EPMD, 'We Mean Business' (Ep Records)
Hip-hop legends avoid the bozack with funky fresh flow.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 12.02.08 12:24 PM
EPMD are back together again, more than a decade after the Long Island duo's initial 1997 reunion. Despite some truly awful lyrics -- "Don't make me get mad and Barack O-bomb-ya" is particularly wince-worthy -- both Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith sound reenergized, boosted by spirited cameos from Redman, Method Man, and Keith Murray.
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Jake One, 'White Van Music' (Rhymesayers)
Versatile 50 Cent studio hand ain't just about a gangsta party.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 11.06.08 4:09 PM
The debut album from G-Unit producer Jacob "Jake One" Dutton plays like a crowd- pleasing beat reel for future employers.
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Everlast, 'Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford' (Martyr Inc./Hickory/TRP)
Okay, we know "what it's like"; maybe it's time to move on.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 11.06.08 10:51 AM
Erik "Everlast" Schrody's transformation into a guitar-strumming folkie on 1998's Whitey Ford Sings the Blues was a savvy career move, both artistically and commercially. After all, how many early-'90s white rappers are still working?
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GZA/Genius, 'Pro Tools' (Babygrande)
Once again, a Wu Mc drifts into irrelevant lyrics and weak beats.
By Thomas Golianopoulos 10.14.08 6:42 PM
The GZA's G-Unit dis "Paper Plate" on his fifth solo album confirms that he's behind the times: Beefing with 50 Cent to promote yourself is so 2005. Then again, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan MC also name-drops Ivan Koloff (Who? Professional wrestler from the 1970s) and Vinnie Johnson (Who?
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The Spin Interview: Q-Tip
After Q-Tip transformed hip-hop with A Tribe Called Quest, he endured solo exile and ran the celebrity gauntlet. Will he now be accepted back as an MC elder? He's prepared, regardless. "I take what I do seriously," he says, "But it's a lighthearted seriousness."
By Thomas Golianopoulos 08.04.08 4:28 PM
Kamaal "Q-Tip" Fareed is the leader of Queens, New York–based group A Tribe Called Quest, whose innovative first three albums are perhaps hip-hop's most universally beloved -- by both fans and critics. Tensions plagued 1996's disappointing fourth, Beats, Rhymes and Life, and the trio split in 1998.
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Nine Inch Nails, 'Ghosts I–IV' (NIN.com)
Radiohead unseated as Hot Internet Babes of the Month!
By Thomas Golianopoulos 05.29.08 2:59 PM
Since leaving Interscope last year, Trent Reznor has been on a productive tear. The latest evidence: For as little $5, you can download Ghosts I–IV (or for you diehards, Halo 26), a stunning collection of 36 instrumental tracks that is one of the most varied and ambitious releases of his career.
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