If you know anything about Southern California, you know that we Angelenos spend a good deal of our time on the road. Just last week I spent three hours in traffic to get somewhere that is normally only 45 minutes away (yeah…). One of the best ways to pass the time is to have a […]

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Much of Erykah Badu’s career has been marked by Afrocetrism, higher consciousness and introspection. Her first album was perhaps the most spiritual but her music has always had a conceptual nature, layered with meaning deeper than what appears on the surface to be abstract ramblings. While Erykah has always had some level of social consciousness […]

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Erykah Badu is known as a neo-soul pioneer and for displaying artistry in a time when such appeared lacking in R&B. The genre seemed to be on its way to becoming an extension of hip hop while simultaneously birthing pop artists and new sub-genres. While Badu has even admitted that she’s not sure what it […]

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For many hip-hop purists, there is a particular sound they have grown accustomed to hearing. Outside of this small box they will not consider anything hip-hop. However, like all other forms of art, hip-hop is about expression. An unfortunate side affect of putting hip-hop into a box is often the penchant for those who feel […]

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Killed at the height of his fame, Tupac Shakur’s most popular works were recorded once he was signed to Death Row Records, and later, others which were released after his death. What many do not know is that Tupac was very much a revolutionary at heart. His earlier albums demonstrated this rebel spirit quite explicitly […]

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Alicia Keys took the music world by storm in 2001 when she was discovered by music legend Clive Davis and released her first single Fallen. In 2002, Keys went on to win five – count them – five Grammy Awards from her debut LP Songs In A Minor including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best […]

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Many would say that the best art is borne out of angst and pain, and out of the emotional necessity to cathartically express and release anger and hurt. When Mary J. Blige released What’s the 411, her most powerful and memorable ballads were those through which you could feel her pain. Since 1992, we have […]

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Amel Larrieux has spent most of her recording career being an underrated artist. In the mid ’90s she debuted as part of the Hip-Hop/R&B duo Groove Theory whose sound was simple, melodious, edgy and incorporated a positive message. The project was envisioned to set its members up for stardom - with Bryce Wilson as a […]

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The new CD by Ghostface Killah The Big Doe Rehab is a prime example of factory-made rap music. While the Wu Tang Clan is not usually considered mainstream because of explicit content that makes its music unplayable on airwaves, the members are definitely not underground.

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M.I.A. first appeared on the US radar in 2005 with her debut LP Arular. Many critics commended her for the exhibition of political undertones and genre ambiguity. With her obvious hip-hop influences, M.I.A. could arguably be a leading hip-hop artist in overseas markets.

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