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Michael FrauenhoferFeatures
You Smell Me?: An Interview with E-40Bay area hip-hop legend and slang encyclopedia E-40 is in the mix like Bisquick and never late like FEMA... do you smell him? [1 January 1995] Just Like Me: An Interview with DMCDMC is, like any good writer, aware of the power of words and names. Which explains his considerable shock when he discovered that Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels had, in fact, been adopted. Snap Music Is Hope: An Interview with Dem Franchize BoyzRapper Jizzal Man of snap music crew Dem Franchize Boyz speaks on leaning wit it and rocking wit it. People Want More: An Interview with Collective EffortsJ-Mil of the Atlanta-based hip-hop group feels sorry for the record industry? Reviews
Bishop Allen: The Broken StringYou, whomever you may be, will like this album. I can think of no better recommendation for pop songs this good. [25 July 2007] 
The White Stripes: Icky ThumpIf you've ever heard a White Stripes song you liked, you will like Icky Thump. [18 June 2007] 
Ying Yang Twins: Chemically ImbalancedTerrible cover art and lyricism notwithstanding, Chemically Imbalanced ends up being much, much better than it has any right to be. [24 January 2007] 
Nas: Hip Hop Is DeadIn a fall where many stumbled and even Jay-Z slipped up, Nas is back with a record for history. [22 December 2006] Plastic Little: Plastic Little Presents DJ Lowbudget: Shes Mature Mini-Mega-RemixRemember? This shit should be fun. [30 November 2006] 
Jay-Z: Kingdom ComeJay-Z has pulled off the world's best example of "shooting oneself in the foot": making a really really good record about how that particular record is the best ever. [22 November 2006] 
The Decemberists: The Crane WifeThe Crane Wife is a record of steely voices and beautiful sounds and striking images, of poetry in more senses than one. [11 October 2006] 
Sigur Rós: SaeglópurThe unique falsetto vocalizations and the sometimes starkly minimal, often breathtakingly beautiful, and always sweepingly unearthly signature soundscapes are back. [18 September 2006] 
J Dilla: The ShiningThe problem is that while the whole of Dilla's first true posthumous release is incredibly solid and expertly crafted, it's for the most part unremarkable. [25 August 2006] 
Eugene Mirman: En Garde, Society!Mirman's style of comedy is remarkably casual, laid-back and almost improvised in its feel: where he differentiates himself is with his off-hand, absurdist delivery and the unexpected directions in which he takes his jokes. [13 July 2006] 
Rhymefest: Blue CollarKanye's fanbase may have their Lacoste logos and expensive cellphones, but Rhymefest's "blue collar niggas" have soul. [6 July 2006] 
Dr. Octagon: The Return of Dr. OctagonWhile The Return of Dr. Octagon is better than anything Kool Keith's done in a while, it's still not close to the level of the classic Dr. Octagonecologyst. [29 June 2006] 
The Procussions: 5 Sparrows for 2 CentsRemember when Rawkus Records had the great hip-hop music with substance? The Procussions aren't it. [22 June 2006] 
Mr. Lif: Mo MegaOver the course of Mo' Mega's 11 tracks, Lif manages to fulfill just about none of our expectations. [14 June 2006] 
Army of the Pharaohs: The Torture PapersThe beats are stellar, but the rhymes feel less and less so as the album progresses; all things considered, this is a good album that has the makings of greatness but fails to reach it. [13 June 2006] 
Regina Spektor: Begin to HopeWith a new album of expertly-crafted, touching, and refreshingly honest odes to life, Regina Spektor has grown without growing away from what makes her so special. Irreverent and innocent, theatrical and tender, cataclysmic and cute: human. [12 June 2006] 
The Robot Ate Me: Good WorldThe Robot Ate Me's 2005 release, Carousel Waltz, was safe, catchy, and easy to like; their latest, Good World, makes no such pretences. [7 June 2006] 
Zucchini Drive: Being KurtwoodBeing Kurtwood is a tense, angrily introspective 10-track rundown of tough-guy shoegazing, generically despairing raps, and competent but generally unimpressive production. [25 May 2006] 
Radioinactive: Soundtrack to a BookWhile it doesn't reach the high level of his underground-classic collaboration with AntiMC, Free Kamal, quirky rapper Radioinactive's new album but stands in its own right as a solid (if short) addition to his discography. [18 May 2006] 
The Fiery Furnaces: Bitter TeaBitter Tea is an uncontrolled outpouring of musical concepts in every way, the good ideas right along with the bad -- life. [12 May 2006] 
Mohr by Frederick ReussThe strength of Reuss's writing is more in his observations, the way he builds emotions out of little details like the objects in the clutter of a room or the way a certain person moves. [3 May 2006] 
Murs & 9th Wonder: Murrays RevengeMurs proves himself better than your favorite rapper on ten more 9th Wonder loops, post-beard, post-profanity, still dope. [1 May 2006] 
The Streets: The Hardest Way to Make an Easy LivingIn many respects, fame has not changed Mike Skinner: he's still charismatic, he's still insecure, and he's still just as messily pessimistic. [28 April 2006] 
Supreeme: SupremacyTouting a new record deal and the same old skills, Supreeme may not be on the top of the rap game yet, but with more albums like this, they're definitely on their way. [27 April 2006] 
LL Cool J: Todd SmithTodd Smith is glossy, safe, front-loaded, and slick. My mom likes it, enough said. And the young-girl LL Cool J fans will love it too, regardless of what we say here. [20 April 2006] 
Madlib the Beat Konducta: Vol. 1-2: Movie ScenesThese are not movies, and this is not a movie soundtrack. These are scenes, and Madlib is a master cinematographer. [19 April 2006] 
People Under the Stairs: StepfatherStepfather, the latest album from the West Coast pair of Thes One and Double K, is a big step away from their previous works in many respects that somehow manages to leave them right where they've always been. [17 April 2006] 
Ugly Duckling: Bang for the BuckAll of the songs are perfectly enjoyable on their own, but taken as a whole they blend together and become a wonderful funk mood piece. If smiles were music, they might sound a lot like this album. Mischievous, silly, happy smiles. [11 April 2006] 
Sub-Conscious: SubtalkI don't really know a lot about Sub-Conscious, but I've listened to the album a few times. [29 March 2006] 
Cadence: Songs of Vice & VirtueThe high points of the album are very high indeed, and show the depth of Cadence's raw potential to succeed, but for every highlight there's a forgettable track blended in. [21 March 2006] 
Various Artists: Nature Sounds Presents: Natural SelectionA mass of giddy hip-hop heads will buy this indie label compilation for the Ghostface and DOOM preview track; Nature Sounds laughs and sucker-punches them by making the rest of the CD good, too. [20 March 2006] 
Third Sight: Symbionese Liberation AlbumThird Sight is the heavy, solid kid striding over from the back, that you see coming from 50 feet away but are too paralyzed by fear to avoid. [17 March 2006] 
Dilated Peoples: 20/20With 20/20, the team of DJ Babu, Evidence, and Rakaa the Iriscience, "back for the very fourth time", clearly intends to refocus and sharpen its vision for a return to past glory. [14 March 2006] 
The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop by Saul WilliamsCertain things never change: s'mores are still delicious, rainbows are still happy, calculus is still confusing, and Saul Williams is still angry at mainstream hip-hop culture. [13 March 2006] 
The Primeridian: Da AllnightaThis is hip-hop music to comfort as you drift off to sleep, swirling purple-blue smoke and gentle grooves. Oh, it's dope, too. 
NMS: Imperial Letters of ProtectionTwo space aliens grab you by the throat and press their megaphones right up against your temples, then proceed to spit the truth until you submit to their alien will. [6 March 2006] 
Various Artists: Live From Da Crib [DVD]Rappers shout, crowd members fight, and through it all Teddy T hosts like a man possessed... this is like Christmas in February. [21 February 2006] 
Tha Alkaholiks: FirewaterThey've been around for thirteen years, but Tha Liks would have you know they haven't changed. [15 February 2006] 
J Dilla: DonutsThe last album of a tragically-fallen legend is a tour de force of brilliant beats and unbelievable subtleties, wild experimentation and great production; but no, the title has no deeper meaning. In the label's own words, "Dilla likes donuts". [14 February 2006] 
Various Artists: Culturama 666, Vol. 2 [DVD]Innovative, imaginative, and inventive enough to prove that, nay-sayers or no, hip-hop is without a doubt still most alive and well. [9 February 2006] |
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