Photos by Ashley Queen Before midnight, right after Tech N9ne’s suprise set, a guy behind me screamed “I’m loving this shit!!!” I don’t know if he was drunk or not, but I can’t blame him for not being able to contain himself. In a matter of 2 hours, fans were treated to surprise performances by Nas, Damien Marley, Raekwon, Murs,  Supernatural and Psycho Realm [...]

Photos by Ashley Queen Common blazed the stage in Universal City at Hard Rock Cafe for  Musicology 101 to Benefit VH1 Save The Music Foundation (presented by Windows.) Fans were treated to Biz Markie on the 1s and 2s as well as a taste of Common’s clothing line collaboration with Windows.  I picked this one. [...]

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Ludacris-Theater of the Mind Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam Rating: 3 out of 4 By Preach Jacobs Not many artists have the duality of Ludacris in hip-hop. The ability to have commercial appeal while being aware of the roots for so-called backpackers, Luda has the potential to impress both. At times he swayed more towards commercial [...]

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 [...]