HipHopDx Reviews
Bone Thugs N Harmony - Strength & Loyalty
Like every Bone release since Art of War, I really didn't expect much from Strength & Loyalty off the Swizz-owned Interscope imprint Full Surface Records
DJ Jazzy Jeff - Return Of The Magnificent
Five years since the dope The Magnificent - and only two years removed from the Live 8 performance in Philly with the Fresh Prince himself - the Grammy award-winning producer/DJ is still on his grind.
A-Plus - My Last Good Deed
A-Plus' highly anticipated debut solo album My Last Good Deed has taken long enough. After many years of touring the country as a member of the Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief, the man has finally laid down his solo LP
Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance
Coming two years after his critically acclaimed A Healthy Distrust, Human the Death Dance is being billed as Francis' most personal record to date, offering diehard fans a glimpse inside the mind of one of progressive rap's finest wordsmiths.
State Property - Out On Bail
State Property is back, and there's only one way to describe it - suspect. Wasn't Beans riding for Dame just the other day? Didn't Beanie say that he was getting no support from the SP fam while he was in prison? Didn't they officially break up?
Snoop Dogg Presents - The Big Squeeze
Those yearning for vintage Snoop, may just have to wait until his next solo album gets released, because this album is easily forgettable. Ultimately, in response to the popular quote, the juice isn't exactly worth the squeeze here.
Marco Polo - Port Authority
In true Hip Hop fashion, Marco Polo opts to go with emcees that are true to the art, instead of just who's hot at the moment. The impressive lineup is sure to put a smile on the face of any true school head.
Joell Ortiz - The Brick: Bodega Chronicles
Ortiz definitely shows that there still is plenty of talent in the game right now. The only thing that bricked this time around was the album's title. The rhymes were all net. Didn't KRS once ask "who's got next?"
Phat Kat - Carte Blanche
Forget what you heard about 8 Mile: This is the real sound of Detroit Hip Hop. And while not every track here is a winner, there is more than enough evidence to prove that Phat Kat is an emcee worth watching.
Lifesavas - Gutterfly
Portland trio Lifesavas have taken on the personas of Sleepy Floyd, Bumpy Johnson, and Jimmy Slimwater, portrayed by Jumbo the Garbageman, Vursatyl, and DJ Shines respectively. Gutterfly is a journey through the mean streets of Razorblade City
Darien Brockington - Someone To Love
Taking cues from his predecessors, he injects old-soul magic and places as much emphasis on the emotion of each song as he does on its music and lyrics.
Slim Thug & The Boss Hogg Outlawz - Serve and Collect
Slim Thug brings his crew to the forefront with Serve and Collect. Do Killa Kyleon, Sir Daily, PJ, J-Dawg, C. Ward, Young Black and Rob Smallz serve it up? HipHopDX's Brian Sims lets you know!
Lil Flip - I Need Mine $$
"Lil' Flip is wack!" I bet that's what a lot of you are saying out there. After all, he told a girl he'd treat her like milk and do nothing but spoil her. This is the same dude who pranced around in a leprechaun outfit to show us how he balls.
Paul Wall - Get Money, Stay True
Calling a spade a spade, Paul is usually very good at what he does. Unfortunately with his second major label LP he didn't do it all that well and delivers an album a clear notch down from his debut.
MIMS - Music Is My Savior
The album provides enough distractions to get you through the day. Circular logic be damned - MIMS debut ends up doing a pretty decent job of showing us why he's hot.
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
Ali has taken his already introspective variety of music and made one of the more personal and moving albums that Hip Hop has ever seen.
Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Chit
However, the production on the album is, for the most part, uninspired at best. Coupled with extremely repetitive subject matter, and Dogg Chit a pretty average album.
Timbaland - Shock Value
Timbaland may be the most innovative producer of our time. He's arguably done more for other artists than any other producer in Hip Hop (or now even pop) history. Whenever Tim gets behind the boards, we all know something special is coming.
Prodigy - Return Of The Mac
ALC is really the only reason this album deserves any burn, he chops and arranges a slew of classic samples (and most definitely uncleared), like a true NYC vet. It is too bad Prodigy couldn't keep it quite as thorough.
Zion I - Street Legends
Anyone who followed underground Hip Hop in 2000 remembers being enthralled by Mind Over Matter, Zion I's widely-praised debut album.
