PEACE. Every year, Hip-Hop Linguistics creates two lists. One list contains the top hip-hop albums from major mainstream, underground and independent record labels. The other list contains the top hip-hop albums from minor independent labels and unsigned hip-hop artists. The first list contains artists you’ve likely heard of, while the second list contains artists you’ve probably not heard of.
This is that first list - the overall top picks for 2007. The list below represents the best albums hip-hop had to offer in the year 2007 from what we consider major record labels - whether mainstream, underground or independent. We highly recommend checking them all out! (more…)
Hip-hop lyricists Ghostface Killah, Rakim and Brother Ali will team up for the first Hip Hop Live tour, with all three performing in front of a 10-piece backing band.
The three MCs will each perform separate sets during the outing, which kicks off Oct. 29 in West Hollywood, CA, with all three backed by The Rhythm Roots Allstars, a Los Angeles-based funk/worldbeat outfit that specializes in providing musical backdrops for rap vocal acts. The 19-city tour–which is sponsored by Flow TV and Dodge–runs through late November. (more…)
The Undisputed Truth tour featuring Brother Ali, Psalm One, OneBeLo and Toki Wright is now in full effect. I had the chance to see them perform last night at the Knitting Factory in NYC, and the show was off the hook!
Toki Wright did a great job as host, keeping the crowd in the show with his between-act performances and later as hype man for Brother Ali. OneBeLo got the crow started with a combination of new tracks from his highly-anticipated upcoming album and old tracks from the highly-respected “Sonogram” album. Psalm One set the stage perfectly for the head act with a bunch of hard-banging, crowd bumping tunes. And Brother Ali ripped it y’all, featuring songs from “The Undisputed Truth” and “Shadows On the Sun.” (more…)
Brother Ali “The Undisputed Truth” Album Review
About two months ago, shortly after the 400th anniversary celebration of the city of Jamestown, one of the first slave ports of the American colonies, the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution apologizing for its part in the American slave trade. Now as honorable as this act was, it actually kinda angered me because neither any other states nor the federal government of the United States followed up with an apology of their own. It appears that the majority of this country either does not believe that slavery continues to affect us today, or does not think that we should apologize for the effects it has had. (more…)
Depending on the day, and depending on what I ate.
I’m anywhere from 20 to 35 pounds overweight.
I got red eyes, and one of them’s lazy.
And they both squint when the sun shines so I look crazy.
I’m albino man, I know I’m pink and pale.
And I’m hairy as hell, everywhere but fingernails.
I shave a cranium that ain’t quite shaped right.
Face tight, shiny, I stay up and write late nights.
My wardrobe is jeans and faded shirts.
A mixture of what I like, and what I wear to work.
I’m not mean and got a neck full of razor bumps.
I’m not the classic profile of what the ladies want.
You might think I’m depressed as can be.
But when I look in the mirror I see sexy ass me.
And if that’s something that you can’t respect then that’s peace.
My life’s better without you actually.
To everyone out there, who’s a little different.
I say damn a magazine, these are God’s fingerprints.
You can call me ugly but cant take nothing from me.
I am what I am doctor, you ain’t gotta love me.
Brother Ali - “Forest Whitiker” from Shadows on the Sun
PEACE. Every year, Hip-Hop Linguistics creates two lists. One list contains the top hip-hop albums from major mainstream, underground and independent record labels. The other list contains the top hip-hop albums from minor independent labels and unsigned hip-hop artists. The first list contains artists you’ve likely heard of, while the second list contains artists you’ve probably not heard of.
Hip-hop lyricists Ghostface Killah, Rakim and Brother Ali will team up for the first Hip Hop Live tour, with all three performing in front of a 10-piece backing band.
The Undisputed Truth tour featuring Brother Ali, Psalm One, OneBeLo and Toki Wright is now in full effect. I had the chance to see them perform last night at the Knitting Factory in NYC, and the show was off the hook!
Rating: 
