There’s no doubt that hip-hop is an artform as American as Jazz and comic books. But just like those two, hip-hop has left an indelible mark all around the globe and spawned offspring in various languages. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of 5 great foreign hip-hop acts spitting game in 5 different tongues. Consider this the United Nations of Hip-Hop. Read the rest of this entry »
Many artists have recorded entire albums filled with quality material for their labels that never actually made it to a store for inexplicable reasons. Here’s hip-hop’s Top 10 victims of Industry Rule #4080.
Take a gander at Rizoh’s favorite everything of 2008 after the cut. [Artwork © Ivan]
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What’s the best rap song of 2008 besides “It’s So Cold In The D”? Hit me, TRUbians.
Back when I was still blogging at SOHH (sometime in ‘06), I remember having this weird discussion about the possibility of a gospel rap album from Bushwick Bill. People cringed at the idea. Fast forward to 2008, what most people considered a nightmare is now on the brink of reality. I’m excited about this, because if anyone can make the transition from rapping about murdering your niece and raping your bitch to preaching the gospel on wax, it’s Bushwick Bill.
My boy Sketch, who had a chance to check out an advance copy of Bushwick’s Testimony of Redemption, sent me the tracklist and cover art. Read the rest of this entry »
When I asked 12 of my favorite music bloggers and critics to join me in selecting last year’s best rap albums, the positive response was overwhelming. Same can be said about the emails I received from others who had wanted to contribute to that epic list. So, I’ve decided to make this year’s invitation an open event.
Here’s something else I learned from last year’s experiment: Compiling the list 3 weeks early meant that one significant album didn’t make the final cut (Sorry, Esco). That explains why I waited until the dying minutes of ‘07 to make this call. Unless you’re still holding out for Chingy’s album … never mind, it already dropped … you should have a healthy well of ‘07 releases to draw from.
The process is straightforward. If you’re a music blogger, writer, and/or critic, and would like to contribute to this year’s Rap List, simply send your Top 10 Rap Albums of 2007 in order of greatness to rizoh1 at gmail dot com. Only albums released between December 2006 and December 2007 are eligible for nomination. I’ll assign points to the albums based on your rankings, and a Top 10 of all Top 10s will emerge from the master list. (With a solid pool, I might even raise the stakes to 50 finalists…we’ll see.)
The final list will be published on The Rap Up sometime in January. Send me your list no later than January 5, 2008. And remember to include the name of your blog/site/magazine in your email.
UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who submitted a list. If you still want to get in on the fun, there’s plenty of time left.
Critics might tell you otherwise but the truth remains that hip-hop had a good run this year. As you’ve probably noticed, that makes it hard to narrow the year’s best albums down to three. From the looks of it though, American Gangster and Graduation are the favorites among The Rap Up readers. More on that later.
So, here’s the million dollar question: If you could pick just one song as the Best Hip-Hop Song of 2007, what would it be?
