There are also some killer posse cuts like "Ballers," featuring the Big Tymers, Hot Boyz, and Three 6 Mafia; "Choppers," featuring B.G. and the Big Tymers; and "Rinky Dink/Whatever Ho," which features the Hypnotize Camp Posse. GHETTY GREEN packs plenty ...

Within the opening minutes of Leela James's debut, A CHANGE IS GONNA COME, the full-voiced performer name-checks both Chaka Khan and Marvin Gaye. Evoking these revered soul artists is quite appropriate, since James deftly incorporates elements of these singers' styles ...

BIGGER AND DEFFER was the album which took LL from up-and-coming artist to the mantle of both pop star and rap legend. The title track, the album' s opening mission statement was only one of BIGGER AND DEFFER's memorable hits--"I ...

Sharon Jones (Dap-Kings)/Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (Dap-Kings): Sharon Jones (vocals); Tommy "TNT" Brenneck (guitar, piano); El Michels (baritone saxophone); Dave Guy (trumpet); Bosco Mann (bass guitar); Boogaloo Velez (congas); Neal Sugarman, Homer Steinweiss, Binky Griptite. NATURALLY was released in 2008, ...

This compilation features selected tracks from En Vogue's 6 albums originally released on Atlantic, East/West and Elektra between 1990 and 2000. Additional personnel includes: Salt 'N Pepa, Debbie T (rap vocals); Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy [FMob] (spoken vocals, keyboards, drum programming); Jinx ...

Additional personnel includes: Dr. Dre, Xzibit, Kurrupt, Battle Cat, Bad Azz, Jayo Felony, Rappin' 4-Tay, Nate Dogg, Warren G., CPO, Pinky, Suga Free, Bugsy Seigal, Butch Cassidy, Pretty Tony, Kokane, Kam (vocals); Doggy's Angels (various instruments). Though Tha Eastsidaz are a ...

The self-sufficient X Clan should've made a bigger splash with To the East, Blackwards, the group's debut album for 4th & Broadway. Name-dropping Nat Turner and Marcus Garvey and dressing in red, black, and green instead of black and silver ...

This is one for the time capsule or at least a permanent slot in the CD changer. Heart-rendering soul music by one of its best purveyors, buoyed by two excellent falsetto singers -- silky smooth Charles McCormick and the exciting ...

Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (Universal Studios West, North Hollywood, California). Includes liner notes by Tom Terrell. Compilation producer: Mike Ragogna. Liner Note Author: Tom Terrell. The Millennium Collection: The Best of L.T.D. gathers 12 of the California soul/funk outfit's biggest hits, including "We ...

INCOGNEGRO is also available on Def Jam South Records [584 137] as BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME with three new tracks. This is a unique case of an album having two lives. Initially released on a relatively small, underground hip-hop label, ...

The man with the world's sexiest voice took a lot of flak, and was often parodied by those who were not soul/disco fans. His fans thought differently, which made him one of the most successful acts of the 70s. For ...

Invigorating head music done Rastafarian style by Cymande. "Zion I" is a spiritual chant put to music, setting the mood for Cymande. A laid-back "One More" lulls you into subliminal meditation before "Getting It Back" jolts you into some scintillating ...

In Barry White's world, everything revolves around the sentiment of love. Giving love, receiving love, and spreading love, all set to a symphonic rhapsody of lush musical arrangements. These are the ingredients with which White has crafted a solid career ...

The self-titled debut from Jamaican dancehall singer Collie Buddz makes good on the promise of his smash-hit single "Come Around." A bouncy, catchy, feel-good ode to the powers of herbal intoxicants, "Come Around" rattled the charts in Europe, the U.S., ...

Though unlikely, the marriage of Dirty South forefathers Eightball & MJG and Bad Boy Records--including its resident impresario/superstar P. Diddy--is undeniably appealing. It's intriguing to see what one of the most successful NYC producers can do for a pair whose ...

Released in 1985, RADIO marks the debut of hip-hop icon LL Cool J. Only in his late teens at the time, the strikingly handsome LL (born James Todd Smith) unleashed 11 supremely confident rhymes with a powerful, fearsome delivery that ...

On JUST TRYIN' TA LIVE, Devin the Dude presents himself as a streetwise hip-hop artist who's got enough pop smarts to make his music accessible to the general public, but enough credibility to keep things on the real side. Though ...

The glut of faceless, interchangeable new jack swing artists plaguing urban contemporary radio in the early '90s served one useful purpose: they reminded you how exciting the originators of the style (Guy, Bobby Brown, and Keith Sweat, among others) could ...

All songs written or co-written by T. Shaw. Contains 10 samples including "Hollywood Squares" (as performed by Bootsy Collins), "Hollywood Swinging" (as performed by Kool And The Gang), "Shameless" (as performed by Wilson Picket) and "Freak Of The Week" (as ...

Once a member of N.W.A., Ice Cube has consistently put out hits and, throughout his music and film career, has remained admired by the hip-hop community. Rough and rugged, but true and to the point, only Ice Cube can address ...

Recorded between 1963 and 1968. Includes liner notes by Joseph F. Laredo. Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (Universal Mastering Studios-West, North Hollywood, California). The omission of Stewart's heartfelt "How Nice It Is," one of his seven best singles, is the only sore ...

After the success of his 2004 debut LYFE 268-192, which focused on the journey that brought Jennings to prison and out of it, the singer continued the personal and intimate tone that made that debut so intriguing. THE PHOENIX starts ...

Recorded between 1961 and 1977. Includes liner notes by Robert Pruter. Digitally remastered by Robert Stoughton (MCA Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California). If Chuck D. is the modern music's incarnation of Malcolm X, then Curtis Mayfield must surely be its Martin Luther ...

Vintage is not entirely the case on this compilation of early works and more recent endeavors from Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne. Tech's been down for a minute, trading verses with everyone from the mighty 2Pac to the real Slim ...

Track Listing: Intro; Uncut Raw; Gimme Your's; Ho Happy Jackie; Rather Unique; I Feel For You; Sugar Hill; Mo Money, Mo Murder; Doe Or Die; We Can't Win; Your World Don't Stop; Sugar Hill;