David Amidon has been writing for PopMatters since 2009, focusing on hip-hop, R&B and pop. He also wrote for PotHolesInMyBlog during it’s earliest days. In between visits to bar stools and his bed, he also manages Run That Shit on RateYourMusic.com, a collection of lists and rankings of nearly 1,000 reviewed hip-hop albums created mostly to be helpful and make people mad. You can reach him on Twitter at @Nodima.
Reviews
Thursday, May 24 2012
Killer Mike: R.A.P. Music
Killer Mike and El-P revive the spirit of early '90s Bomb Squad productions from Ice Cube and Public Enemy as faithfully and forward-thinkingly as possible.
Tuesday, May 8 2012
Stalley: Savage Journey to the American Dream (mixtape)
Former DD172 understudy puts out his first release for Rick Ross' Maybach Music with help from Alabama's Block Beattaz and the Neptunes' Chad Hugo.
Friday, May 4 2012
Big K.R.I.T.: 4EvaNaDay
Biding time before the release of his major label debut later this year, K.R.I.T. continues to stun.
Wednesday, April 4 2012
Wiz Khalifa: Taylor Allderdice
Attempting to atone for Rolling Papers, Wiz Khalifa turns in a reasonable if unsurprising facsimile of his high water mark to-date, Kush & OJ.
Tuesday, April 3 2012
Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Roman Reloaded is a headscratcher of infinite proportions.
Union: Analogtronics [20.Mar.12]
Danny!: Payback [16.Mar.12]
Hectic Zeniths: Hectic Zeniths [15.Mar.12]
Nite Jewel: One Second of Love [12.Mar.12]
Tyga: Careless World: Rise of the Last King [9.Mar.12]
ScHoolboy Q: Habits & Contradictions [5.Mar.12]
Gotye: Making Mirrors [29.Feb.12]
Young Buck: Live Loyal, Die Rich [22.Feb.12]
Blu: NoYork! [17.Feb.12]
Gangrene: Vodka & Ayahuasca [15.Feb.12]
Rick Ross: Rich Forever [24.Jan.12]
Anthony Hamilton: Back to Love [18.Jan.12]
Young Jeezy: TM103: Hustlerz Ambition [4.Jan.12]
Common: The Dreamer / The Believer [3.Jan.12]
Yelawolf: Radioactive [14.Dec.11]
T-Pain: rEVOLVEr [7.Dec.11]
The Roots: undun [6.Dec.11]
Rihanna: Talk That Talk [30.Nov.11]
ASAP Rocky: LiveLoveA$AP [18.Nov.11]
Joker: The Vision [16.Nov.11]
Drake: Take Care [14.Nov.11]
Wale: Ambition [4.Nov.11]
Andrew Bird: Norman (Soundtrack) [27.Oct.11]
J. Cole: Cole World: The Sideline Story [13.Oct.11]
DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, the Better [27.Sep.11]
Danny Brown: XXX [23.Sep.11]
Paul White: Rapping With Paul White [14.Sep.11]
The-Dream (Terius Nash): 1977 [8.Sep.11]
Lil' Wayne: Tha Carter IV [2.Sep.11]
MellowHype: BlackenedWhite [29.Aug.11]
The Game: The R.E.D. Album [26.Aug.11]
Maybach Music Group: Self Made Vol. 1 [25.Aug.11]
DJ Khaled: We the Best Forever [23.Aug.11]
Kendrick Lamar: Section.80 [17.Aug.11]
Black Rob: Game Tested, Streets Approved [15.Aug.11]
Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch the Throne [12.Aug.11]
Random Axe: Random Axe [22.Jul.11]
Zomby: Dedication [14.Jul.11]
The Cool Kids: When Fish Ride Bicycles [12.Jul.11]
Beyoncé: 4 [29.Jun.11]
Bad Meets Evil: Hell: The Sequel [15.Jun.11]
Killer Mike: PL3DGE [3.Jun.11]
Musiq Soulchild: MusiqInTheMagiq [1.Jun.11]
CunninLynguists: Oneirology [31.May.11]
Snoop Dogg: Doggumentary [17.May.11]
Big K.R.I.T.: Returnof4eva [12.May.11]
Pantha du Prince: XI Versions of Black Noise [5.May.11]
Pusha T: Fear of God [2.May.11]
Chris Brown: F.A.M.E. [18.Apr.11]
Chip tha Ripper: Gift Raps [12.Apr.11]
Wiz Khalifa: Rolling Papers [6.Apr.11]
Gucci Mane: The Return of Mr. Zone 6 [4.Apr.11]
Pharoahe Monch: W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) [31.Mar.11]
Raekwon: Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang [22.Mar.11]
Saigon: The Greatest Story Never Told [21.Mar.11]
Lupe Fiasco: Lasers [10.Mar.11]
J. Cole: Friday Night Lights [1.Mar.11]
The Left: Gas Mask [24.Feb.11]
Rick Ross: Ashes to Ashes [15.Feb.11]
The Game: Purp & Patron [14.Feb.11]
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em: The DeAndre Way [11.Feb.11]
Black Milk: Album of the Year [9.Feb.11]
The Go! Team: Rolling Blackouts [4.Feb.11]
Talib Kweli: Gutter Rainbows [2.Feb.11]
Dimlite: My Human Wears Acedia Shreds EP [31.Jan.11]
Regina Spektor: Live in London [26.Jan.11]
Jamie Foxx: Best Night of My Life [24.Jan.11]
Tony Yayo & Danny Brown: Hawaiian Snow [20.Jan.11]
Roc Marciano: Marcberg [18.Jan.11]
Ghostface Killah: Apollo Kids [13.Jan.11]
Redman: Reggie [11.Jan.11]
Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday [5.Jan.11]
T.I.: No Mercy [4.Jan.11]
Rihanna: Loud [13.Dec.10]
Lloyd Banks: The Hunger for More 2 [7.Dec.10]
Vado: Slime Flu [23.Nov.10]
Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [22.Nov.10]
Shad: TSOL [19.Nov.10]
Waka Flocka Flame: Flockaveli [18.Nov.10]
N*E*R*D: Nothing [3.Nov.10]
Tim Kasher: The Game of Monogamy [25.Oct.10]
The Pack: Wolfpack Party [11.Oct.10]
John Legend & The Roots: Wake Up! [29.Sep.10]
Jyoti: Ocotea [22.Sep.10]
Curren$y: Pilot Talk [21.Sep.10]
The Walkmen: Lisbon [15.Sep.10]
Of Montreal: False Priest [14.Sep.10]
Andreya Triana: Lost Where I Belong [9.Sep.10]
10 Ft. Ganja Plant: 10 Deadly Shots, Vol. 1 [7.Sep.10]
Darryl Moore: Where I'm At [3.Sep.10]
The Alps: Le Voyage [30.Aug.10]
Slum Village: Villa Manifesto [16.Aug.10]
Bun B: Trill O.G. [13.Aug.10]
Little Brother: LeftBack [5.Aug.10]
Dwele: W.ants W.orld W.omen [2.Aug.10]
The Books: The Way Out [21.Jul.10]
Scholarman: Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul [8.Jul.10]
The-Dream: Love King [30.Jun.10]
Dimlite: Prismic Tops [16.Jun.10]
Rhymefest: El Che [10.Jun.10]
Nas & Damian Marley: Distant Relatives [28.May.10]
Twilight: Still Loving You / Pains of Love [21.May.10]
Evelyn Evelyn: Evelyn Evelyn [5.May.10]
Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma [4.May.10]
GonjaSufi: A Sufi and a Killer [5.Apr.10]
Georgia Anne Muldrow and Declaime: SomeOthaShip [31.Mar.10]
Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package [19.Mar.10]
Ahmad Jamal: A Quiet Time [11.Mar.10]
Rogue Wave: Permalight [2.Mar.10]
Georgia Anne Muldrow: Kings Ballad [26.Feb.10]
Dark Meat: Truce Opium [24.Feb.10]
Jack Splash: Heir to the Throne: Volume 1 [9.Feb.10]
Car Stereo Wars: For Your Comfort and Safety [28.Jan.10]
Dudley Perkins: Holy Smokes [26.Jan.10]
Wiz Khalifa: Deal or No Deal [22.Jan.10]
Kam Moye: Splitting Image [13.Jan.10]
Snoop Dogg: Malice n Wonderland [8.Jan.10]
Dashboard Confessional: Alter the Ending [8.Jan.10]
Juvenile: Cocky & Confident [11.Dec.09]
Kosha Dillz: Beverly Dillz [13.Nov.09]
Modeselektor: Body Language Vol.8 [10.Nov.09]
MV + EE: Barn Nova [23.Oct.09]
Karl Blau: Zebra [9.Oct.09]
Shady Nate: Gasman Unleashed [8.Oct.09]
Breakestra: Dusk Till Dawn [30.Sep.09]
Blogs
Thursday, October 20 2011
I-Wayne - 'Life Teachings' Interview (video) (PopMatters Premiere)
In promotion of his recently released third album, Life Teachings, VP Records offers up a video to shed some light on exactly what I-Wayne means to his home country of Jamaica.
Monday, October 10 2011
Rahsaan Patterson - "Crazy (Baby)"
If anyone in the neo soul/future R&B scene is holding Prince's ideals closest to their vest it's Rahsaan Patterson.
