The College Dropout 10 Years Later

When The College Dropout dropped, I was 13 years old and in 8th grade. Living in the suburbs at the time, there wasn’t a lot for a young hip-hop head to really connect with. Ja Rule was rapping about the “thug life” with Ashanti and Irv Gotti, Ludacris was shouting for folks to “Get Back”, T.I. […]

[Mixtape] Kaytranada: “Instrumental Hip-hop Is Dead”

Today, Hypetrak released its latest artist-rendered mix from the ever-eclectic Kaytranada. Instrumental Hip-Hop Is Dead is described by Hypetrak as “an intriguing selection of hard-hitting unreleased production. Much closer to Dilla‘s Donuts than a DJ mix”. Apparently, Kaytranada is declaring the end of instrumental hip-hop, just when it seemed to be making a comeback. His […]

[Album] J Dilla: “Dillatroit”

J Dilla is one of the most revered and influential artists to ever touch the hip-hop world. Taken too early, at the age of 32, the Detroit producer music has lived on in a multitude of ways. Inspiring everyone from Flying Lotus to Mac Miller, it is almost blasphemy to not list him as one […]

Elzhi Turns to Kickstarter for Next Album

Talk about independent. Detroit MC Elzhi announced today that he will fund his next project strictly off the crowd-source funding site Kickstarter. Elzhi is underground to those not in the know and one of the low-key hottest artists in the Midwest to those who do. Having first hit the scene on J Dilla’s milestone project, […]