Various: Take The Lead (Never Follow) Soundtrack 2.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 1 Haters and gentlemen, let's be real when it comes to soundtracks. The expectations are generally low. You can pretty much count the really good soundtracks you've heard most likely on one hand, two is a stretch. Most people who buy soundtracks, buy them for ... full story
Sergio Mendes: Timeless 3.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 If you consider yourself a lover of eclectic music, Brazilian legend Sergio Mendes has something you will probably find pleasing to the ear. His new compilation, Timeless, which features major production by the Black Eyed Peas front-man Will.i.am and appearances ... full story
Mobb Deep: Blood Money 3.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 In a 1998 song with Timbaland, Nas cockily claimed, "Already made history/y'all can have that, that ain't sh-- to me." Fellow Queensbridge sons Mobb Deep seem to mirror the same sentiments. While the lethal combination of Prodigy's vivid street soliloquies ... full story
LL Cool J: Todd Smith 3.5 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 LL Cool J is to hip-hop music what Muhammad Ali is to the sport of boxing -- snyomous with success in the genre and a true icon. With his 12th album, Todd Smith, LL makes it evident why his passion for hip-hop is still intact after such a long career. Cool ... full story
Army of the Pharoahs: The Torture Papers 3.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 The first thing you'd notice about Army of the Pharaohs (AOTP) is that they are much larger than normal rap crews, boasting a blistering roster of 12 members. One would instantly think of vintage Wu-Tang hearing so many different emcees at one time, and on ... full story
Jaheim: Ghetto Classics 4.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 When Jaheim's third solo LP, Ghetto Classics, debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, it came as a surprise to many. Maybe it's because the album's first single, "Every Time I Think About Her," has received very limited air and video play, or maybe it's ... full story
Dilated Peoples: 20/20 3.5 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 Contrary to popular belief, West Coast hip-hop doesn't solely entail just "gangsta rap." Though it was artists such as Dr. Dre and the late great Tupac Shakur that helped put L.A. on the hip-hop map, it was their lesser known backpacking counterparts that ... full story
Scarface: My Homies Part 2 3.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 "All hail to the O.G. I spit the game the most dominant," rapped Scarface on "Definition of Real," the first joint from his latest endeavor, My Homies Part 2. Although he didn't get as much commercial play as some of his colleagues, he still garnered iconic ... full story
Ghostface Killah: Fishscale 4.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 Ghostface Killah, arguably the most fly and unique MC in the Wu-Tang Clan, hits listeners with more witty, frantic rants and raves about crack cocaine, fly women, fashion and seemingly everything in between on his new album, Fishscale.Ghost gets his new compilation ... full story
The Product: One Hunnid 4.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 Scarface is one of those artists that when every he drops, you know what to expect: gritty visualizations of the streets expressed through rhyme, heartfelt pain and struggle, and the casting off of the glamorized "rap star" persona. He's a man just speaking ... full story
Various: Ludacris Presents: Disturbing The Peace 3.5 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 With the advent of 50 Cent's "thug makeover" on the rap game, more and more rappers have adjusted to this current trend by toughening up their music. Not drastically in most cases, but just enough to be considered "gangsta" and not fall into that dreaded "pop" ... full story
Ne-Yo: In My Own Words 4.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 In his own words, Def Jam's newest R&B sensation, Ne-Yo, has established himself as a master in the art of storytelling. With a brilliant and creative imagination, Ne-Yo made his mark penning songs for multi-platinum artists such as Mary J. Blige and Beyonce. ... full story
T-Pain: Rappa Ternt Sanga 2.5 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 As repetitive as their rotations on radio stations across the nation have become, "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" are two songs that most people are afraid to admit they love. But deep down inside, they do, and this has peeked the interests of ... full story
T.I.: King 4.0 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 His last album was entitled Urban Legend and he's the self-proclaimed King of The South. Therefore, T.I. wanted a modest title for his next project. So, he named it King. We're being sarcastic...In all seriousness, T.I. has reason to puff his chest out, as ... full story
Bubba Sparxxx: The Charm 3.5 out of 5.0 | Comments: 0 Sometimes, when you try to do something good, everything seems to go absolutely wrong. One word -- frustration. Everyone experiences it and after Bubba Sparxxx dropped The Deliverance in 2003, that's exactly how he felt. Radio didn't play his jams, people ... full story
Features Warren G: Return of the G Warren G is not just your everyday rapper getting ready to release a record through an independent label. The Long Beach ... full story
Editorials & Columns Hustle Harder: The Show Must Go On... I recently went to the Nyourican Cafe, so I could perform at a show my boy Homeboy Sandman was hosting. It was interesting ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Shopping Guide: September 2008 Here's our September installment of the shopping guide for all your avid BallerStatus.com visitors who love the newest ... full story
