By Malice Intended
The best martial arts films carry messages of empowerment and revolution.  In his quest for vengeance, the main character masters a craft that allows him to rise up against his oppressor.  If he …

By shelz.
Turbulence and confusion marked much of the music of the early 70’s.  Watergate, the ongoing Vietnam conflict, a growing drug epidemic, and a waning faith in the promise of the 60’s ribboned through the …

By shelz.
Segmenting and separating music, with its myriad styles, has been very cut and dry until recently. Even the more artistic musicians generally picked a genre and stuck with it as crossing sonic borders tended …

By Malice Intended
From the early 1970’s to the early 1980’s , grind house matinees and Saturday afternoon broadcast schedules of independent television stations featured Hong Kong martial arts films (sometimes disparagingly referred to as Chop …

By shelz.
Eminem creates quite the conundrum for listeners.  You love his razor sharp satirical wit but he’s full of wicked inspiration. When he pulls back the curtain and allows you to peer inside, it’s a …

By shelz.
Foxy Brown and Lil Kim circa 2010 evoke thoughts that are rarely tied to their music.  Musings about plastic surgery, weight gain, prison time, and lawsuits plague the two Hip Hop divas as they …

By shelz.
In music, there are times when the trend follows a Phil Spector-ish wall of sound ratcheted up to the highest decibel with wailing instruments and booming vocals that rattle the pictures on the walls; …

By shelz.
The early 1990’s found more than one style of music at its own personal crossroads.  Country discovered that its reach was much bigger than previously thought with the advent of Soundscan.  Hip-Hop let loose …

By shelz.
When you ask the average fan to think back into Hip-Hop history and rattle off some of their favorite politically conscious emcees, certain names are always expected.  Public Enemy told everybody their heroes don’t …

By shelz.
Years ago, some of the best and brightest of Southern Hip-Hop (depending on your taste) were quibbling over who really possessed the dirty’s crown jewels.  Plenty of folks tossed their hats in the ring, …

By shelz.
It is hard to discuss the best of Hip Hop and not bring up an album or two (or maybe even three) from the Boot Camp Clik.  Given, some of their earliest offerings were …

By shelz
Boy bands have always had their place in the musical landscape.  From New Edition to Pretty Ricky, groups of harmonizing young men have always caught the eyes and ears of adoring girl followers and …

By Malice Intended
Our children are sacred to us, and for a long time American movies treated them with kid gloves (no pun intended).  In the late 1960’s and early 70’s a new subgenre in horror …

By shelz.
Anticipating your favorite rapper’s next album is definitely what’s trendy in Hip-Hop right now.  Gone are the No Limit days of assembly line releases.  The business is tough and new albums are slowly paced …

By Malice Intended
The early 1990’s was a renaissance period for young African American filmmakers.  The “Black Exploitation” period of the 1970’s had long since passed, and in its place emerged the era of the “Hood” …

By shelz.
It’s been 10 years since Dr. Dre has released a studio album and five years since he started working on the urban legend known as Detox.  Some fans have started to give up on …

By shelz.
Hip-Hop has managed to engage and absorb almost every other genre available in its quest to dominate the musical landscape.  However, when you wade through all the contrived and awkward attempts at fusion and …

By shelz.
During the mid 90’s Hip-Hop experienced a cross regional renaissance. Dr. Dre ushered in the left coast’s Gangsta Funk era and folks from Alabama to Alaska were enjoying Cali’s mid tempo Parliament Funkadelic samples. …

By shelz.
Red-lining based on area code is slowly becoming un-hip in the Hip-Hop nation. Hip-Hop is embracing a post-regional America and good music is accepted from all corners of the country. None of that east coast/west …

 By Odeisel
There’s nothing like your first album. Years of pent up thoughts and emotions finally getting their release into the world. Ask Nas or Raekwon about the immense weight of a classic debut and they …