Def Jam Recordings Common’s latest album, Black America Again, couldn’t have come at a more crucial time. With Donald Trump elected president, Black America and many minorities aren’t supporting the new Commander-in-Chief and his racist rhetoric, which makes much of the progress that got the Obama administration in power feel completely reversed. Rappers like Common have campaigned tirelessly […]
RCA Records Whoever said “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” must have been talking about the A$AP Mob. The Harlem rap collective, lead by A$AP Rocky, has been steadily developing its own roster of talented rhymers and producers on a mainstream level for the better part of five years. Many assumed the Mob was […]
D.I.T.C. Studios / The Fam Agency The Diggin’ in the Crates crew are one of the most underrated collectives in hip-hop, which is a travesty. Unlike groups like Native Tongues, D.I.T.C. does have an actual project under their belt, their timeless Y2K self-titled debut. Now they come together in the digital age for the latest effort, […]
2 Chainz 2 Chainz has always been partial to keeping his musical branding on the straight and narrow. Most of his albums and mixtapes have followed the T.R.U. signature, giving fans a winning formula to keep coming back to. The rapper really has become the master of the surprise mixtape drop — something that most […]
Interscope Boogie is truly one of California’s best kept rap secrets. For the past two years, the West Coast spitter has proven over the short period of time that he can write, rap and compete with the best in today’s game. Even though his catalog merely consists of two mixtapes and now, Thirst 48 Part II, Boogie’s […]
Highbridge The Label Whoever continues to say that “New York rap is dead” clearly hasn’t been paying attention to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. The young Bronx native has been steadily gaining momentum as he rolls into rap’s forefront by mixing Big Apple vigor with boastful melody. His string of hits like “My Shit” and “Bag […]
Maybach Music Group / Atlantic 2015 was set to be a landmark year for Meek Mill, who looked primed for a celebrated post-prison comeback after serving nearly five months due to a probation violation in 2014. The rapper made waves upon his release due to his relationship with fellow rap star Nicki Minaj (they even […]
Atlantic Records If there was an award for best album cover, D.R.A.M. would win hands down this year for his newly released studio debut, Big Baby D.R.A.M. The closeup image of the smiling artist holding what could be the cutest dog on the planet is enough to draw anyone in to the project but it’s D.R.A.M.’s mellifluous voice and memorable […]
Stones Throw Records After bumrushing hip-hop with his contributions to Dr. Dre’s Compton album in 2015, then wowing the naysayers with the progressive soul session that was his own album, Malibu, earlier this year, Anderson .Paak has positioned himself as the centerpiece of a modern-day renaissance in Black music. This time, the 2016 XXL Freshman looks to […]
Blood Money / eOne For a moment, forget The Game’s tendency to ignite beef with any rapper that might have the slightest thought of stepping to him, his desire to name-drop everyone from Betty White to Barry White and those Instagram selfies that cater to the ladies. Now focus on the music. While The Game’s […]
