HipHopDx Reviews
Hezekiah - Conscious Porn
Conscious Porn is a quality listen and arguably the best album from Hezekiah. He pushes the margins on his production by placing a premium on progression.
N*E*R*D - Nothing
Nothing takes on more of a Rap Psychadelic approach, a combination of Woodstock and Hoodshock.
9th Wonder - 9th's Opus: It's A Wonderful World Music Group Volume 1
With artists like Thee Tom Hardy, Tyler Woods, GQ and several others, 9th brings us 9th's Opus as his method of label introduction.
Foreign Exchange - Authenticity
Longtime fans of Phonte the lyricist may not get what they're expecting, but that's not to say they won't find satisfaction on this smoky Vocal Jazz album.
Chiddy Bang - The Preview
With Pharrell lending a hand, Chiddy Bang's "The Preview" is a decent segue for their highly anticipated "The Swelly Life."
The Left (Apollo Brown, Journalist 103 & DJ Soko) - Gas Mask
"Ironically, by recapturing an essence of the past, The Left cement their place in playlists and disc changers of the future."
Termanology & Statik Selektah - 1982
The first official full-length from the longtime tandem shows a polished offering of what Rap fans have always known, while there is a ways to become Pete & CL.
Vado - Slime Flu
"As Dipset seems to be back with a vengeance in 2010, newcomer Vado is having no trouble proving that he deserves to be along for the ride."
DX Album Review Bits: - Common, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Chaundon, Ninja Tune, Kos
HipHopDX's O.G. J-23 resurrects a forgotten column of the review section, with reviewing three box sets, two re-issued classics, and a new LP from Chaundon.
Kno - Death Is Silent
The Cunninlynguists producer/sometimes emcee delivers his solo debut, but although the production is groundbreaking, do the rhymes totally measure up?
Nottz - You Need This Music
The veteran Virginia producer for the likes of Busta Rhymes and G-Unit offers his solo debut. It's got that Nottz knock, but without guests, what's he saying?
7L & Esoteric - 1212
After four years of solo and side projects, 7L and Es reunite with perhaps one of their most sonically diverse and lyrically driven efforts to date, 1212.
Canibus - C Of Tranquility
Complete with support from the legendary DJ Premier and Domingo, C of Tranquility is easily Canibus' most wide-reaching and Hip Hop-rooted works in a decade.
El Da Sensei & The Returners - GT2: Nu World
El Da Sensei promised to continue doing things his way until the death and with that positive conviction, "GT2" ends up being a positive and triumphant return.
Pigeon John - Dragon Slayer
Dragon Slayer is too safe, too sterile, and too polite, it feels less like the work of an artist breaking new personal ground and more like one chasing trends.
Shad - T.S.O.L. (U.S. Version)
On "Lucky 1s," Shad proclaims, "I ain't gotta say 'real talk,' 'cause all my talk is." This theme runs throughout T.S.O.L.'s entirety.
Von Pea - Pea's Gotta Have It
"Von squanders an opportunity to ace the concept, and instead, falls just short of the Honor Roll -- an ironic metaphor for PGHI as a whole."
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
If we hold to the belief that a debut album is written from birth til' it's released, one could think that Bruno Mar's lived but a few moments in his own skin.
K-Rino - Annihilation Of The Evil Machine
Thematically, AOTEM targets the manipulative forces corrupting H-Town's 3rd Ward such as Houston Police Department, Fox News, the White House, & local 97.9 FM.
Group Home - Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal (G.U.R.U.)
G.U.R.U. has also just caused a permanent smudge at the 20 second mark of Nas' "Where Are The Now?" where he links the question with Group Home's legacy.
