Saigon has all the elements that make up a Hip-Hop Legend. Dope Rhymes, Dope Producer, and he’s passionate about speaking his mind. Last year he finally dropped the highly anticipated “Greatest Story Never Told” and although it wasn’t everything I was expecting, it was more than a solid album. But over the past year or so I begin to realize that his legendary status is right there, staring right into our faces.

Read more…

Alchemist is one of the few producers out there that has carved a niche out for himself in Hip-Hop in the the last decade. He created a very unique style and has done very well for himself in Hip-Hop. He’s been criticized for not changing up his formula enough, but I think that’s part of his charm. Like Primo, Pete Rock, Showbiz, and other niche producers, their unique styles sets them apart from the leagues of producers with a similar sound and progression.

Read more…

If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out some of the other “2nd Coming of Nice” articles please go HERE and check them out. This series of posts is meant to highlight up and coming talent in Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop fans are as pessimistic as ever, and it’s always good to wade through the sea of wackness and find a pearl.

This post puts rapper Honors English in the spotlight. I’ve been a fan of Needlz, the producer of this track for a LONG time now……

Read more…

Until I was about 17 I never understood Busta Rhymes. I mean I liked a few of his tracks, but I always wondered what the deal with him was. I used to read The Source heavy back then and I would shake my head when I’d read other rapper’s “Top Ten MC’s” lists and see Busta in the Top 5 of nearly all of them. I picked up the Anarchy album and was kind of “Meh” about it. One thing that always bothered me was the crazy abstract patterns Busta would put on display, which usually left me wondering why the rhyme was off beat, or non-existent. Then one Winter, I saw Busta Rhymes live……

That concert changed my life, because until I saw James Brown and P-Funk live and doing their thing at 100%, I had nothing to compare his performance to. Busta Rhymes had the venue going absolutely NUTS! People were standing on giant speakers and Busta was literally pulling people by their shirts from the crowd. Spliff Star was the perfect hype man, and Busta went over the time limit until he knew his job was complete. I’d seen countless acts live before I saw Busta Rhymes, and none had even 1/10th of the energy in that building. I walked out of there, ears ringing, thinking that I could probably knock a building over. I was an instant fan, and I finally “GOT IT”. He’s an MC’s MC, and I can appreciate his abstract style now.

Read more…

Like many other Legendary Hip-Hop producers, DJ Premier has an original sound that translates through to many different genres. Primo has covered a wide range in his career, and his Remix catalog (whether commissioned or not) is one of the greatest in Hip-Hop history.

In this R&B track, Primo uses an acoustic guitar sample to capture the concept of the track, and in the process, he doesn’t lose any fraction of his signature style. Beautifully executed, and frequently overlooked. We also get a nice dose of Mos Def’s invincible Brooklyn flow, one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Read more…

Say what you want about Eminem. You can call him overrated, overhyped, or too commercial. One thing you can say never say about him is that he can’t rhyme. Not only that, but he could rhyme with the best of them. One of the “True School” MC’s that rose to prominence in the late 90′s, he gained notoriety when the then “unquestionable” Dr. Dre scooped him up and vouched for him. Since then we’ve seen several different phases of the MC. Some would argue that he hasn’t missed a step, but I’d definitely have to disagree. I’m not a fan of everything that he has released.

However, lyrically, Eminem has remained extremely dangerous. In every phase of his metamorphosis there is a song or feature that even seasoned veteran MC’s couldn’t deny. It’s these types of things that keep Eminem in his Demi-Godlike status in Hip-Hop. He started out as a student of Hip-Hop lyricism, then he blended existing styles, and incorporated his own demented content into his rhyme schemes until he was undeniably one of the greatest rappers to touch a mic.

Read more…

A perfect track from two veterans doing what they do best. Royce has never been a slouch on the mic. One of the most consistent MC’s of all time, Royce’s delivers another punchline infused soliloquy, over an eloquently crafted instrumental by DJ Premier.

Read more…

There isn’t a Hip-Hop group more talented and well recognized than the Wu-Tang Clan. In the early 90′s they managed to do they impossible. The Rza assembled a group of MC’s, from many different backgrounds, NYC boroughs and projects, personalities, and skill sets and created something that was insanely creative and different. Before the group began to fracture, and change, what they created was something that was far from transparent. Their music embodied Hip-Hop in its most raw form to date, influenced countless other artists, and took the Hip-Hop world by storm.

There were multiple Solo Artist albums released from the group, and other than fans of Gza’s solo efforts, it’s hard to dispute the fact that Ghostface has been the most consistent out of the group. He carved out his own style, and stayed true to what made him one of the greatest rappers that has ever lived. His formula isn’t that hard to understand: add in some dope beats (mostly soul sample based), sprinkle some eclectic and often coded rhyme schemes, and inject enough style and you got yourself a “Wallaby Kingpin” masterpiece.
Read more…

In the late was a blip in Hip-Hop Matrix right before the end of the millennium. It started a ripple effect that would eventually help the Stonesthrow Label move into elite status in the Hip-Hop Underground. That effect was “Soundpieces: Da Antidote”, LootPack’s 1999 album.

The production was conjured by blunted and eccentric Underground Super-Producer Madlib. What was created was one of the more inspiring works of Hip-Hop art, and helped cap off almost a decade of obscure but awe inspired production by Madlib the Bad Kid. The Oxnard, born and raised producer was flanked by Wildchild on the rhymes, and DJ Romes on the cuts.
Read more…

Rae and Christian have been on the radar for a long time now. I’d heard a few Remixes from them over the years, and their “Northern Sulphuric Soul” album is one of my favorite pure instrumental/remix albums ever.
Read more…