Rating:
  Review Date: January 31, 2007
  Website: Mos Def Website
  Label: Geffen

Mos Def “True Magic” Album Review
I used to be a WWF Wrestling fan. Go ahead, laugh it up. I don’t know why, but something about the beefing soap opera drama was funny to me. When they give their little speeches where they talk shit to whoever they’re beefing with at the time, they often put on great performances, and I always felt it was not that different from freestyle battle rapping. I used to like cats like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Booker T, mostly because they could control the mic well. But above all, the Rock was my motherfucking man dogg. (more…)

Danny Swain, who’s exceptional underground album “Charm” gained a spot on our best underground albums of 2006 list, was announced winner of mtvU and Definitive Jux Records’ Best Music on Campus Contest, which searched for the best hip-hop artist enrolled in college.

As winner, Danny has received a digital EP deal with Def Jux, a video premiere on mtvU, and a collaboration with Mr. Lif and other members of the Def Jux crew. (more…)

Alright, so I’m a liar. I honestly had the best intentions of picking my ten favorite underground hip-hop albums of 2006. However, I didn’t realize how difficult that would be.

There were so many great underground hip-hop albums released last year that I couldn’t pick just ten. Therefore, this list is best titled “The Fifteen Best Underground Hip-Hop Albums of 2006.” (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: January 22, 2007
  Website: Civil Mics Website
  Label: Independent

Civil Mics Movement “We Shall Overcome” Album Review
The English word civil is derived from the Latin word civilis, which basically means citizen. Therefore, a civil mics movement would have to be a movement that represents the mics of citizens. To me, this means music that represents the common man. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Well, ironically enough, it isn’t.  (more…)

Although my goal with HipHopLinguistics.com is to give underground and independent hip-hop a forum, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like a lot of the hip-hop major record labels are putting out these days.

Therefore, I have created the below list of my top ten hip-hop albums of 2006. I’d recommend checking them all out for real representations of hip-hop. (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: January 22, 2007
  Website: Juggaknots Website
  Label: Amalgam Entertainment

Juggaknots “Use Your Confusion” Album Review
Juggaknots’ “Use Your Confusion” was perhaps my most highly-anticipated album of 2006. After all, it had been a long ten years since the group had dropped their first album, “Clear Blue Skies,” which brought them an underground following and street buzz almost unparalleled in hip-hop at the time. But beyond that, I’ve always been interested in the Juggaknots for one simple reason: They are a family. I have always felt that family is one of the most important things in our lives, and I was looking forward to hearing what the trio of siblings had to say as a unit. (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: January 15, 2007
  Website: Nas Website
  Label: Def Jam

Nas “Hip-Hop Is Dead” Album Review
Alright, alright … enough already fellas. If I have to listen to one more critic use Nas’ “Hip Hop is Dead” as some misguided reason to discuss the apparently failing current state of hip-hop based solely on dropping record sales for Top 40 charts, I’m just gonna start bumping country music or something. “Damn homie - if Nas says it, it gotta be true,” they say. “Yeah dogg - those Billboard sales are way down yo.” “Hip-Hop is dead dude.” Man, Nas is playing you fools by giving you a question that you couldn’t possibly answer. And in the process, he’s making you run around looking like some damn jabberjaws. (more…)

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  Rating:
  Review Date: January 4, 2007
  Website: Calm Website
  Label: Dirty Laboratory

Calm “Anti-Smiles” Album Review 
If you are a fan of radio or television hip-hop, or one of those cats a hip-hop linguist might refer to as an “ignit muthafucka,” you probably won’t get much of Calm’s new album “Anti-Smiles.” In fact, it’s probably better if you just stop reading now. Because although I like to consider myself a moderately intellectual individual, I had to listen to this album for over one month before I understood the majority of it, and some of it still makes me scratch the old dome in bewilderment. (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: January 1, 2007
  Website: Masai Bey Website
  Label: Uncommon Records

Masai Bey “The Panacea Goldmind” Album Review
Man, I hate being behind on shit. I try to stay up on all the new hip-hop, and normally refuse to listen to anything not recently released. Therefore, I was a little upset when I received Masai Bey’s “The Panacea Goldmind” in the mail. First, the album dropped back in October, which means it was quite a bit older than the other stacks of CDs we are trying to get around to. Second, it is apparently a remastered release of old Masai Bey material dating as far back as 2002. (more…)