By Hua Hsu, eMusic ContributorBefore there was a family, there was the Dungeon — otherwise known as Rico Wade's mom's basement. It was in the magically stank Dungeon — described by Cee-Lo as "a crawl space with a bench… more »
By Andrew Parks, eMusic ContributorIf Friday was a little sleepy and Saturday a little scrappy, the final day of Pitchfork's annual summer music festival was caught somewhere in between — Lollapalooza-like in scope when it came to R. Kelly,… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorFrom the fiery blast of White Lung to the superb showmanship of R. Kelly to the rowdy, jagged guitars of Parquet Courts, we've got you covered when it comes to who you should be seeing… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorHeaded to Tennessee but still not sure who you want to see? Fear not: We've boiled the brain-busting Bonnaroo schedule down to 20 essential sets. more »
By J. Edward Keyes, Editor-in-ChiefFor those of us who are SXSW vets, talk of the festival can often be accompanied by a sense of exhaustion – the kind of defeated delirium that comes from walking down the same Austin… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic Contributor[Until the end of the year, we'll be featuring Daily Downloads from albums that made our list of the Best Albums of 2012] Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike and NYC rapper/producer El-P are local legends who have at times seemed like their best years were behind them. In that sense, R.A.P. Music is a little bit like Blaqkout, the excellent 2009 collaboration between DJ Quik and Kurupt — an album made that much sweeter by the fact that so few would’ve predicted it. Mike is a classicist, a real-talk rapper doing what in his view, song and dance men wouldn’t dare: “This is church, front pew, amen, pulpit, what my people need and the opposite of bullshit,” he boasts on the title track. Given how gifted he is, his own lack of commercial success serves as proof that the state of rap as popular music might be as fouled-up as he claims. Mike’s clever this way: What… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorEvery year, when eMusic's editorial staff compiles our annual best-of list, the goal is never to come to some kind of academic determination of the year's best records via a series of complicated formulas and… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorWith the 2012 presidential-election debates kicking off this week, we've all got a lot of Big Issues on our minds: what's next for our economy, the state of healthcare, same-sex marriage, and countless others. To… more »
By Hua Hsu, eMusic ContributorThere have been a lot of great solo rappers — or rappers with great singles — who have been part of the Dungeon Family: Witchdoctor, Cool Breeze, Slimm Calhoun, Backbone. Killer Mike is the one… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorKiller Mike's R.A.P. Music remains one of the year's best hip-hop records -- tough, deftly-executed, uncompromising, and full of stunning wordplay. The video for Mike's "Untitled" is just as savvy, putting Mike at the center… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorWe're about halfway through the year, which means even if you're behind on new releases, there's still plenty of time to catch up on what you might've missed. Here are some of our editors' favorites… more »
By Mike Powell, eMusic ContributorAtlanta-based rapper Killer Mike and NYC rapper/producer El-P are local legends who have at times seemed like their best years were behind them. In that sense, R.A.P. Music is a little bit like Blaqkout, the… more »
By Mike Powell, eMusic ContributorAtlanta-based rapper Killer Mike and NYC rapper/producer El-P are local legends who have at times seemed like their best years were behind them. In that sense, R.A.P. Music is a little bit like Blaqkout, the… more »
By Jayson Greene, Managing EditorEl-P -- underground rap legend, founder of Definitive Jux, member of Company Flow, and one of the main reasons that the term"indie-rap" exists at all -- is back. He has two full-length albums coming out… more »
By J. Edward Keyes, Editor-in-Chief I thought it wasn't a big release day, but then it totally was! True story. Let's get started: Heartless Bastards, Arrow: More bluesy, road-trip-worthy rock from Heartless Bastards, fronted by the mighty Erika Wennerstrom. RECOMMENDED. From… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorIt was a year full of surprising breakouts and breathtaking discoveries, with reliable favorites from familiar faces and strong entries from new voices. These are our Top 100 Records of 2011. more »
By J. Edward Keyes, Editor-in-Chief Hello! As some of you may have noticed, there was no New Arrivals roundup last week -- largely because there were only a handful of records that came out on Tuesday, and short weeks have… more »
By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorEvery year, a mountain of records is unleashed on an unsuspecting public. And while many move to "Instant Favorite" status, it's inevitable that even more will fall through the cracks. With five months left in… more »
By Marc Hogan, eMusic ContributorThough Killer Mike got his break as a tough-guy OutKast guest, he has increasingly established himself as the favorite political rapper of people who hate political rappers. The blunt-spoken Atlanta MC's stylish, impassioned outrage culminates… more »
