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Lee HendersonFeaturesAngel with Dirty Wings, an ODBituaryThe Ol' Dirty Bastard brought impressionism to rap. His rap style was a kind of scarily funny addict-talk. He was an original. Ol' Dirty Bastard's influence on MCs is difficult to chart because, unlike Jay-Z, his style couldn't be easily diluted for mainstream audiences. [16 November 2004] Ironman Vs. the Devil: An Interview with Ghostface KillahOne of hip-hop's top MCs won't run from anything, and while he might not want to punch you in the face anymore, he still wants to be the best. [1 January 1995] Reviews
50 Cent: The Massace: Special Edition [CD/DVD]Fiddy's no Brando, he probably isn't even a Tupac, but he can do a good imitation of someone writing a rhyme on the decks of a production studio or looking out the window of a tour van. [28 November 2005] 
AZ: A.W.O.L.AZ is a ninja-Zorro-pirate-samurai-Neo-Tony Montana-Shaft-ass mofo on the mic, for serious!" [18 November 2005] 
Young Jeezy: Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101Guess Who's Bizzack! Young Jeezy blazed the mix tape scene. His Def Jam debut proves Jay-Z knows how to treat his 'new bitch, corporate America'. [1 November 2005] 
Tony Yayo: Thoughts of a Predicate FelonThese big-budget CDs are interesting for the same reasons we go see the summer blockbuster: to check out this year's latest special effects introduced in basically the same story we watched last summer. [18 October 2005] 
B.G.: Heart of tha Streetz Vol. 1At his best B. Gizzle is the Dirty South's anti-Robocop machine. [30 September 2005] 
Beanie Sigel: The B. ComingThis is another insanely over-produced rap record for old people who still want gangsta but none of the loudness associated with it. [2 August 2005] 
Daedelus: Exquisite CorpseDaedelus, the humble producer, is way more impressive than he realizes, and this album is almost proof. [27 July 2005] 
The Ying Yang Twins: United States of AtlantaThe Ying Yang Twins are filthy misogynistic geniuses, and their new record is their most derivative and brilliant yet. [13 July 2005] 
Subtle: A New WhiteAnticon draws its rock influences to the surface of its hip-hop stream, as Doseone and bandmates create the first post-rock rap record, a landmark debut that went unnoticed last year. [20 June 2005] 
Gruf: HopelessThe Canadian North has microphone fiends, and producers gone grime, and you ain't heard of that?" [13 June 2005] 
Do or Die: D.O.D.Do or Die follow their younger Chicago colleagues, Twista and Kanye West, into the American limelight with this impressive but lousily packaged new record. [23 May 2005] 
The Lumberjacks: The Goodie Mob Presents… Livin’ Life as LumberjacksThe Goodie Mob try the power of positive thinking to deal with the loss of another member, compelling the remaining two MCs to pose under the beard of the Lumberjacks and release an album that works hard but not especially well. [1 April 2005] 
Thomas Fehlmann: LowflowAmbient in the age of Prefuse 73 sees Orb collaborator Thomas Fehlmann working the clicks & cuts into impressive sonic smokescapes to achieve an album that struggles to attain solidity in a genre that sees too much ephemera. [9 March 2005] 
UGK: Chopped & ScrewedYou think being chopped and screwed doesn't sound like a good time? Listen again... [8 March 2005] 
Ammoncontact: One in an Infinity of WaysAmmoncontact is hip-hop in the shade of Ninja Tune and Mo' Wax, and these are two very relaxing trees to hang out under, especially because you can bring your laptop. [17 December 2004] 
Lil’ Jon: Crunk JuiceOn a musical level, Lil' Jon is the Raffi of gangsta rap. This is speak-and-spell rap. [7 December 2004] 
Snoop Dogg: Bigg Snoop Dogg’s Puff Puff Pass Tour [DVD]The filmmakers start to draw out a larger message: The Drug War was a second American Civil War, led by a racist Southern family named Bush, to re-imprison blacks and other minorities. [6 December 2004] 
Wu-Tang Clan: Wu-Tang Clan’s Greatest HitsThe Wu-Tang Clan is a group of artists whose reputation could grow to become as important to modern history as Dada or Motown. [19 November 2004] 
Animal Collective: Sung TongsSung Tongs is an inch more sublime than anything they’ve done previously, with more phenomenal use of their manic choir of Motown vocals, less scattered, clique-ish dissonance, and more sideshow bubblegum-pop freaking out on god-knows-what powerful substance. [6 May 2004] |
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