So the Roots have a new album out, called How I Got Over.  The single off the album (by the same name) is a great track.  That bodes pretty well for the album as a whole (and you can check it out below).
The tracklist lists some solid acts, and a lot of recurring appearances by Dice Raw.  Raw is an artist I always thought was a steady member of the Roots Crew, but it seems like I was wrong.  Joanna Newsom may be the least likely guest star on this …

Blood is The New Black Free.  This t-shirt from Urban Outfitters made me laugh pretty damn hard.  I remember the days when people used to say this sort of message about someone and a) actually mean it and b) the person actually deserved it.
Still, good work, whoever thought this one up.

Nas and Damian Marley have decided to a do whole album together (titled Distant Relatives), and I have to admit I’m kind of excited for it.  I wasn’t entirely sure how this would turn out because of the potential for it to come off as gimmicky, but I’m pretty pleased.  Check out the first official video for As We Enter.

Not bad!  Pitchfork’s been all over this album for quite some time now, and the hype has been building.  Part of what grabbed my attention is that these two decided to …

The NYTimes wrote a fairly unremarkable piece on hip hop beefs in 2009.  The focus of the article was on some simmering beef between Joe Budden and half the Wu-Tang nation.  The story goes that Joe Budden wasn’t too happy when Method Man beat him on a poll by the defunct-and-reborn Vibe Magazine.  He made a couple of brash statements, and the Wu responded.
It seems like Raekwon took it the most personally, and tensions simmered between Joe and Rae, culminating in an alleged assault on Joe Budden.  Budden made the …

As we mentioned previously, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek have reunited as Reflection Eternal and released a new album titled Revolutions Per Minute.
I’ve been pretty critical of Kweli over the last couple of years, and that’s not exactly the fairest journalism around.  It’s likely I’m too tainted by the greatness from the Black Star or the first Reflection Eternal albums to truly appreciate his more contemporary work.
Still, I’ve got high hopes for this new album.  The great thing is that you can stream the album for free from Entertainment Weekly.  I …

I’m a big fan of this track, which is something that landed in my lap from one of the far reaches of the internet.  It’s totally possible that many of you out there have heard this, in which case feel free to throw some heat my way in the comments below.
Six emcees (by my count), organized by Skiggy Rapz.  Master Surreal, Pete Philly, The Proov, Skate the Great and Phreke.
Listen to it here:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
It’s got a very laid back and jazzy beat assembled by Skiggy, …

Spinner magazine has Shad’s new album TSOL streaming in its full glory.
Check it out here.
It’s neat that each track has a little commentary by Shad himself talking about where each came from and what it was all about.
This album is going to be great when it lands at the end of May.  Of course it’s already leaked, but I strongly suggest you wait for the purchase.  But now you have a legal way to stream it and check it out ahead of time!
Plus, Shad’s touring as we speak and will …

If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare, check this out.  Complex presents the 50 Greatest Samples in Hip Hop History.  Kon and Amir, the authors of this mega-post, do a pretty good job of keeping things simple.  They present the original track (full length) give their opinion on it and how it emerged into hip hop, then present an example of a new track that sampled it.  They let you listen to all the full-length stuff, so I’m pretty stoked about it.
Check it out here.

On this track, Gil Scott-Heron and Nas drop what Pitchfork calls “Basically the opposite of "Empire State of Mind"".  Now, keep in mind that this is a remix that Nas did of Gil’s track, but the result is something that has a strong juxtaposition.  Scott-Heron’s gravely tone sounds pained and laboured, really convincingly sounding like he’s feeling burned out. 
“Oh the doctor don’t know, but New York is Killing me”. – Gil Scott-Heron

Nas’ verses are intriguing.  He focuses mainly on the fast-pace of NYC and the fact that the ladies …