AltWeeklies Wire
Erk tha Jerk Makes Bay Area Hip-Hop a Whole Lot Smarternew
Erk tha Jerk is a slender guy with horn-rimmed glasses and a gallows humor. He isn't afraid to clown someone using insults that could potentially go over that person's head. And his most famous song, "I'm So Dumb (the Hyphy Diss Song)," might have been the most petulant thing to air on KMEL this year.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
07-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Black Pegasus Mixes Politics with Punchlinesnew
The Black Mexican may sound like a gimmicky concept itself, but it's no novelty record. As a battle rap veteran, Robert Houston offers up plenty of punchlines, but serious subtexts also find their way into the mix.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
07-22-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Pharcyde Reunite for Rock the Bells Blowoutnew
This culture often kills the dreams of hip-hop optimists like me, but 2007's Wu-Tang Clan/Rage Against the Machine reuniter and Rock the Bells president Chang Weisberg has brought about another miracle: all four original members of the Pharcyde are set to perform together on hip-hop's biggest tour of 2008.
NOW Magazine |
Addi Stewart |
07-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
How a High-gloss Mag About Mixtapes is Actually Making Itnew
Foundation was started by three street-smart guys with no publishing experience, no money and no distribution.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Kate Kilpatrick |
07-21-2008 |
Media
Play-N-Skillz Cements Its Reputation as a Production Team with Lil Wayne's Latest Singlenew
So can Dallas get some respect as a source for hip-hop?
Dallas Observer |
Pete Freedman |
07-21-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Organizers Confront the Genre's Image Crisisnew
Wes Jackson has planned a broad lineup that represents various stages in hip-hop's existence from new artists to performers fro mteh golden age and elder statesmen.
New York Press |
Billy Jam |
07-10-2008 |
Music
'The Wackness' and 'Gunnin' for That #1 Spot' Achieve Emotional Resonancenew
Neither is a special effects extravaganza, but they stir emotion by emphasizing the human scale of what movies can show.
New York Press |
Armond White |
07-03-2008 |
Reviews
Who is Portland's King of the Chrome, Spinnaface?new
Like Batman or Portland's own Famous Mysterious Actor, the emcee refuses to divulge the man behind the mask.
Willamette Week |
Sara Moskovitz |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Hip-hop Newcomer D/Will Gets Cerebral on Two New Releasesnew
He approaches music with the kind of devout seriousness usually reserved for, say, a theologian contemplating transubstantiation. The dude is emphatically not messing around.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Lil Wayne: Totally Sane in the Membranenew
Despite drinking enough syrup to kill a small horse, Lil Wayne is actually quite calculated.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Ben Westhoff |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Hiding in Hip Hop' Offers a Glimpse of the Troubles of a Young Black Bisexualnew
Dean laments that the world is not yet ready to face the truth about black gay/lesbian celebrities’ sexuality.
NOW Magazine |
Addi Stewart |
06-30-2008 |
Nonfiction
Prophetic Bridges Milwaukee's Disparate Hip-Hop Scenesnew
Like just about everything in the city, Milwaukee’s hip-hop scenes are divided by racial and geographical boundaries. Without pandering to either demographic, his upcoming album, Mo Profit, Mo Progress, holds appeal to East Side backpackers and North Side trappers alike.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
06-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
No One Does It Better Than Spinderellanew
She's uncharacteristically humble in light of her membership in the iconic rap group Salt-n-Pepa, whose relevance has possibly been overshadowed by Cheryl "Salt" Wray and Sandra "Pepa" Denton's recent reality TV appearances.
The Portland Mercury |
Jalylah Burrell |
06-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Where Hip-hop Wentnew
Gold: New Jack Swing, a genre overview, and and What Does It All Mean?, the collected works of cut-up pioneer Steinski, tell the story of rap going beyond itself.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michaelangelo Matos |
06-24-2008 |
Reviews
KAZE Could Certainly Teach a Course in Agitpropnew
Block 2The Basement -- part of Rawkus Records' plan to release 50 albums by 50 relative unknowns -- perpetuates the image of KAZE as hip hop's selfless lensman, directing the attention away from any personal woes by focusing on the broader malaises of this hip-hop generation.
