PHOTO CREDIT: LOUD RECORDS DESCRIPTION: With the tragic passing of Hip-Hop pioneer DJ Kay Slay, there is no better time to look at one of his early mixtapes. This mixtape in particular is a whose who of every person was the face or would become the face of Hip-Hop in the coming years. The sound of…… read more »
Editorial credit: Kyle Besler / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: No mixtape run in the history of Hip-Hop had the impact of Wayne’s legendary span in the late 00’s into the 10’s. This tape in particular showcased all that made Wayne one of the genre’s biggest stars and cemented his spot in the history books. For those who…… read more »
Editorial credit: Nikola Spasenoski / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: Listening to artist find themselves throughout the course of their career is absolutely one of my favorite things to do in music. However, with “Supa Dupa Fly” it’s obvious that Missy Elliot has been Missy Elliott from the very beginning. This project is truly underrated and should be…… read more »
Slade the Supreme Slade the Supreme is a Kinston, NC native that prides himself on providing a genre he describes as Southern Soulful Hip-Hop with soulful samples, live instrumentation, and 808 heavy trap drums inspired by his Georgia upbringing. He’s a rapper, writer, and producer that aims to be the best at whatever he does, and…… read more »
Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: Many concept albums never really get around to the concept that the album is supposed to be presenting. “GOOD KID/MAAD CITY” not only addresses it’s concept but creates a world around it that feels lived in. Kendrick in 2012 had more hype behind him then it felt like…… read more »
Editorial credit: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: Debut projects generate a certain amount of excitement. The joy of finding an artist just as they start to find themselves allows fans to grow with that artist or out grow them as time progresses. For a little over a decade fans have grown with Miguel from this…… read more »
Editorial credit: Parisa Michelle / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: This project from Jhene Aiko served as my introduction to her and honestly is the best possible way to begin listening to her catalog. In the 9 years since the release of this project Jhene has proved that all of the immense potential shown on this album was…… read more »
Editorial credit: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: In honor of Dreamville, I decided to take a look back at my introduction to J.Cole’s music his 2010 mixtape “Friday Night Lights”. This is truly an outstanding project from a concept standpoint. Cole thrives in the underdog role and his unconventional route to becoming the star we…… read more »
Photo credit: Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com DESCRIPTION: Looking back nearly 10 years after the release of “Dreamchasers 2” this projects stands as a true testament to the blog/mixtape era of hip hop. Many of the artist who feature on this project were in the beginning stages of their careers and everyone of them sound desperate…… read more »
PHOTO CREDIT: RCA DESCRIPTION: Hearing Maxo Kream for the first time comes with an energy that is hard to describe. His music is able to capture what feels like a chase scene infused with dark lyrics about his life and what he has seen but all the way through there is absolutely no way you…… read more »