The East Oakland backpacker crew are members of the loose underground hip-hop consortium known as Hieroglyphics. The group consists of four erudite but hardcore MCs: A-Plus, Phesto, Opio and Tajai. Their debut album in 1993, '93 Til Infinity, produced an early-'90s anthem of the same name and spawned a movement towards bohemian yet rugged... [+] Read More

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While the roster on England's much-hyped trip-hop label Mo'Wax is packed to the gills with bedroom boffins turned recording artists, Attica Blues is the closest it comes to having an actual band. The pancultural collective began life in 1994 when producers D'Afro (born Charlie Williams) and Tony Nwachukwu first met up. D'Afro had previously... [+] Read More

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BRB is a talented and witty emcee who is quick on his feet. He is a superb free-stylist who brings a unique spontaneity to recordings, performances and battles.

As a rapper, BRB brings challenging and inspirational lyrics delivered with a smooth flow and will often shock the crowd by incorporating Spanish into his raps. With... [+] Read More

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DJ Shadow's Josh Davis is widely credited as a key figure in developing the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with the London-based Mo' Wax label. His early singles for the label, including "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)," were all-over-the-map mini-masterpieces combining elements of funk, rock, hip-hop, ambient, jazz,... [+] Read More

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After single-handedly redefining "warped" as the mind and mouth behind the Bronx-based Ultramagnetic MC's, "Kool" Keith Thornton -- aka Rhythm X, aka Dr. Octagon, aka Dr. Dooom, aka Mr. Gerbik -- headed for the outer reaches of the stratosphere with a variety of solo projects. A onetime psychiatric patient at Bellevue, Keith's lyrical thematics... [+] Read More

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Though there's actually six of them, Jurassic 5 got everything else right on their self-titled debut EP. Part of the new rap underground of the late '90s (along with Company Flow, Mos Def, Dr. Octagon, and Sir Menelik), the sextet -- rappers Marc 7even, Chali 2na, Zaakir, and Akil, plus producers Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark -- came together in... [+] Read More

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Members of the prodigiously talented Solesides/Quannum collective, Latyrx went sorely underrecognized for their restlessly experimental brand of hip-hop. Their lone album was far too eccentric for the masses, but even in underground circles, it fell prey to poor distribution (it went out of print twice) and poor timing (Quannum mates DJ Shadow... [+] Read More

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The dynamic duo from Portland, OR (a.k.a. Razorblade City) who go by the name of LIFESAVAS - emcee/ producer JUMBO the Garbageman and emcee VURSATYL - couldn’t be any more separate in terms of vocal style, point of view and even appearance, yet what they bring as a collective is timeless. Early on, the two pursued parallel hip-hop careers but... [+] Read More

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Being the first artist to release an EP on San Francisco's Soleside Records, Lyrics Born went under the original moniker Asia Born upon 1993's Send Them before changing it three years later on his collaborations with labelmate Lateef. After being featured on Lateef's "The Wreckoning" b/w "Latyrx" single, Lyrics put out his own 12", "Balcony... [+] Read More

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Moe Pope is on vocals.... Headnodic is on the beats.... DJ Platurn did the cuts.... plus special guests: Gift of Gab, Oh No, Zion I, Project Move, Edan (on a remix), Max MacVeety (on the drums), David Boyce (killing the sax), Scott Anderson did all of the art design and photos, Woodstock (did a beat too)... what more do you want, DAMN?

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Around since 1990, New Flesh took ten years to release an LP but quickly became dons of the British rap scene, as original and cutting-edge as their much-hyped Big Dada labelmate Roots Manuva. When originally formed (as New Flesh for Old), the group included York native and graffiti sprayer Part 2 (aka Keith Hopewell) along with rappers Toastie... [+] Read More

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British rapper/producer Rodney Smith established himself as Roots Manuva in the late '90s and began releasing a series of highly regarded albums through Big Dada (which were usually distributed by Ninja Tune). Smith's work spanned the music spectrum, firmly rooted in dub and ragga but also incorporating much of the trip-hop style often... [+] Read More

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An influential alternative rap quartet from South Central Los Angeles, the Pharcyde was formed by MCs/producers Tre "Slimkid" Hardson, Derrick "Fatlip" Stewart, Imani Wilcox, and Romye "Booty Brown" Robinson. Hardson, Wilcox, and Robinson were all dancers and choreographers who met on the L.A. underground club circuit in the late '80s, worked... [+] Read More

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Though popular success has largely eluded the Roots, the Philadelphia group showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Though their album works have been inconsistent affairs, more intent on building grooves than pushing... [+] Read More

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