Broadway & 52nd
Artist: Us3

Though Us3's second album Broadway & 52nd lacks a single song as infectious as "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)," it holds up better as an album. Geoff Wilkinson is better able to fuse his samples and hip-hop rhythms with jazz sensibilities, and while the rappers weigh the record down with inane rhymes, the production is quite intoxicating. ~ Stephen... Read More

Dirty Weaponry
Artist: Killarmy
Community Score: 7.96

With their second album, Dirty Weaponry, Killarmy makes great strides toward distinguishing themselves as an individual crew, not just a third-generation Wu-Tang relative. There's still traces of RZA and the Wu, to be sure, but the 4th Disciple's production has begun to develop its own identity, particularly in that his beats are fleshier and... Read More

Behind the Front
Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Community Score: 6.72

Black Eyed Peas bring some positivity and fun back into hip-hop. Musically there is almost no realm this group does not touch -- right from the jump, the stylistic innocence of "Fallen Up," complete with striking guitar licks, sums up what BEP is all about. They attack the so-called hardcore MCs playing the role of dress-up: "I see you try to... Read More

MDMA, Vol. 1
Artist: DJ Skribble
Community Score: 9.00

MDMA stands for "Music 4 Dance, Music 4 Attitude" and that credo perfectly sums up this continuous mix album by DJ Skribble and Anthony Acid. The two DJs/mixers link together 16 tracks, ranging from original pieces to songs by Marina, Ell is D, J. Cee, Kenlou 6, the Jungle Brothers, Razor & Go, Fire Island and Junior Vasquez. It's a continually... Read More

HII
Artist: DJ Honda
Community Score: 7.50

DJ Honda's second album HII is a quantum leap over his debut, largely because he's given himself freedom to cut-and-paste his own backgrounds and he's enlisted a number of collaborators (X-ecutioners, KRS-One, Mos Def) to spice up the mix. He's not a post-modernist like DJ Shadow -- he's a modern hip-hop DJ, reviving the musical adventure of... Read More

Militia
Artist: Militia
Community Score: 10.00

Militia's eponymous debut album is a skillful fusion of hardcore East Coast hip-hop and funky West Coast gangsta rap that manages to be distinctive. From time to time, they fall back on both lyrical and musical clichés, but that happens only occasionally. More frequently, the Bay Area crew pulls everything together. The members of the crew come... Read More

NY Reality Check 101
Artist: Haze
The 18th Letter
Artist: Rakim
Community Score: 8.75

It took Rakim five years to begin his solo career, but the wait was worth it -- The 18th Letter is one of the strongest records a veteran rapper released in the late '90s. Working with a variety of producers (Pete Rock, Clark Kent, Father Shaheed, DJ Premier), Rakim sounds sharp, focused, and strong, rapping with a force unheard of on his... Read More

The Psycho Realm
Artist: The Psycho Realm
Community Score: 9.70

The Psycho Realm's eponymous debut album is an impressive collection of hardcore West Coast gangsta rap. Led by B Real, one of the masterminds behind Cypress Hill, the trio is a dark hardcore outfit -- there's genuine menace in their rhymes and music, which is why it hits so hard. Where other crews deal with cartoonish violence, the Psycho... Read More

One Day It'll All Make Sense
Artist: Common
Community Score: 6.91

With his previous records (released under the name Common Sense), Common demonstrated that he was one of the few Midwestern rappers to have a unique vision, but One Day It'll All Make Sense is where his talents come into focus. Blending hip-hop with jazz is a '90s cliché, but Common relies on bebop rhythms and street poetry, resulting in an... Read More

The Equinox
Artist: Organized Konfusion
Community Score: 7.55

Quite possibly one of the most underrated East Coast rap groups, Organized Konfusion's Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch deliver an album full of stimulating lyrics and well-arranged instrumentation on The Equinox, the group's third full-length project. Po and Monch extended their artistic reach by producing five of the 14 songs; each of the... Read More

2000 Fold
Artist: Styles of Beyond
Community Score: 9.00

Styles of Beyond keep one foot firmly planted in the hip-hop underground, while the other one jets forward into wholly uncharted territory on its debut album 2000 Fold. Despite their sometimes bizarre lyrical flights of fancy, Ryu and Takbir opt to maintain the menacing delivery of most hardcore and street MCs, but that does not render the... Read More