Long a promising talent on the deep YMCMB roster, Compton-bred Tyga finally came into his own last year when paired with another Southern California native, producer DJ Mustard. Their resulting product, “Rack City,” became a runaway hit. Tyga’s raunchy rhymes, a nod to label boss Lil Wayne, somehow still managed to win over mainstream fans and make Tyga practically a household name. However, while the young rapper became a pop [...]

There’s an old adage that says that there’s a thin line between genius and crazy. This couldn’t be any more fitting to describe Odd Future leader Tyler, The Creator. With his second full-length album Wolf, Tyler continues antics that will certainly be dismissed by some while praised by others. By now, though, with OF’s Frank Ocean gaining mainstream recognition, most listeners have become familiar with Tyler’s body of work, which [...]

A few weeks ago, the biggest deal to anyone who is a part of hip-hop culture was MTV’s Hottest MC list. Designed to ignite controversy, it indeed got everyone talking about who should and shouldn’t be included and where they ranked. Kanye West was so riled up about placing seventh that he called in to a radio station, breaking his self-imposed media silence, to whine and even bring up a [...]

TMZ had us all believing Lil Wayne was a goner last week. The news proved false, and not only is Weezy apparently alive and well, but, conveniently, his newest half-album, I Am Not a Human Being 2, is out this week. We say half-album because IANAHB2, just like its predecessor, isn’t quite an entry in the Carter series nor a mixtape; it’s somewhere in between. For what it’s worth, Lil [...]

Hit-Boy is a force to be reckoned with. Responsible for last year’s biggest hit “N**as in Paris” for Jay-Z and Kanye West, the latter’s protege proved he has potential as a solo artist with HITstory, his first mixtape as a G.O.O.D. Music artist (and third overall). The project’s quality rivaled that of most albums and had a few songs that could’ve easily served as singles (“Old School Caddy” with Kid [...]

Now we’re down to the last three rap/hip-hop albums you should keep an eye out for in 2013. Trust me when I tell you – these LP’s may wind up being some of the best musical presentations our MP3’s will soon play host to.   3. Unit 6 by Ab-Soul and JMSN – Top Dawg Entertainment is home to one of the most intelligent, most thought provoking rappers of our [...]

Welcome to part two of my list of nine upcoming rap/hip-hop albums you should be prepping for. This time, I’m going to delve into two MC’s who are getting ready to drop their first solo albums, plus one controversial kid whose second LP will undoubtedly shock the world.   6. My Name is My Name by Pusha T – Pusha’s potential as a dope solo MC has finally been realized. [...]

While 2013 has just begun, so many quality rap/hip-hop albums have dropped in the span of only two months that it seems like an entire year has passed me by. Off the top of my head, I can already call out a couple top notch releases that will probably end up on my best of year end list: – LongLiveA$AP by A$AP Rocky – Life Changes by Casey Veggies – [...]

Okay, I think I’ve spread enough love with the last two posts. Now it’s time I shed some light on some of the untalented crop of artists that are polluting rap/hip-hop. XXL’s Freshman 2013 cover should include rappers who exhibit quality and provide excellent music. It should not give any cover space to lame duck busters and one hit wonders in the making. If these super whack MC’s (and I [...]