Warner Bros. Though it may seem as Paul Banks and RZA (under his moniker Bobby Steelz) come from entirely separate musical worlds, they have more in common than you might think. Banks traveled throughout his childhood, but he, like RZA, made a name for himself in New York City. Both men were the masterminds of two highly influential […]
Def Jam Vince Staples’ Summertime ’06 was one of the best rap albums to drop in 2015 — bar none. The Long Beach, Calif. native succeeded at crafting his most cohesively compelling project to date. This album not only solidified the 2015 XXL Freshman’s position in the game but also proved that his fan base (made up […]
Def Jam The album hip-hop heads and R&B enthusiasts alike have been waiting for is finally here. Approximately four long years in the making, Frank Ocean has finally released the follow-up to his 2012 masterpiece, Channel Orange. When it comes to album releases in 2016, artists go the more unconventional route, aiming for the element of surprise, […]
Rhymesayers Entertainment “Everybody wanna see a falling star.” This is a phrase that is repeated during the hook of “Ringo,” the lead single of Atmosphere‘s eighth studio album, Fishing Blues. In the context of the song, it refers to the spectacle of seeing somebody, especially famous, become a complete train wreck. MC Slug, one-half of the duo, narrates […]
OVO Sound / Warner Bros. Records In the current landscape of music, remaining an enigma is no easy feat. Maximum exposure has become the name of the game and with social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat enabling artists to document their lives — and the public to have an up close and personal […]
Interscope The success of Rae Sremmurd’s 2015 debut album, SremmLife, proves that hip-hop is becoming a little less harsh on “party rappers” these days. Considering hip-hop was built and bred in the clubs and not just in the minds of uber-lyrical street poets, the brothers from Tupelo, Miss. are staying true to the culture’s roots. Swae Lee and […]
Def Jam 2016 is turning out to be a pretty good year for 2 Chainz. Felt Like Cappin’, the mixtape he dropped in January, put him in good standing for a promising year and ColleGrove, his collaboration album with Lil Wayne, also faired decently well with fans. On top of that, he has had a string […]
