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Today marks the anniversary of the debut solo albums of two hip hop superstars: the iconic Snoop Dogg and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip.

Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle was released on this day in 1993, a little more than a year after the Long Beach rapper was featured heavily in Dr. Dre's own legendary debut album, The Chronic. Building on the West Coast sound pioneered by Dre, Doggystyle helped to cement the laid back, funk-influenced sound of  the "G-Funk" subgenre as the defining style of mainstream 90's hip hop. Even though Doggystyle is Snoop's first solo album, his trademark melodic flow and playful lyrics were already fully developed and were lauded by both critics and fell

Hardcore rhymes from Hip-hop underground invades this week's Spotlight Artist as Brooklyn emcee Billy Danze takes the title.

Danze began making a name for himself as one-half of the rap duo Mosh Out Posse (MOP), prominent for their breakout album Warriorz which featured the international hit “Ante Up”, significantly marking mainstream notoriety for Danze and partner Lil' Fame. The single peaked at #25 off the Billboard 200 and #7 on the UK Singles Chart.

Whilst being rostered in a highly-favored rap tandem, Danze flaunts his formidability pursuing a solo career as well. His most recent magnum opus making manifest in the politically-fueled single, “6 O'Clock Briefing”, released with accompa

DIGABLE PLANETS: We be to Rap What Key be to Lock
By Marielle V. Turner for RAPstation.com

There is so much truth to this line Butterfly spits on “The Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat.)”  Their innovative sound really opened a lot of doors for Hip-Hop to become a more intelligent genre.  Digable Planets won a Grammy award in 1994 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for that song.  Their competition for that award were:  Arrested Development for “Revolution,” Cypress Hill for “Insane in the Brain,” Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg for “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” and Naughty by Nature for “Hip Hop Hooray.”  They were also nominated for Best New Artist t

“You Mad?” Short, sweet, and effective. For the better half of the 2000’s the Diplomats ran rap like Usain Runs 100 meter race. You couldn't turn on MTV, BET, or VHI without seeing one or two tracks listed. That legacy unapologetically shines through with Camron and Stances latest release. Featuring the Iconic Pink Cell Phone intermingled with the equally staple pink camo print this collaboration celebrates everything that made Dipsets number one guy so influential in today’s trends. This release feature Stance’s 200 needle style inspired by an upcoming release from Reebok x Camron’s “Ventilator Supreme”. The sock itself is designed with cushioning Terry Loop in the Forefoot, Heel, and Toe areas for added arch support and reinforcement

YG has announced what he calls "The World's 2nd $100 CD," a special limited edition, physical copy of his upcoming Red Friday mixtape, which will only be available on Black Friday.

Red Friday was originally scheduled to only be available digitally, but hardcore YG fans can secure a physical copy of the mixtape for their collections... for a price. The $100 CD will be signed by the Compton rapper and only 1,400 copies of the disc will be printed. The CD will go on sale this Friday at YG's meet and greet event in Oakland, California, and once the CD sells out, it's gone forever.

You can get more details about the eve