Max Weinstein
Who Flipped It Better? Madlib vs. DJ Paul & Juicy J
The Sample: The Manhattans - Wish That You Were Mine
The Manhattans are one of the best slept-on soul groups of the '60s and '70s. Groups with bigger profiles, like The Impressions, The Temptations, and The Blue Notes tend to get more recognition, while other groups like The Emotions and The O'Jays had bigger hits, but The Manhattans kept it simple with a warmth that still glows today...
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, ‘Pinata’ [ALBUM REVIEW]
How good is Freddie Gibbs & Madlib's collaborative album 'Piñata?' Real good. Read our review and find out why.
This or That? Western Tink vs. Tink
Politically correct readers rejoice – we’re comparing a male and female rapper today. No one can escape the scrutiny. And the female wins.
Rappers struggle with beats sometimes. You download their mixtape and it feels like they attack the beat the way Will Ferrell and Adam Scott hug in ‘Step Brothers’ - awkward doesn’t even begin to describe it...
Who Flipped It Better? Souls of Mischief vs. Rick Ross vs. Big K.R.I.T.
The Sample: Billy Cobham – ‘Heather’
When you think of jazz fusion in the '70s, you should think of George Duke. The keyboardist/vocalist was born in California and became a Bay Area jazz legend who would eventually branch off into rock experimentation and R&B. Hi...
This or That? Iggy Azalea vs. Azealia Banks
Oh boy. So we’re gonna talk about Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks. One seems to have talent, even while seeming to self-sabotage her career. The other…Man I don’t want to get in trouble for this.
Female rappers have been getting the short end of the magic stick ever since Angie Martinez started rapping...
Who Flipped It Better? Curren$y vs. C-Bo
Which artist did more with this Jacksons string sample? C-Bo or Curren$y?
This or That? Shirt vs. Earl Sweatshirt vs. Preacher Earl
This week is a three-man fight to the death. An unfortunate rapper, a seemingly Xanax-prescribed rapper, and a forgotten rapper walk into a bar. One pretends that he’s drunk, one is already dozing off, and the other one breathes fire. Who do you think wins?
Who Flipped It Better? Schoolboy Q Vs. Mobb Deep
The Sample: Gary Burton - 'Las Vegas Tango'
The vibraphone. An instrument so seductive it’s both stunning in effect and somewhat rare to find played. Lionel Hampton was one of the first to ever bring the vibraphone to wider audiences in the late 1920s and early '30s, and greats like Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, and Roy Ayers would continue to popularize it’s distinct sound throughout the centur
ScHoolboy Q, ‘Oxymoron’ [ALBUM REVIEW]
Has ScHoolboy Q struck gold with his major label debut, 'Oxymoron,' or missed the mark?
This Or That? Joey Bada$$ vs. Bad Azz
The rumor’s out: Joey Bada$$ is reconsidering that offer from Roc Nation that he mentioned balking at on ‘1 Train.’ It’s kind of like when someone offers you something really dope but you think you’re above it so you pass, but then you realize that you’re actually not and you become desperate for it, and by now the person that offered knows better...