E.S.Q. & Chikaramanga’s The Succession is in stores now. Download

Words By:   Joseph “J. Hyphen” Poakwa           Two-thousand ten seems to be the year of the self-aware dreamer.  Over the past year our culture has acquired a new found sense of identity through art, fashion, and music.  Albert Einstein would probably proclaim it seems that we have reached the beginnings of a Great Awakening, the [...]

Some of Chicago’s finest bring their unique brand of hip-hop/electro to Los Angeles this weekend when Kanye approved rapper, Kid Sister joins Flosstradamus at the Echoplex for a show not to be missed. Kid Sister is touring in support of her soon to be released debut album, “Ultraviolet”, which comes out November 17th. Flosstradamus are [...]

Words by: Preach Jacobs There hasn’t been an emcee that has grown in the eyes of the public as much as Common. Since his debut in 1992, Common (formally Common Sense) has transformed into an icon, becoming a poster-child for authentic hip-hop. Now with his eighth album, Common maintains a calm demeanor about his music [...]

  Common-Universal Mind Control G.O.O.D. Music /Geffen Records Rating: 3 out of 4 By: Preach Jacobs There’s something in the water for the alternative-hip-hop artists. Everyone that’s been instrumental in the jazz-inspired-neo-soul movement is running as fast as they can in the opposite direction musically. The Roots’ sound has become more rock inspired, rappers like [...]

Kanye West-808s and Heartbreak Roc-A-fella/Island Def Jam Rating: 2.5/4 By: Preach Jacobs Everyone has gone through a bad break-up and lost a loved one. So, when listening to Kanye’s latest effort, I do have that in the back of my mind. After losing his mother to cosmetic surgery and having his engagement defunct, I actually [...]

For those in Chicago. Take heart: it may be cold there, but at least you’re not huffing toxic smoke from burning mansions and trailer parks like everyone roasting in Southern California.

  When Kid Sister enters a room, she makes a presence without even trying. She isn’t one of those cool girls who grew up as the captain of the cheering squad and will float on that reputation for the next fifty years. Rather, Melisa Young was that girl in school who never realized how cool [...]

In case you’ve been on Mars, Mikey and Chuck are the Cool Kids. After meeting online, the two linked up, their music blew up, they jumped on tour with M.I.A., and the rest is history in the making, with everyone from major labels to Justin Timberlake itching to get a piece of them. Our boy [...]

WHUT?! Yep, adidas went big. (Although they still don’t capitalize their name.) See if you can identify all the collaborators from a to h… I’ll start you out with H–Huf. Of course they’re probably available at your local sneak boutique, but definitely available from the peeps at Proper.