Saigon, 'Warning Shots 2' (Amalgam Digital)
Stymied next big MC loses buzz in champagne room.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 10.06.09 1:16 PM
In 2005, Saigon was the most buzzed-about rapper since 50 Cent. But despite a supporting role on Entourage and a Just Blaze co-sign, his proper debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told, remains shelved. Saigon waves the white flag on Warning Shots 2.
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Breaking Out: Kid Cudi
Cleveland MC helps with Kanye's Heartbreak, scores his own hit single.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 07.18.09 10:37 AM
Though not a Christian rapper, Kid Cudi found Jesus in a Virgin Megastore. "I was looking at CDs, saw the gleam of a Jesus piece in the right side of my eye, looked up, and it was Kanye West," says the rapper, who decided this was divine intervention on behalf of his recording career. Mustering all his folksy Midwestern charm, he introduced himself and offered up his music.
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Cage: Out of the Shadows
Having battled his demons on the mic before Slim got shady, Cage tries to reinvent rap-rock and take you on the next downward spiral.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 07.17.09 11:08 AM
One morning in 2004, Chris Palko woke up in Middletown, New York's Elizabeth A. Horton Memorial Hospital, terrified that he would be committed again.
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Jadakiss, 'The Last Kiss' (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam)
Combat-tested MC struggles off battlefield.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 03.23.09 5:51 PM
This raspy East Coast vet, who's feuded with Diddy, 50 Cent, Bill O’Reilly, and Jay-Z wingman Beanie Sigel, will always be a mix-tape rapper. And an exceptionally good one. His latest, The Champ Is Here Pt. 2, plays to his strengths with punishing beats, witty similes, and craggy punch lines.
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UGK, 'UGK 4 Life' (Jive)
Southern rap patriarchs exit with hard-bitten brio.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 03.23.09 5:18 PM
UGK 4 Life is a fitting capper to this Texas duo's storied career -- nothing groundbreaking, just funky, rough-hewn, celebratory tracks.
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Grandmaster Flash, 'The Bridge' (Adrenaline/Strut)
A more reliable guide to the '80s than usual.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 02.19.09 5:25 PM
Flash's first studio album in more than two decades isn't for wallflowers. "Tribute to the Breakdancer" and "Here Comes My DJ" (with the effusive DJ Kool of "Let Me Clear My Throat" fame) showcase the legendary turntablist's ear for party starters.
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