Armageddon — The Journal Vol. 1: Rebirth EP

In 2011, the Bronx rapper John "Armageddon" Eaddy, member of the hip-hop group Terror Squad leaded by Fat Joe and Big Pun, releases a rare official soloist project. Nine tracks produced by Raw Uncut, Famine, Numberz, Mike Mic, J. Dot, Nemisis, Armageddon himself, and Daddy of Global Empire. The guests are Fat Joe, Noreaga, Doo Wop, Mina and Fat Man D.

Hi-C — Swing'n

Typical sophomore jinx for Crawford "Hi-C" Wilkerson, dude who still has a deal with Tommy Boy Records, allowing him to get this second effort on the Billboard charts. Production is split between Wilkerson and Tony-A, while the thanks are performed with rapper Step over a simple and cheap funky beat provided by LA Jay.

Conway — Everybody Is F.O.O.D. [mixtape]

In Summer 2018, Buffalo rapper Conway the Machine releases the first chapter of his "Everybody is F.O.O.D." series. Daringer is the main producer, other rhythms are provided by DJ Green Lantern, Pete Rock and Statik Selektah. The guests are Busta Rhymes, Skyzoo and Elzhi.

Meyhem Lauren & Buckwild — Silk Pyramids

Four years after launching Celph Titled, Buckwild tries again with an emerging New York rapper, Meyhem Lauren from Queens. Meyhem's a rapper related to Action Bronson who plays below the scene's underground radar, he's still there despite several collaborations with DJ Muggs.

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo — Killer Kuts

G Rap takes the opportunity to put three "K" on his kover and plake the referenke to the rakist sekret sokiety. This Kold Khillin' kompilation features 70 minutes of listening divided into 15 kuts taken from the three klassik albums released by the duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo during their short but intense kareer: "Road to the Rikhes", "It's a Demo", "Men at Work", "Truly Yours", and "Poison" from their debut, "Streets of New York", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Talk Like Sex", "Jive Talk" and "Rikers Island" from the sekond album, finally "Ill Street Blues", "Letters", "On the Run" (remixed here) and "Operation KB" from their latest work. Rhythms are mainly done by Marley Marl, in addition to produktions by Erik B, Lynn Star Produktions, Large Professor, Trakkmasters, Sir Jinx, DJ Polo (my least favorite kut, "Jive Talk") and Kool G Rap himself. There are no guests at rapping, it's a solo by the Godfather of mafioso rap and here he's at his best: he's simply fantastik, the rekord is a must for fans of the artist of Queens who kills kut after kut.

Rating: 9/10.

Triple Seis — Only Time'll Tell

The death of Christopher Rios aka Big Pun was a watershed moment for the careers of practically all the artists around him, his friends, and especially the kids who had launched their careers in the music industry thanks to him.

Prospect — First Blood [mixtape]

In 2013 the New York rapper Richard "Prospect" Perez, member of the Terror Squad group with Big Pun and Fat Joe, among others, debuts with his first soloist mixtape album. Ulysse "Chaze" Genet of the Grim Team is the main producer of the tape, flanked by E-Blaze, Laurent Cohen, Lord Finesse, Anno Domini Beats, Henri Lanz aka MGI and Just Blaze. The guests are V12, Jah Yut, Franco Anthony, Tasha Denae, Quand, Nut, Young Vaughn and Young Cheech.

Maestro Fresh-Wes — "Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!!"

On his third studio album, Toronto rapper Wesley Williams, known as Maestro Fresh Wes, ridicules his Canadian ancestry in the title and antagonizes the entire national scene, in an attempt to approach the East Coast sound of the States and captivate audiences over the border.

Milano & Showbiz — Eating But Still Hungry

Second collaborative album between Showbiz and Milano, after "Boulevard Author" (2019). Both artists keep the Diggin' in the Crates Crew legacy alive with this simple project, eight tracks, about twenty minutes total: minimal East Coast boom bap created by Showbiz, slow at times fluid rap by Milano Constantine. The DITC affiliate also sounds confident and inspired in some moments, nevertheless, the music chosen by Show is never memorable and the tape slips off easily without leaving too many emotions. 6/10.

Showbiz x Milano — Boulevard Author

Excellent boom bap NY production of a Showbiz returned in shape that supports the underground rapper Milano, which was underestimated until yesterday for this DITC record.

Maestro Fresh Wes — Black Tie Affair

Sophomore for Maestro Fresh Wes, a Canadian rapper who in the early nineties tried to cross the border and push himself into the US rap landscape, bouncing back with the meager consolation of having snatched some Canadian awards.

2nd II None — 2nd II None

In 1991, Compton not only continues to represent, but doesn't stop and continues to go very fast. KK and Gangsta D aren't two incredible or particularly capable rappers, indeed, when they can, they try to get closer to the hook sung R&B, yet thanks to a noteworthy production they bring out a pretty honest album, even if far from being counted among the best of the season.

Divine Styler — Word Power

Mark "Divine Styler" Richardson, then known as Mikal Safeyullah, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Becoming friend of Ice-T, he enters in his crew Rhyme Syndicate and in 1989 drops his first studio album. The record is produced along with his friend Bilal Bashir and features The Scheme Team, Divine Styler's crew. It's a pretty extravagant record, a bit like the cover, where you can see the author's name but have difficulty identifying the title, perhaps, and you certainly can't understand that in the bottom right corner it says that the boy's crew is featured.

J Rock — Streetwize

We are in the anno domini one nine, nine one, it's normal that some artist was lost on the street, that he was taken from New York along with his albums. This is one of those cases, the album is just one and it's "Streetwise", the artist who made it chose the name of J Rock — a pseudonym sadly abused over the years with all the possible variants — rapper from Newburgh, halfway between Albany and New York.

Nice & Smooth — Ain't a Damn Thing Changed

Sophomore for Greg Nice and Smooth B, not too different from the previous album, there are their usual funny stories, a bit of drug narratives and a lot of braggadocio. The delivery of the duo is smooth and effortless, this record is decent pop rap without violence, it's neither political nor socio-conscious, and, overall, it's pleasant thanks to a good choice of funky and jazzy samples and excellent rhythms. The rapping of the duo is regular, it allows them to carve out some good cuts in the first part of the record, which is qualitatively better than the second.

"Down the Line" is among the high notes of the effort. Minimal rhythm, skinny, funky, bells looped in the background, excellent smoothness dope flow of Guru, scratches dope of Premier, then Bas Biasta with a good aggressive and syncopated flow, rough hardcore, and three other guests in addition to the duo, all clearly lower than the hardcore delivery of Guru. "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" and "Paranoia" are two other highlights: the latter has a somehow dope rhythm, sax sample on the banal hook, funky simple rhythm with syncopated drum snare, velvet and syncopated deliveries, reggae style in the second part of the track, with faster and tighter drum.

Rating: 6.5/10.

Leaders of the New School — A Future Without a Past

Leaders of the New School released their debut album in 1991. It's a group from Uniondale, New York, made up of Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown, Dinco D and Cut Monitor Milo, the latter being the only one don't provide some rapping here.

Fat Joe & Remy Ma — Plata o Plomo

Fat Joe career his put on hiatus after he's sentenced to federal prison. Released from prison, Joey Crack comes bak stronger than ever, he reunites with Remy Ma for his new single, with French Montana as a guest of honor. The collaboration gives life to the single of the year, "All the Way Up".

Showbiz — A Room Therapy

27 years after the "Soul Clap EP" released together with A.G., Showbiz finds himself releasing his first solo album in career. The cover reflects the record: minimal, dark, solid in its consolidated simplicity.

Freddie Foxxx — Freddie Foxxx is Here

James "Freddie Foxxx" Campbell was born in Long Island, New York. After started rapping in the early eighties, in 1986 he releases "You Gotta Come Out Fresh / Handling Things" as Freddie C, member of Supreme Force, along with Curtis "Cool C" Edwards and Eric "Easy E" Easley, for NIA Records.

I.C.P. — Dog Beats EP

When this extended play came out in February 1991, ICP have already released a studio album and three other EPs; however, this fifth effort is of crucial importance for the group which, despite the numerous projects churned out within a single season, has not yet "arrived".

Sway & King Tech — Concrete Jungle

Skit with shooting, then immediately hip house rhythm: welcome in another episode of "MC Hammer Meets Eazy-E", gentlemen.

Showbiz & AG — Take It Back

Five seasons after "Mugshot Music", Show & AG drop a new effort through DITC Studios and Slice-of-Spice, with a CD limited edition to 1000 copies. The production is realized by Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Motif Alumni, E-Blaze and Diamond D. The guests are DJ Premier, A Bless, John Robinson, Rock Marciano and OC.

Showbiz & AG — Mugshot Music

Ten years after the release of their last official studio album as a duo, Showbiz & AG return to publish something with this release, their third LP. The music is handled by Showbiz. DJ Premier co-produces "Timeless". Parks mixes the whole disk. Frank V. (of Proper Dos) and Jeffrey Nortey (who's is featured in Show & KRS-One joint album "Godsville") are the major guests, with four appearances each. The other guests are OC and DITC affiliated rappers Party Arty and A Bless.

Craig G — The Kingpin

Craig "Craig G" Curry began his career in the recording industry as a child prodigy alongside Marley Marl, releasing his first single "Shout" in 1985 at the age of 12, an electro rap track produced by Marley Marl and released on Pop Art Records under the pseudonym M.C. Craig "G". This was followed by "Transformer" (1985) produced by Marley Marl and an appearance as a human beatbox in the song "Oh! Veronica" (1986) by Glamour Girls (a female rap group also composed of Sweet Tee and Glamorous, one of the female rappers of the Juice Crew All Stars along with Debbie D and Roxanne Shanté), produced by Tony D.

Inner City Posse — Intelligence & Violence

First album of what will then be Insane Clown Posse, with Joseph "Violent J" Bruce and Dale "D-Lyrical" Miettinen Jr. to exchange violent bars on simple, lean, funky, minimal rhythms self-produced. The tape is released by independent Rude Time Productions. The music changes with every track: confused and heavy, light and simple, skinny and minimal, dark and syncopated, lively and vibrant, sometimes frenetic, also presenting both a dark cinematic rhythm both a sort of ballad / hip house joint minimal skinny with chorus interpreted with the vocoder. The two delivering in a decent way, without too many lyrical / technical evolutions, is a decent album, not recommended for anyone who is not a fan of the group or doesn't want to see what the ICP was before being the ICP. 6/10.

Kool Moe Dee — Knowledge Is King

Kool Moe Dee delivers his third effort in three years and, personally, his best. It maintains braggadocio themes and a good-level rapping, however the production is disputable: the MC himself decides to manage a good part of the rhythms of his album and, although he draws from pretty solid and lucid samples (James Brown, Lyn Collins, Babe Ruth, JBs, Melle Mel, Manu Dibango and the usual "UFO" of ESG), creates jazzy beats that are simple, minimal and skeletal, all similar to each other and a bit too generic, with a syncopated, hard and skinny drum machine. LaVaba, Pete Q. Harris and Teddy Riley have one beat each. With a more appropriate production (45 King where are you?) this album would be up there with the best of '89.

Praised by specialized critics, the whole effort is published by Jive, distributed by RCA and leaded by four singles (the dissing towards LL Cool J "Let's Go", "All Night Long", "I Go to Work", "They Want Money"), establishing itself at the top of rnb records and gaining a gold certification by RIAA in three months.

Rating: 7.5/10.

AAVV — Hip Hop Greats: Classic Raps

The best of old school is here. Rhino Records collects ten tracks. It opens and closes with two Sugarhill Gang classics, "Rapper's Delight" in a reduced version of seven minutes, and "8th Wonder". In between, two Melle Mel classics, "White Lines" and "The Message", Fat Boys with the eponymous tune, Newcleus ("Jam On It"), Run DMC ("It's Like That") and The Sequence ("Funk You Up"), the Sugarhill Records women's group. To complete the comp, UTFO with the famous "Roxanne, Roxanne", always mediocre, and "The Breaks", the first cult single in the game created by Kurtis Blow. It's a titanic clash between pioneers that lasts seventy minutes.

Highlights: "Rapper's Delight", "White Lines", "Jam on It", "It's Like That", "The Message", "The Breaks".

Rating: 7.5/10.

Sunz of Man — The Rebirth

New album by Sunz of Man 13 years after their last effort, a compilation, and 16 years after their last official LP. The album features the four members, without Shabazz, and with a limited contribution from Hell Razah after the aneurysm that struck him in 2010. The first side features exclusively songs by the guys in the group produced solely by DJ B Original, then the second part of the CD — also sold in a limited edition on vinyl — boasts several guests and various producers.

Cuban Link — 24-K

Felix "Cuban Link" Delgado was born in Cuba, his family arrived from Mariel to Miami, then permanently settling in The Bronx. Passionate about hip-hop, he starts writing and rapping under the moniker Lyrical Assassin, meeting Christopher "Big Moon Dawg" Rios and Samuel "Joker Jamz" Garcia. The three formed the rap group Full-A-Clips. Richard "Toom" Perez bka Prospect joins the group in 1994 as the fourth member. In 1995, Full-A-Clips (without Toom) is freestyling in the Bronx, when Fat Joe is impressed by Big Pun's skills and decides to sign him, Pun brings with him both Lyrical Assassin both Joker Jamz.