50 CENT – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
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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.
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.
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
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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.
ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM – Tragic Epilogue
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ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM – Tragic Epilogue

After several years of activity around the Nuyorican Café and the Rap Meets Poetry movement, High Priest, Beans and M. Sayyid finally stretch out over a full-length album, accompanied by DJ E. Blaize’s electronic sounds and backed by a handful of underground hip-hop icons. True to their name, the Anti-Pop Consortium deliver a harsh, challenging brand of rap. But it’s absolutely brilliant.