Darryl Carter was a songwriter who wrote records for Ann Peebles, Jonny Lang, Otis Clay, Bobby Womack and produced what could be considered one of the first rap albums by John Kasandra (Color Me Human). Darryl was my father, but he didn’t raise me. I held animosity towards him for far too long. While…
I said a long time ago that Stalley should be the guy with the sneaker collabs, not Drake. I know that will never happen because of the sheer volume of Drake’s fandom, but Stalley remains one of the dopest emcees in the game. Stalley is the Reason Nike Should Let Drake Walk | Dope S–t…
In the past music discovery happened on searches at record stores, new music drops on the radio or music videos on various cable channels. At one point in the 90s the discovery was found in Music Choice and as phones became the delivery system Pandora, iTunes and music subscriptions allowed musical taste to expand in…
A faux FootLocker manager, a parent denying her child a pair of coveted Jordans, the scene has played out for over 40 years. The only guys who could afford them originally drove Blazers with IROC Rims or Big Box Chevys and Cadillacs. One or two hoopers would show up with a pair, and kids with…
Kith presents its first delivery of Spring 2024—an elevated take on transitional wardrobing featuring new silhouettes and staple classics expressed in lighter springtime hues. To celebrate the launch of this collection, Kith is proud to announce the release of its first single, “Last Stop” featuring longtime friends of the brand, Cam’ron and Swizz Beatz. This…
From 1999 to 2010 a lot of music discovery was lost. Napster created massive holes in the industry and forced a shift in how music consumption happened. In the 90s I would hit small mom and pop shops and friends would wait in line to get signed copies of albums dropping from artists who toured…
Linus Lester-Hodges, Austin Brown, and John Brown are Hablot Brown The unfortunate thing about discovering new music is longing for the sounds to arrive from Black musicians to prove that Black music is still a powerful tool for love, life and change. Soul music has always been the essence of Black culture, but as the…
The minimalist sound of $wift is an ode to the underground, stripped down sound of getting your work out of the mud and making sure you let the world know that the process isn’t pretty. The 9 essential album is a bit muted due to the autotune giving it a heavy ATL/Future sound, but…
Source: Love Levitates, by Louis Baker I hate to make comparisons when I discover new artists, but I always do so. If Marvin Gaye spawned a musical lovechild who leans heavily towards jazz, this is the album that person would deliver. Does it seem fair to align Louis Baker with one of the most amazing…
If you’re a Little Brother fan you should be subscribed to their YouTube channel. They just dropped a single-tape old school two song release with visuals. The essential Wish Me Well, features an allusion to Moby Dick in the hook and title, but it’s the undertones of aimed barbs in the lyrics which make this…
I’ve been a long-time admirer and fan of Lupe since he arrived on the scene featuring on Kanye’s Kiss the Sky. As an educator both in high schools and colleges teaching creative writing, his lyricism was an excellent tool in teaching students that poetry is the foundation of songwriting. In this video Lupe walks us…
Scott Storch photo credit: Felipe Cuevas for KRK. KRK SYSTEMS – Studio Monitors, Headphones, Subwoofers, Speakers, Monitoring Applications and Room Correction Technology (krkmusic.com) Building off the liquid CLASSIC line of studio monitors, KRK delivers an industry first in pro audio with the new limited-edition signature artist release, the KRK Scott Storch CLASSIC 8ss. Designed in collaboration with the legendary Producer whose work…
With Dolph gone and everyone else either CMG or looking to stay trapped in the falsehoods of what the streets are in Memphis, Don Trip continues to deliver on every drop. With a barrage of releases this year it would seem that somewhere trail would be a drop off in the quality. That hasn’t happened….
Before Killer Mike dropped his latest project, which is being hailed as the potential album of the year in Hip-Hop, Mick Jenkins was writing albums like Elephant in the Room and Pieces of a Man. With a body of work that in my opinion is only outdone by Pharoahe Monch, I place Pharoahe and Mick…
Not to start this post with a commentary on Kendrick’s Mr. Morale album, but the best essential on that album was Father Time which featured Sampha. Continuing this post by stating that one of my favorite songs ever is Solange’s Don’t Touch My Hair which also features Sampha. As a matter of fact many of…
Research — Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC) (runningdiversity.com) Juneteenth is a time of reflection and celebration, but also a time of avoidance and timidity. The conflict of addressing the sins of the nation create a range of hidden responses from the two parties involved in the foundation of a holiday addressing the failure of America…
Musiq could literally be the soundessential of my adult life up until about ten years ago. The artist gave himself a name change and attempted to launch a rap career under the monicker “The Hustle”. While he showed talent, those who remember Just Friends, So Beautiful and Love (my wedding song), the switch didn’t quite…
I can’t explain why Scar Lip sounds like Scarface, but my goodness this Onyx, meets DMX over The Bridge is Over kicked off by Kiss… wooooosaaahhhhh
10 essential album Illustration by: PS Spencer (PS-IM-DOPE) Graphic Design/Layout by Jean Goode Source: The Mind of A Saint, by Skyzoo & The Other Guys It’s the final season of John Singleton’s portrait of the CIA’s drug trafficking to fuel the anti-Sandinista war in Nicaragua by selling crack in South Central in the 80s. I…
DJ Battlecat allows Tia P. the room inside of this bouncy West Coast essential to deliver lyrics like a Lyricist Lounge emcee instead of what is expected from a West Coast rapper. The Lady of Rage doesn’t arrive until the last part of the essential and it’s well worth the wait.
It’s a sneaker site so the first thing I want you to peep is the adidas x Gucci in the screenshot, but right after peeping that, listen to this headnod from Premo, Remy and Rapsody. Lyrically this is one of the dopest essentials and to be honest, it shuts down a lot of albums that…
One of the greatest Hip-Hop songs in the genre is Paparazzi by Xzibit. X became known more for his participation in the MTV show “Pimp My Ride”. Prior to his hosting the show he was recognized as one of the best lyricists in the Liquid Crew from Los Angeles. The album 40 Days and 40…
