Mary J Blige and Nas: Royal Alliance
This past Wednesday Mary J Blige’s and Nas’s collaboration “Thriving” was released in conjunction with their much anticipated “Royalty Tour”. Many have coined Mary J Blige as the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul” and Nas the “King of Hip Hop”. The tour celebrates the 25th...
Busta Rhymes: Crunk Era
Busta Rhymes longevity, staying relevant throughout his nearly thirty year career has been matched by very few fellow hip hop artists. His latest track “They Want My Blood” featuring Lil Wayne off of DJ Kay Slay’s Hip Hop Frontline shows he can still hang with the...
Masta Ace: Memorable Collaborations
Last month DJ Premier dropped the track “Eat” on his Sirius XM radio show. For good measure Evidence, best known for his work with Dilated Peoples is also featured on the gem. The track will allegedly be on an upcoming Masta Ace project which may very well be his...
LL Cool J: Queens Represent
It has been since 2013’s Authentic that LL Cool J has last put out an album. In recent years there have been announcements of projects including the G.O.A.T 2 and an untitled project spearheaded by Dr. Dre. At this point the projects have not been released. The...
Fat Joe and Diamond D: Back to the Boom Bap
At some point this year Fat Joe’s project Family Ties with Dre of the production duo Cool & Dre is expected to drop. Their relationship dates back to 2001 with the track “King of N.Y” featuring Buju Banton off of Fat Joe’s album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E)....
Phil Collins: Relationship with Hip-Hop
On Meek Mill’s “Intro” from the recently released album Championships, he sampled Phil Collins signature song “In the Air Tonight” from his 1981 album Face Value. Through the lyrics and his cadence Meek captured the emotion and spirit of the timeless classic. Phil...
2Pac and Stretch: Before the Fallout
Late last year Dexter Isaac, the self-proclaimed shooter of Tupac Shakur at Quad Studios in 1994 put out the book From Friends To Enemies. One of the main takeaways was Dexter’s claim that Tupac’s onetime friend Randy Walker better known as Stretch was involved in the...
2Pac: Thug Life Project
Since the announcement of possibly two new Tupac projects were underway back in October of last year there has not been any additional news. Tupac had a number of albums worked on with tracks completed that were never commercially released. One suggestion would be to...
Spice 1 and Too Short: The Dangerous Crew
Recently West Coast legend Spice 1 dropped the track “I’m Gangsta” which is more than likely to be associated with what would be his fourteenth studio album as a solo artist. The track is vintage Spice 1 rhyming over what sounds to be a cleverly chopped sample of...
Ice Cube and Everythangs Corrupt: Six Years in the Making
During Ice Cube’s six-year journey of completing his latest project Everythang’s Corrupt there was quite a bit of material recorded. During this time frame Ice Cube was also working on producing the film Straight Outta Compton and the Big3 basketball league. This...
AZ and Nas: Partners in Rhyme
AZ’s album Doe or Die 2 at this point has been nine years in the making. A follow up to his first album 1995’s Doe or Die which is considered his best work. For Doe or Die 2 AZ wanted to make sure the line-up of original producers were involved including Pete Rock,...
Ja Rule and Cash Money Click: Boom Bap Beginnings
Ja Rule’s career has largely been defined by his radio hits. Many forget that prior to the Murder Inc movement of the late 90’s through the early 2000’s he was a member of Cash Money Click. The other members were O-1 and Chris Black who later went by Jody Mack. The...
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: Music for the Soul
When an individual or group in hip hop makes the statement they are the greatest ever they must realize that it does not constitute sales and popularity over a short period of time. Longevity, talent, quality, and substance must be figured into the conversation as...
Mic Geronimo: Underrated
Recently Funkmaster Flex rehashed the debate whether music industry executive Lyor Cohen’s dealings with Damon Dash and Jay-Z were exploitive or were the reason they became successful. During the response Flex unfairly brought up the artist Mic Geronimo. Basically...
Funkmaster Flex: When the Music Mattered
In recent years legendary radio deejay Funkmaster Flex has been making headlines from time to time due to things said that stir up debate and controversy. A stark contrast from Funkmaster Flex’s heyday during the 90’s when it was about the music. Funkmaster Flex who...
Nas with Kool G Rap and MC Serch: Early Career
2018 turned out to be a memorable year for Nas. He released his first album in six years Nasir produced entirely by Kanye West. In addition to releasing music with the likes of Dave East, The Black Eyed Peas, and Swizz Beatz. He has already mentioned planning to...
Ice Cube and George Clinton: Signature Sound
Ice Cube’s single “That New Funkadelic” off the album Everythang’s Corrupt is a throwback to the signature sound used early in his career. Many of the tracks from his first solo albums are influenced or filled with samples from George Clinton as an individual and his...
Master P: Bay Area Connection
Master P has been making the rounds promoting his newest film I Got the Hook Up 2 as well as other projects he has in the works. In the late 90’s he had established No Limit Films and put out several indie projects with successful selling soundtracks showcasing his No...