SYLVAIN BERTOT – Independent Rap (new edition)
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SYLVAIN BERTOT – Independent Rap (new edition)

Of the four books we have published, "Independent Rap" is the most personal and the most substantial. Originally published in 2014, this work is the culmination of fifteen years spent exploring in minute detail the underground movement that, on the fringes of mainstream hip-hop, made a name for itself in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2025, it is reissued in a revised and expanded edition.
PRODIGY – My Infamous Life
Posted inBooks

PRODIGY – My Infamous Life

One half of Mobb Deep, then serving time in prison, tells his life story. This autobiography is an account of the usual sex, drugs & rock ’n’ roll antics, transposed to the world of rap, with the same New York streets depicted in the duo’s lyrics as its backdrop. But it also explains how family heritage and a nasty genetic disease shaped Albert Johnson — how they created Prodigy, the rapper.
ATMOSPHERE – You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having
Posted inRap albums

ATMOSPHERE – You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having

While Slug talks about his romantic troubles, opens up about his attachment to his family, his distrust of big business, and the everyday realities of life as an artist, Ant outdoes himself on production. Atmosphere did not become one of indie rap’s most iconic groups for nothing: they have released other outstanding albums. But this one may well be their most accomplished.
50 CENT – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
Posted inRap albums

50 CENT – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’

"Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" is one of the greatest successes in the history of rap, and of course, a milestone in the evolution of this music. With 50 Cent’s triumph, the gangsta register asserts itself ever more firmly as the heart of hip-hop, and blockbusters break free from regional formulas, drawing on whatever works best. Here, we truly enter the rap of the new century.
BEANIE SIGEL – The B. Coming
Posted inRap albums

BEANIE SIGEL – The B. Coming

This third album is often regarded as Beanie Sigel’s masterpiece. On this blockbuster from Roc-A-Fella’s glory years, released while he was behind bars, the Philadelphia rapper - caught up by the criminal life he had been living - draws on the fury of a street hustler, the pride of a man who made it out, and the melancholy of a bad boy unable to escape the pull of the ghetto.
ALL STAR – Starlito’s Way 2
Posted inRap albums

ALL STAR – Starlito’s Way 2

After rubbing shoulders with the biggest names - Lil Wayne first and foremost - All Star changes course. Like the protagonist of "Carlito’s Way", a gangster trying to leave the life behind, he abandons flashy rap. On this double album, the Nashville rapper turns to resentment, abandonment, and bitterness. He becomes Starlito, one of the most respected rappers of the years to come.
MAX B & FRENCH MONTANA – Coke Wave
Posted inRap mixtapes

MAX B & FRENCH MONTANA – Coke Wave

One of the major mixtapes of 2009 was also a turning point in the careers of its creators. While French Montana would become a rap star, Max B was about to begin a seemingly endless prison sentence. But for the duration of this release, the two men, united by their hatred of Jim Jones, complement each other perfectly as they make songs from all kinds of sources their own.
50 CENT & G-UNIT – 50 Cent Is The Future
Posted inRap mixtapes

50 CENT & G-UNIT – 50 Cent Is The Future

The phenomenal success of 50 Cent and G-Unit starts here. It begins with this mixtape, on which the rapper and his crew hijack other artists' beats and make them their own. It begins with this masterfully executed release, that will become the soundtrack of the summer of 2002. It is here, also, that 50 Cent cements the image of the untouchable gangster that will define his career.
DANNY BROWN – XXX
Posted inRap albums

DANNY BROWN – XXX

Danny Brown, the rapper with the towering shock of hair and broken teeth, has a bit of everything. Boom bap and weird rap. Drugged-out lyrics and “conscious” rap. Humor and seriousness. No track sounds quite like the next, and that is precisely what makes the Detroit rapper so compelling. A late bloomer at thirty, this seasoned veteran finally joins the big leagues with "XXX".
ABN – It Is What It Is
Posted inRap albums

ABN – It Is What It Is

Long before they came to blows, the so-called cousins Trae and Z-Ro worked together as a duo. This second Assholes By Nature album, in particular, is a real gem. The two Houston rappers unleash their tales of everyday crime at full throttle, with insolence, pride, and flash. Yet beneath the bravado, their warm voices and melodic, carefully crafted sounds also carry a hint of melancholy.
ADLIB – International Beats
Posted inRap albums

ADLIB – International Beats

After performing with Global Phlowtations - a collective within the extended Project Blowed family - Thavius Beck established himself first as one half of Labwaste, before earning further recognition through his solo work. His finest album, however, may well be this understated compilation of instrumental tracks, released only on CD-R and in digital format under his original alias, Adlib.
AWOL ONE & FACTOR – Only Death Can Kill You
Posted inRap albums

AWOL ONE & FACTOR – Only Death Can Kill You

In the 2000s, deep within the California underground that had emerged in the wake of Project Blowed, in that extraordinary world known only to a happy few, Awol One was almost a star. And yet it is not easy to single out one undisputed masterpiece in his catalogue. Unless it is this album - more consistent than most - released relatively later in his career with Canadian beatmaker Factor.