New Hip Hop Album Reviews
Jim Jones
This Is Jim Jones




"I'm not really famous, but I bet all the famous people know me. I guess I moved past that," declares Jim Jones" as he exhales a ...more
The Grouch
Say G&E!



The Grouch and Eligh’s latest release, Say G&E! has all the ingredients for a mainstream breakthrough, with a venerable list of ...more
A-Trak
Fabriclive.45




After the resounding dullness of his Nike + Original Run mix of originally produced material, jet-setting turntablist extraordinaire ...more
Lady Sovereign
Jigsaw



After a blink-and-you'll-miss it stint on IDJ, where she enjoyed the esteemed title of being the first non-American female artist ...more
Rick Ross
Deeper Than Rap




It's been a tough year for Mr. Ricky Ross. First, his entire background as an incredibly wealthy drug dealer—as trotted out ...more
Gorilla Zoe
Don't Feed Da Animals



What can you do with an album that contains a thoroughly Auto-tuned diss track called "Shit on 'Em" consisting of one scatological ...more
Jadakiss
The Last Kiss


Jadakiss is fond of, a propos of nothing, routinely referring to himself as "Top 5, dead or alive." This album, rumored to be his ...more
Asher Roth
Asleep in the Bread Aisle



For those fortunate enough to be anointed the "next big thing," it can sometimes be a tough road—for every Nas, there's an AZ ...more
Slim Thug
The Boss of All Bosses



After coming Back By Blockular Demand with his Boss Hogg Outlaws, the Boss Of All Bosses is back with a solo set sees the South ...more
Jim Jones
Pray IV Reign



For Jim Jones, the road to success was one that ran straight through Harlem, but even on the rapper's major label debut ...more
K'Naan
Troubadour




"With respects to the rules of the game, they don't apply cuz I came this far," K'Naan announces on Troubadour's "If Rap Gets Jealous," ...more
P.O.S.
Never Better




"I don't make records for shock value," underground hip-hop hero dälek says in the press release for his new album ...more
N.A.S.A.
The Spirit of Apollo




"I don't make records for shock value," underground hip-hop hero dälek says in the press release for his new album ...more
Dälek
Gutter Tactics




"I don't make records for shock value," underground hip-hop hero dälek says in the press release for his new album ...more
Plies
Da REAList



If there's one department Plies ain't lacking in, it's bravado. The Southern rapper has just issued his third platter, Da REAList, which ...more
Ghostface Killah
Ghostdeini the Great



Since bursting on the scene with the Wu-Tang Clan in the '90s, Ghostface Killah has been one of the most readily recognizable voices ...more
Soulja Boy Tell Em
iSouljaboytellem


Just when the neighborhood grade school kids stopped doing the Superman dance and "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" had finally faded...more
The Pharcyde
Bobby Evans Mix




L.A.-based hip-hop label Delicious Vinyl has enjoyed a renaissance and a reimagining in 2008. The centerpiece of their nostalgia trip was...more
Common
Universal Mind Control



To paraphrase Jay-Z–he was all good two albums ago. Common, for good reason, is recognized as one of the best emcees of his ...more
Scarface
Emeritus




Scarface could have retired years ago and he'd still be a legend, one of the best to ever do it, a king, an emperor, the Mullah of the...more
Styles P
Phantom Gangsta Chronicles, Vol. 1



One quick glance at the title of Styles P's latest platter, Phantom: Gangster Chronicles Vol. One indicates that the New York-based ...more
Ludacris
Theater of the Mind




Oh, Ludacris. While all artists have their upside and their downside–Kanye has his breathtaking artistic ambition and his rampant...more
Kevin Rudolf
In the City




Kevin Rudolf doesn't play your daddy's rock n' roll. He doesn't play your older brother's rap rock either. Instead, on his debut In the City ...more
88 Keys
The Death of Adam




Seasoned producer 88 Keys makes his debut as an MC with a concept album built on the hilarious premise of a would-be nice guy's sexual ...more
Royce da 5'9"
The Album




As G.M. and Ford teeter on bankruptcy, a disaster that would surely plunge Detroit further into the abyss of unemployment ...more
Q-Tip
The Renaissance



Jonathan Davis, a.k.a Q-Tip, has spent the past nine years in a kind of musical wilderness, beset by label issues and unable ...more
Willie the Kid
Absolute Greatness




For years, Willie the Kid has been a utility player in the Dirty South's hip-hop scene. He's even performed with members of Detroit's ...more
Devin the Dude
Landing Gear




Devin the Dude has made his reputation as a rapper's rapper—rather than, say, a million-selling rapper—by dipping repeatedly into a very ...more
The Streets
Everything Is Borrowed




After storming into the music scene with his first two mind-bogglingly brilliant albums, The Streets (Mike Skinner) couldn't have been ...more
Madlib
WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip




We know that Madlib likes to play. The rapper does so with his alter egos Quasimoto and Madvillian. His constant production work ...more
Roots Manuva
Slime & Reason





Esteemed British rapper Roots Manuva's latest hip-hop/dancehall experiment is party and come-down in one, with enough of a gray area ...more
Murs
Murs for President



Now that seasoned, underground hip-hop fixture, MURS, has broken into mainstream territory by signing with Warner Bros. Records ...more
Slim Thug
Back by Blockular Demand



Free of his commitments with Interscope Records, rapper Slim Thug turned his attention back to his South Texas crew, Boss Hogg ...more
One Block Radius
One Block Radius



The West Coast rises again on One Block Radius's self-titled debut. The Los Angeles trio blends Sublime's poppy ska-infused reggae ...more
Kardinal Offishall
Not 4 Sale




Scarborough, Ontario's Kardinal Offishall might finally be cracking his way into the American mainstream, but he certainly hasn't ...more
Gym Class Heroes
The Quilt




Drunk texting and Daryl Hall may seem like strange bedfellows, but somehow, Gym Class Heroes seamlessly cram them both into ...more
LL Cool J
Exit 13



Originally due out two years ago, LL Cool J finally delivers his last album under the Def Jam umbrella, Exit 13. An appropriate ...more
Ice Cube
Raw Footage




Suburban America may know Ice Cube as the ruff-but-lovable star of family-friendly films such as Are We There Yet?, Are We Done ...more
GZA
Pro Tools




If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's the GZA’s motto with his latest release, Pro Tools. Sticking with the formula that has served him ...more
The Game
LAX



One way, albeit an unusual one, to look at the new album from L.A. rapper The Game (which may or may not be his last, depending on ...more
Daz Dillinger
Only On the Left Side



In 2008, Daz Dillinger epitomizes West Coast hip-hop. The Long Beach, California rapper was a part of the famed, mid-90s Death Row ...more
The Arabian Prince
Innovative Life Anthology




There is no Hip Hop Genome Project. No scientists in lab coats examining the contents of mix tapes; no geneticists ...more
Skillz
The Million Dollar Backpack



Though the Detroit native known as Skillz hasn't quite hit the jackpot since his ill-fated debut From Where??? had the misfortune of ...more
Nappy Roots
The Humdinger




Nappy Roots hearken back to a time in southern rap when lyricism was king, ruling over plodding beats and guttural ...more
Shwayze
Shwayze




Malibu meets the Sunset Strip on Shwayze's self-titled debut. Shwayze is quite possibly the most chill artist to emerge from either. ...more
Three 6 Mafia
Last 2 Walk




The last couple of years have been a roller coaster for Memphis, Tennessee's triple 6 crew, to say the least. After taking home ...more
Jean Grae
Jeanius




The tracks from Jean Grae's new album have been trading on the Internet in similar versions since 2004, and it's been unclear ...more
Immortal Technique
The 3rd World





Immortal Technique, the artist behind one of the most epic blends of storytelling and hip-hop lyricism ever in a song ("Dance With the ...more
Tech N9ne
Killer




My first thought, when I saw the cover mocking Michael Jackson's Thriller album was, "Who in their right mind is going to pay ...more
Nas
Untitled




New York City rapper Nas had a snappier, more in-your-face title in mind for his latest effort. He wanted to call it N*****...more
RZA
Digi Snacks




Digi Snacks' first single, "You Can't Stop Me Now," sums up the whole record. On the third installment of his "Bobby Digital" trilogy...more
David Banner
Greatest Story Ever Told


Anticipation was high for David Banner's fifth studio album. His blend of political commentary and razor-sharp wit has made him...more
G-Unit
T.O.S.: Terminate on Sight




On T.O.S. (Terminate On Sight), G-Unit come out with knives drawn, guns blazing and rhymes sharpened. On the title track, 50 Cent...more
Plies
Definition of Real



N.E.R.D.
Seeing Sounds



The Cool Kids
Bake Sale




Lil Mama
VYP: Voice of the Young People



Estelle
Shine



Foxy Brown
Brooklyn's Don Diva



The Roots
Rising Down




The Flobots
Fight With Tools




Dizzee Rascal
Maths and English




Atmosphere
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold




Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Eleventh Hour




Killer Mike
I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind, Vol. 2




"This is not your typical rap album, this is a soundtrack to your success," rapper Killer Mike boldly states on the first track of his newest release ...more
