Hip-Hop Reviews
Hip-Hop Reviews by Hip-Hop Linguistics. Mama used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." This statement is the basis of our reviews section. Unlike many hip-hop review publications, HHL does not publish negative reviews. Our goal is to recommend only the best hip-hop in the underground, and our reviews section contains only albums recommended by our staff of reviewers. So if it's in this section, it's worth checking out!
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Review Date: May 4, 2009
Website: RNR Website
Label: Indie

Rugged N Raw “Truth Serum” Album Review
For me, Rugged N Raw’s “Truth Serum” is a perfect example of how music videos and free track downloads can help artists find fans in this new age of the hip-hop industry. I picked up this album from RNR at a local show almost a year ago. Being a big fan of his previous release “Another Level,” I listened to the new album right away, and even picked Life’s Purpose to be HHL track of the week in October – before getting caught up in other music. But recently, RNR dropped consecutive videos for I’m Broke and Proud and The Ultimate, and I was so impressed with them that I gave “Truth Serum” another listen – and I’ve been bumping it nonstop ever since. (more…)
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Review Date: January 19, 2009
Website: Kats & Domer Website
Label: Independent

Kats & Domer “Almost Famless Vol. 2″ Mixtape Review
What do you get when you take a handful of underground rappers in New York City, mix in a couple local beat makers, and scatter them throughout a ten-track compilation album? Well, you get the “Almost Fameless Mixtape Vol. 2” – and boy is it worth the free download. Kats & Domer’s project is one of my favorite albums in a while – and I normally don’t even fuck with mixtapes! (more…)
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Review Date: January 12, 2009
Website: ScholarMan Website
Label: Soganic Music

ScholarMan “GameShift: The Movement” Album Review
ScholarMan never disappoints me. Every January, I find myself thirsting for dope hip-hop to start the year with. And every January, ScholarMan drops a new album that helps quench this thirst – while simultaneously getting me amped for the year to come. This year’s album, “GameShift: The Movement,” is arguably the Maryland emcee’s best work to date – and was definitely worth the year-long wait. (more…)

DAMN – THE TOP 10 HIP-HOP ALBUMS OF THE YEAR! This is the hardest post of the year for two main reasons: First, it’s nearly impossible for me to list the ten best albums of the year – there’s just too much dope hip-hop out there; And second, it’s always annoying how everybody gets all heated because my list does not match up perfectly with theirs – and all decide to leave negative comments on the blog.
So this year, I just said ‘Fuck It’ and decided to try to prevent these challenges. Instead of calling this post “The Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of 2008,” I’ve decided to just call it “My Favorite Hip-Hop Albums of 2008.” Hopefully all you argumentative motherfuckers will realize that everyone can have different favorites and let it slide. In addition, I decided not to limit it to ten this year. (more…)