Mikey counts down the hits…of 1980.
Posts tagged "rap music"
25 Years Of Fear Of A Black Planet
If you were to ask me to list my favorite rap albums of all time (hey, there’s an idea for a future list), Public Enemy’s Fear Of A Black Planet would be near the top of that list. The album broke new ground sonically and lyrically, and should be an essential part of any hip-hop fan’s collection. As a 13 year old who was already knee deep in hip-hop when Fear came out, the album was a watershed moment in my […]
Blerd Radio 2014| Episode 13: The In Sound From Way Out
Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D get the podcast treatment from the Blerd Radio team.
Jay-Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail: Album Review
If you’ve grown up with Jay-Z as a consistent presence in your life, it’s difficult to be critical of him. That might have to do with his fairly remarkable record – although he’s only released a handful of stone-cold classics (Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint unimpeachably, and I’d argue for The Black Album too), he’s released plenty of good albums, with few (if any) clunkers in the bunch. I mean, sure, Kingdom Come and American Gangster weren’t really what anyone […]
We Saw It: The Kings of the Mic Tour @ Bank of America Pavilion, Boston
A group of hip-hop legends (Doug E. Fresh excluded) descended onto Boston last week for an amazing live experience.
Mini-bLISTerd: A Tribute to the Style of Nile
If you like music and you’ve been on the Internet in the past few weeks, you can’t go far without seeing Daft Punk’s name in print. The French dance duo came back in a big way this month with the release of Random Access Memories , a stirringly retro dance album and their first proper studio album in eight years (a live album and the soundtrack to TRON: Legacy have all appeared in the interim). Deftly zigging where an EDM-fueled crowd expected them to […]
Snoop Lion, Reincarnated: Album Review
Snoop Dogg? Snoop Lion? Whatever the hell you call him, he has a record out.
Ghostface Killah, Twelve Reasons to Die: Album Review
A grisly, retro-fitted, blood-spattered, cinematic Tarantino pastiche for music nerds and hip-hop heads everywhere, Ghostface Killah’s enthralling Twelve Reasons to Die isn’t merely the emcee’s finest hour since 2006’s career-high Fishscale; it’s also, assuming it gets the respect it deserves, poised to be hip-hop’s most prominent excursion into the grindhouse, and the true breakthrough of producer Adrian Younge. Or perhaps “composer” is the better word. Twelve Reasons to Die is the result of a miraculous and rare synergy between sound […]
Lil’ Wayne, I Am Not A Human Being II: Spin Cycle
Introduction: Lil’ Wayne is almost cool. For a few brief, shining moments, Lil’ Wayne’s latest album flirts with being cool. Like, legitimately cool from a musical standpoint, not merely cool in the sense that Lil’ Wayne fans tend to cling to that ludicrous period of time where people were calling him the greatest rapper alive. “IANAHB” opens the record with a flurry of ominous piano chords; it seems as though it’s setting the stage for a dark, piano-laced beat, but […]
The Popblerd Interview: Soul Khan
New York-based rapper Soul Khan is making moves, both literally and figuratively. Once known as a titan of the burgeoning battle-rap scene, Soul Khan’s focus these days is making music. Lots and lots of music. Since retiring from dismantling opponents to focus on his art, one thing’s become clear: Khan is a hungry, creative emcee. His vast network of personal and professional acquaintances unite to make each album or EP unique, vivid; in December of 2012, he concluded a run […]
Drews & Don’ts: The Top 7 Great Unheralded Albums By Oft-Heralded Artists
Every Wednesday, music nerd and serial list-maker Drew brings you a small, highly specific, pop culture-related list to either enjoy or inspire debate. He remains the only Popblerd staffer pretentious enough to name a column after himself. First things first: these aren’t necessarily the most underrated albums of all time. That’s a different column for a different day, and for my money, would probably be populated with a fairly tiresome amount of Boston bands (still the liveliest music city I’ve […]
bLISTerd Presents: The 100 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time (Part One)
Popblerd’s list of the best rap albums of all time kicks off with classics from Queen Latifah, The Roots and Organized Konfusion! Plus, an underlooked (IMO) album from OutKast!