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Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"The next level you ask? Gift of Gab's impenetrably ill lyricism over Chief Xcel's beautifully lush production is something that I would call legendary, unique, and dare I say - untouchable. Gift of Gab definitely possesses a gift that may have you questioning the talents of your favorite emcee. He h..."
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Ice Cube - Amerikkka's Most Wanted
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"If you ask this reviewer, Ice Cube's solo career remains the best of the N.W.A. collective (which included Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and Ice Cube). After all these years, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" sounds just as raw as the day it was released. The album dropped one year after the landmark album "Stra..."
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MF Doom - MM..Food
CD+DVD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"After the countless aliases Daniel Dumile has dropped on us since his comeback debut as MF Doom, "Operation Doomsday", the metal fingered villain has returned with "MM.. Food?" -- the proper follow-up to his debut from 1999. On the surface, this seems like a your average high quality Doom release, b..."
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Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"Easily the most highly anticipated underground hip-hop album of the year -- "The Mouse And The Mask" is a flawless record that succeeds at every turn. After the sampling of Danger Doom we heard on the Gorillaz record "Demon Days" ("November Has Come"), fans have been eagerly waiting for the duo to d..."
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Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
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"This is my first outing with Quasimoto. After hearing the Madvillain album, I was totally enthralled by Madlib's unique and original production. I was also interested in Quasimoto's helium-voiced banter, and how it would hold up through a full length album. The results are definitely not what I expe..."
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Latyrx - The Album (re-issue)
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"This has got to be one of the most overlooked underground hip-hop classics to ever be released. Which is quite a shame, since "The Album" is as sonically original as Company Flow's "Funcrusher Plus", which was also released in 1997. Both of these albums were amongst the most abstract hip-hop albums ..."
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Nas - Illmatic
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"What could I possibly say about "Illmatic" that millions of other reviewers haven't said already. Where do you start with an album that has been hailed time and time again, as the best hip-hop album of the 90s? It's a crowing achievement that Nas rests his reputation on comfortably. I was never into..."
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Edan - Beauty and the Beat
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"Psychedelia and hip-hop. Those are two words I never thought I'd be relating when referring to one of my favorite albums of 2005. I still can't get over it. What a phenomenal idea. The Boston based rapper Edan possesses more than just an untouchable flow. He's also the producer, programmer, engineer..."
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Edan - Primitive Plus
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
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"Edan is quite a rarity in hip-hop nowadays. You often hear about emcees complaining about taking on the bulk of the work (production and rhymes) for their muddled debut, which usually results in a collaborative sophomore release. That's not the case with Edan. He's better than most producers that on..."
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By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
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"My first exposure to MF (Metal Face) Doom, was from his collaboration with Madlib, "Madvillain". I was very impressed with the album, but it left me wanting more of Dumile's engrossing mush-mouthed rhyme style. At my first impression, I thought Doom's flow was very old-school. Well, upon further res..."
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Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"I became a huge fan of Kweli after purchasing his collaboration with Mos Def, "Black Star". Kweli's impenetrable flow held my attention to it's fullest. After hearing "DEFinition", I knew I had been missing out on some true talent over the years. Without hesitation, I immediately snatched up this cr..."
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Madvillain - Madvillainy
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"Like many of you, this was my first outing with MF Doom and Madlib. If you did your research, you would find that the two are highly respected in the world of [underground] hip-hop. MF Doom (aka Zev Love X) has a history dating back to 3rd Bass' "Cactus Album" from 1989. Madlib also made his debut i..."
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Mr. Lif - Live At the Middle East
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"I saw Mr. Lif a couple weeks ago performing alongside Aesop Rock in Minneapolis. Needless to say, that was simply one of the most mind-blowing concerts I've ever seen. Both emcees were nailing every verse on point. That was enough for me to somewhat complete my Mr. Lif collection with "Live at The M..."
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Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"I have to give credit to this album for being a large stepping stone in my infatuation for hip-hop. It was one of those albums that came along and showed me that hip-hop wasn't dead. And that there are still some great musicians reviving the muddled commercial product of hip-hop. The lyrics are true..."
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By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"Like you, I loved the first Gorillaz record. But also like you, I was a little worried about Gorillaz falling prey to the dreaded sophomore slump that many bands subsequently release after belting out such a stunning debut. Unfortunately, a lot of people are calling "Demon Days" just that, which cou..."
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Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"When I ask myself questions like - Who's the best emcee on the planet? Who's flow is completely state-of-the-art? Which emcee has the most mic presence? Who's flow is so potent, that it makes your jaw drop in awe? Well, only two names come to mind, and those are KRS-One and Rakim. These two guys are..."
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By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
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"I know, how could an EP be worth 5 stars? But the truth is, is that this EP is just as potent as Mr. Lif's critically acclaimed "I Phantom". The album also delivers a concept. The premise being that Mr. Lif has been kidnapped by unidentified government agents, and is now missing. Throughout the albu..."
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By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
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"I'm not even sure where I heard of Diverse, but boy am I glad that I discovered "One A.M."; an album that I'm loving more and more after every rotation. His flow is what makes this album so addictive. He possesses tongue twisting rhymes that could sustain the album's rhythm on their own. His flow is..."
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The Perceptionists - Black Dialogue
CD
By:
alanp0099 on January 2, 2009
See all my reviews
"I had to buy this album after falling in love with Mr. Lif's "I Phantom". That, and Definitive Jux was pimping out the CD pretty hard on the front page of their web site. I listen to, and review TONS of underground rap CDs. And, I usually find that my favorites are solo efforts (one emcee and one de..."
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