http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums DJBooth.net's reviews of top Hip Hop albums and Mixtapes. en Copyright 2008 2008-05-12T04:10:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/kidz-in-the-hall-the-in-crowd-05110801/ So which side are you on? Are you a hustler or a hip-popper? A club-head or a socially conscious tree-hugger? Because you have to pick a side. Did you know it’s illegal to own both a Young Jeezy and a Talib Kweli album? And if you dare let both a G-Unit and a Game song pass through your speakers, you’ll be immediately put to death. Because this is hip-hop, and in hip-hop you have to pledge … 2008-05-12T04:10:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/estelle-shine-0507081/ The British are coming! The British are coming! Over here in the good ol’ U.S. of A we (sadly) don’t take kindly to outsiders, especially when it comes to our beloved hip-hop and r&b, but recently there’s been a new wave of English-born singers coming across our borders. While these U.K. groundbreakers are far from a monolithic group (Corinne Bailey Rae and Amy Winehouse anyone), they do have a few things in common: they’re all women, … 2008-05-07T06:08:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/9th-wonder-buckshot-the-formula-0505081/ Every artist uses a formula.  If you hear a track built around slow-paced percussion and a high-pitched vocal sample, chances are you’re listening to Kanye.  And at this point it takes about half a second to recognize a new R. Kelly song. How is it that easy to pick out a Kells joint, even before he opens his mouth? Because his formula is so distinct it’s immediately recognizable - it’s like his audio fingerprint. On that … 2008-05-05T04:01:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/lil-mama-vyp-voice-of-the-young-people-0502081/ I find it hard to believe no one else has noticed this, but no other writer seems to want to bring it up, so I guess it’s up to me. Here it goes: is it just me, or does Lil Mama look like she’s 34? You know those tv shows that are supposedly about high school kids, but all the actors are in their mid 20’s?  (Saved By the Bell comes to mind, but I’m just … 2008-05-02T04:25:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/lyfe-jennings-lyfe-change-0430081/ Unlike some other people I can mention, Lyfe Jennings has actually done time in prison.  I point that out not to add fuel to the gossip fire, but because those hard times have embedded Lyfe’s voice with a raspy weariness built to convey emotion.  Thankfully on his third album, the aptly named Lyfe Change, the man with the simultaneously smooth and gritty voice has crafted a musical work worthy of his always high potential.  It’s too … 2008-04-30T04:06:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/the-roots-rising-down-0428081/ There will never be another group like The Roots.  In an industry that’s currently cycling through new artists quicker than Weezy going through a bottle of syrup, Philly’s finest have somehow managed to develop a constantly evolving musical mission that has earned them a following willing to wait in line to buy their albums.  Speaking of which, tomorrow The Legendary Roots Crew will drop their eighth studio album, the archaically titled Rising Down.  While Rising certainly … 2008-04-28T04:01:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/prodigy-hnic-pt-2-0425081/ Tomorrow morning you’re going to wake up, get dressed, board a bus, and then go to sleep in prison.  You’re slated to be released in three years, maybe less with good behavior, maybe more if you get in a fight or two.  Maybe you never make it out.  Knowing that grim scenario lay before you, what would you do with your last few days as a free man?  Would you spend your time in a Patron … 2008-04-25T05:50:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/tiffany-evans-tiffany-evans-0423081/ If Tiffany Evans can’t make it, then America is in trouble.  It’s no secret that the only thing this country loves more than bacon cheeseburgers is sex and celebrity scandals (preferably involving celebrities having sex), but the constant media barrage of booty, cash and coke can get old for even the roughest thug.  Now before I get accused of preaching, let me point out that most nights you can find me watching American Gangster while listening … 2008-04-23T06:37:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/bizzy-bone-a-song-for-you-0421081/ God is not welcome in hip-hop – at least when it comes to radio and television. It seems like the only time the big man upstairs gets mentioned at all is during shout-outs, my personal favorite being the obligatory, ‘I’d like to thank Jesus for making my single Shut Up And Strip B**ch such a success.” Now there are of course a few exceptions (most prominently Kanye, who’s rhymed extensively about his struggle to walk with … 2008-04-21T04:05:00-05:00 http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/rich-boy-bigger-than-the-mayor-0417081/ Rich Boy’s career is at the crossroads. Ten years from now he’ll either be the first rapper from Alabama to truly make it big, or just another guy picking up girls by dropping the old “you know I used to famous” line.  Frankly it could really go either way.  Let’s review: Throw Some D’s was a monumental smash, but recently we’ve seen a parade of rappers rewrite the definition of “one-hit wonder.’ If the public is … 2008-04-17T06:28:00-05:00