just an appetizer for a main course soon to come, I'll happily eat it up. Otherwise, there just isn't enough to go around.
Uniq - The Definition
On The Definition, Uniq takes his stab at mainstream success by combining the tried-and-true formula of club beats and thug treats along with deft lyrical wizardry.
Yak Ballz - Scifentology II
On Scifentology II, Yak Ballz combines profound social commentary with a myriad of musical styles and embellished choruses in a worthwhile attempt to do just that.
Torae - Daily Conversation
Thankfully, the new breed is here. East coast lyricists such as Joell Ortiz, Termanology, Skyzoo, Sha Stimuli and of course, Torae, have all got the right idea
Substantial - Sacrifice
The whole idea of sacrifice is that it's much like most other things in this life - it's what you make of it. It could be the sacrifices you make whilst in the pursuit of the almighty dollar; it could be the sacrifices you make to pursue your dreams
Big Noyd - Illustrious
Unfortunately, the problem with that is when the weed carrier keeps receiving these opportunities and doing absolutely nothing with it, further signifying the general notion that weed carriers should be solely limited to, well, weed carrying.
Jozeemo - Cry Now L.A.F. Later
For those unawares, Jozeemo hails from East Durham, North Carolina. You may have heard of him as a member of the Hip Hop collective The Justus League, which currently houses artists such as Little Brother, Khrysis and Joe Scudda.
Danny! - Danny Is Dead
While the EP isn't as satisfying as a full-length would be, it's a great gauge of Danny!'s talents as a producer & an emcee, & it should be interesting to see how his mellow sounds and quirky rhymes would fit in with El-P's organized confusion on Def Jux
NYGz - Welcome To G-dom
Welcome to G-dom; the duo's long awaited debut album that is a true and compelling testament to the underground hip hop movement solidified through open mics like Training Camp and End of the Weak that exist within the five boroughs.
Show & AG - Live Hard
The songs on this album are squarely aimed at attracting the current generation of dedicated rap fans who might have been too young to remember the frenetic joy of "Soul Clap" or sonic beauty of "Next Level."
Scanz - Prelude To A Legacy
There is, however, more than enough content to suggest that Prelude to a Legacy could prove to be a prophetic title. Scanz has already displayed clever writing and production talent that complement his passionate delivery
Doomtree - False Hopes
Doomtree definitely lives up to their not-so-average name and the group's newest album, False Hopes, manages to do the same (with mixed results).
Chingy - Hate It Or Love It
Obviously, Chingy isn't exactly dropping mad science, or even 6th grade science. He's still there for the club loving, dance floor rattling fans and certainly has some beats for them.
