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Look for the upcoming REKS album, The Greatest X, (pronounced The Greatest Unknown) in summer 2016 on Brick Records. It will feature production from Large Professor, The Alchemist, Evidence, Statik Selektah, Nottz, Apollo Brown, Black Milk, MoSS, Buckwild and Streetrunner. Guest appearances will include R.A. The Rugged Man, Slaine, Termanology, Planet Asia, Rasco, Phat Kat, Guilty Simpson, Akrobatik, Reef the Lost Cauze, Dutch Rebelle, Edo G and others. REKS explains the motivation for the song "Hands Up” (Wink Wink) was made as a wake up call to those tuned out to our realities and engaged by societal distractions. “In essence, I believe when a class of citizens are oppressed for an extended period of time, there is a point where they have little choice but to awaken. In today

Hip-hop essentially began in Jamaica. Kingston-native Kool Herc grew up hearing the sounds of the Jamaican neighborhoods, which included lively dancehall parties and “toasting,” the DJ’s accompanying speech to their music. In 1967, he emigrated to the Bronx, New York and took that style with him to 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. Toasting became emceeing and, of course, the rest is history. It’s only natural that reggae and hip-hop are mentioned in the same breath.  Reggae artist Nesbeth grew up in Trench Town, West Kingston on the island of Jamaica, an area often referred to as “The Concrete Jungle” due to the high crime rates and constant economic struggles. Music was the one bright spot in his life, and soon he began to experiment with recording his own voice and carving out his o

The career of Royce Da 5’9” does not fit neatly into an archetype storyline. For better or worse, it’s one of a kind. Who else can claim to be an artist who lives in the creative company of giants, and at the same time, accessible to the underground movement that birthed his career? Between Slaughterhouse, PRhyme, and Bad Meets Evil, the Detroit, Michigan MC has three dominant, differently successful groups he co-founded, all pulling from different parts of his skill and personality. That is before Nickel’s extensive solo catalog is even mentioned. On April 15, 2016 Royce will release his sixth studio album, LAYERS, via Bad Half Entertainment/ INgrooves. This will be his first solo album in nearly five years and the very first for his Bad Half imprint, and as the album title su

Santigold’s name has been popping up all over the internet lately as her new album, 99¢, gets ready to hit the masses. The Brooklyn-based artist has been working on it for a long time, basically since her last album, 2012’s Master of My Make-Believe. Santigold, real name Santi White, finds herself in high spirits since the birth of son Radek 22 months ago and the new album reflects that. With uptempo songs like “Can’t Get Enough of Myself” and “Who Be Lovin’ Me” featuring ILOVEMAKONNEN, it’s clear her vibe is playful, but at the same time, she’s diving into some pretty serious topics. True to the album art, which features White packaged in plastic wrap and surrounded by various bargain bin items, the theme of the record is addressing the marketing, ma

Known by millions for keeping her lip gloss popping, for her epic performance in the TLC biopic, and for smashing the music video scene with "Sausage," Lil Mama eloquently asked fans to Take Me Back: the title of her recently released seven-track mixtape (which was released on 12-18-15), which is available for free download at www.iamlilmama.com or at her Soundcloud page. Take Me Back features a throwback futuristic sound reminiscent of the 90's, as Lil Mama cleverly "takes us back" to that hypnotic golden age era of hip-hop saying, “I am really proud of the work that I did on Take Me Back. It was a journey to complete, as I emptied my heart into the music. I infused older tracks and beats and paired them with new content and lyrics.” The nostalgic set also showcases Lil M

Kehlani Parrish, known professionally as Kehlani, was born on April 24, 1995 in Oakland, California. The R&B singer-songwriter is currently signed to Atlantic Records. She achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group, PopLyfe, which was a finalist on America’s Got Talent. Kehlani released her first mixtape, Cloud 19, in 2014 which was listed among Complex’s “50 Best Albums of 2014”. Kehlani's second mixtape, You Should Be Here, premiered at number 2 on the national R&B charts in 2015 and preceded her sold-out North American tour. She’s gone on to explain her ethnicity as “black, white, Native American, and hispanic”. Raised by her aunt, due to her father’s early death and her mother coming in and out of prison, she attended