Nas
Hip Hop is Dead
Def Jam (2006)
A hip hop album hasn't sparked this much controversy in years. The title led to many rappers taking great offense. Specifically, southern artists like D4L and Young Jeezy got heated over the title, questioning whom Nas was to make such a declaration. The publicity generated, along with the loyalty of Nas fans, helped Hip Hop is Dead debut at #1 on the Billboard charts. Shortly, the hype was justified. The album starts out with the convincing "Money Over Bullshit," where Nas reminds his adversaries that he's "afraid not of one of you cowards but of my own strength." The Queensbridge native makes it known that he's still a force in the hip hop world. The first four tracks are all solid, until Nas sputters a bit on the mediocre title track. It's not a horrible song, it just recycles the same sample used on Streets Disciple's "Thief's Theme." "Who Killed It," an absurd track in which Nas attempts to replicate the voice of a 1930's detective, follows this up. It's a good concept, but suffers from awful execution. The remainder of the album rounds off nicely. Highlights include the long awaited union with former foe Jay-Z in "Black Republicans." The … Read more
The Ackleys
Forget Forget, Derive Derive
House of Love (2006)
It has to be considered near unforgivable to include the words "They're certainly not the first to write songsââ¬Â¦ and … Read more
Fall Out Boy
Infinity on High
Island (2007)
In the punk scene alone, the collected amount of shit that has been talked about Fall Out Boy could probably … Read more
The Handshake Murders
Usurper
Goodfellow (2007)
I feel like right now is an interesting juncture in "hardcore." With its popularity and accessibility, there are a lot … Read more
