Authors: Keith McDonald
Local Review: Pikkoroh – Voix
Pikkoroh = MF DOOM x Madlib … read more
Local Review: Melvin Junko – 10,000 Hours
Melvin Junko = DJ Premier + Alchemist + Jake One … read more
Local Review: Freemind Movement – Saint Villain
Beyond instrumentation and production, Freemind stays true to their moniker with spiritual, insightful and poignant content in Saint Villain. It’s cliché, but they display awareness and humility in their content that seems to resonate with old-school hip-hop fans. … read more
Local Review: Eddington – 1905
Eddington = Pastor Troy x Run the Jewels … read more
Local Review: Cambow – PAiNS
Cambow = Tech N9ne x Willie D – Raury … read more
Roc or Die: An Interview with the Body Roc Crew
They go by the Body Roc Crew and members, Ali Acuna and B-Boy Alien have attended (and won) battles in Las Vegas and Florida, respectively: Ali with the RedBull BC One and B Boy Alien with the Break the Chainz Volume Five. It’s the epitome of putting on for the city—and they do it with little fanfare. … read more
Big Lo: From the Dinner Table to the Cypher and...
Big Lo paints pictures with words in a style that is ‘The South meets New York’ over boom bap-style beats. “He’s what Skyzoo would be if Skyzoo was from the south,” promoter Gage Luce explained. … read more
Who’s the Master?: Masta Ace @ The Acoustic Space 09.20
The Albuquerque, New Mexico–based emcee, Wake Self was onstage rocking the mic as I interviewed the headliner, Masta Ace, of Juice Crew fame. … read more
A Few Words with ‘Fro
Seldom do we see a true emcee spawn out of an online rap challenge, but that’s exactly happened when then 16-year-old A-F-R-O won the Definition of a Rap Flow contest and blew up on the internet. … read more
Localized: Rhyme Time
Rhyme Time inhabits a unique area of rap, like Lil Dicky or Missy Elliott—being cool for being unapologetically nerdy and different from his contemporaries. Check out Rhyme Time at SLUG’s Localized on May 17 at Urban Lounge. … read more