Gang life could have been the end of RedCloud. However, a chance visit to church changed him, allowing him to witness fellow gangsters praise God. His passion for beats, rhymes, and the blessing of his life led him to the recording studio. Time and time again RedCloud found himself there putting his testimony down with […]

Tupac Shakur was dead, fatally shot September 7, 1996, when his 5th studio album was released that November. His first of several posthumous albums, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is considered one of the best LPs of his career. Throughout its 12 tracks, Tupac’s emphatic, stern delivery and husky voice is complimented by […]

Who follows a game changer with another game changer?! It’s a rare occurrence in Hip Hop, and it’s one the Geto Boys can boast on their extensive list of accomplishments. Two years after turning the nation on its ear with Grip It! On That Other Level, Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill brought the darkness […]

We’ve all encountered life changing albums. This is what happened with countless individuals around the country once they heard Geto Boys’ 1989 sophomore LP Grip It! On That Other Level. Introducing a new lineup of DJ Ready Red, Bushwick Bill, Willie D, and Scaface, the Rap-A-Lot Records quartet kept listeners spellbound with their dark, twisted […]

There’s always that one artist who can reinvent themselves, and remain who they originally were, time and time again, no matter how many years pass.  Dr. Dre is one of those artists.  After introducing us to Snoop Doggy Dogg in the spring of 1992 on “Deep Cover”, a song found on the movie soundtrack Deep […]

“Now, this ain’t funny, so don’t you dare laugh,” but the fact Cru only has one album – 1997’s Da Dirty 30, to me, is a cruel (Note: hyperbole) joke. Members Chadio, Mighty Ha, and Yogi felt like the 2nd coming of A Tribe Called Quest, a phoenix that burned a swath through an era […]

March 1993…a weekend trip to Detroit turned into the day I discovered Bangin’ On Wax, the debut album from a group called Bloods & Crips – who were actual Bloods and Crips hailing from multiple gang sets organized by O.Y.G RedRum781 and Tweedy Bird Loc.  The album begins with the intro “Gangsta Talk”. There’s a […]

The recording industry didn’t understand Paul’s Boutique, Beastie Boys’ sophomore album. Their record label didn’t either. Hip-hop fans, however, clearly understood it. The Beasties go as the beat goes, as the sounds move them. This was keeping every offering fresh and rhyme-centric. Boutique is an amazingly blatant mishmash of break beats produced by Dust Brothers […]