HipHopDx Reviews
DX Album Review Bits - Zion I & The Grouch, Luck-One, Closed Sessions: ATX
DX reviews the second collaborative album from Living Legends' Grouch & Zion I, Portland emcee Luck-One's latest, and a strong concept compilation.
Travis Barker - Give The Drummer Some
"Give The Drummer Some demonstrates that Travis Barker can not only walk through the door, but that he can also have a place at the Hip Hop's table."
WC - Revenge Of The Barracuda
"Beneath the pile of Khaki, chronic and Chuck Taylor, WC is merely keeping an over-the-hill-gangster-rap flame ablaze."
Layzie Bone - The Definition & The Meaning (Combo Pack)
"The big letdown that is The Meaning and The Definition isn't due to an artist who can't prove he's talented but rather an artist who deserves better."
REKS - R.E.K.S. (Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme)
"Rapidly rhyming over Premo's piercing piano keys and airtight boom-bap drums, REKS turns into your favorite '90s emcee reincarnated."
Raekwon - Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang
"The LP competes against itself - taking the old school lessons learned from an encounter with Shaolin and teaming them with the new school version of Wu."
Doap Nixon - Gray Poupon
"Doap's self-released sophomore album is a strong success. Within the JMT-offshoot, this joins Reef's debut as one of the most versatile and personal releases."
Show & KRS-One - Godsville
"Nostalgic fans that rejoiced when the 'Sound of da Police' makers' full-length collabo was announced may be a bit thrown off by the results."
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
"Only traces of Lupe Fiasco's greatness are present on Lasers, and even then he sounds less focused."
Da Circle - 360 Deal
"Da Circle's follow-the-recipe approach yields an age-old slice of Hip Hop that's wholesome but wildly ordinary for anyone outside their ideological oval."
East Coast Avengers Present... DC The Midi Alien - Avengers Airwaves
"Immortal Technique fans will find satisfaction in this LP, as will liberal listeners with youthful, revolutionary spirits and a fascination in current events."
Beans - End It All
"Conventional emcees might not hear it right away, but this album asserts that Beans' peers need to be very afraid of what they don't understand."
Mohammad Dangerfield (Hasan Salaam + Rugged N Raw) - Mohammad Dangerfield
"Hasan Salaam and Rugged N Raw have featured on each's previous solo endeavors and this LP team-up largely maintains the same harmony the duo harnessed."
Buckshot - Common Knowledgy Of The Entertainment Industry [Audio Bo
"Common Knowledgy is an great resource for trying to get in the music game, or for a fan who simply wants to learn more about the machinations of the industry."
Strong Arm Steady - Arms & Hammers
"Whereas "Stoney Jackson" featured an eclectic collage of unexpected yet convincing records with the Madlib, this gets to the heart of the S.A.S. manifesto."
Joell Ortiz - Free Agent
"For the second time in as many albums, Joell Ortiz did everything skeptics claim that New York emcees no longer do."
Sims - Bad Time Zoo
Doomtree's Sims admits on "Burn It Down," "Me, I'm just over the line / Under the gun / Out of my mind." This vantage point makes for an interesting album.
Dave Dub & The Sutter Cain Gang - Mind Police
While Freestyle Fellowship's Myka 9 and Project Blowed affiliate Medusa check in, this is still a Punk project at its core.
The LBC Crew - Haven't You Heard
Haven't You Heard may generate buzz from The LBC Crew's long-standing fans that respectfully never would have imagined this project becoming available.
H.I.S.D. (Hueston Independent Spit District) - The Weakend
More than anything else, H.I.S.D. sounds like it might have it's own sound, and in Hip Hop, that's 87% of the battle.
