2Pac "Me Against The World" (The Associated Press, 1995)

"It ain't easy being me -- will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?" wonders Tupac Shakur, who calls himself 2Pac on his latest album, "Me Against the World." That question was answered last winter when Shakur was sentenced to a New York prison on a sex-abuse charge after a string of legal battles across the nation. But even behind bars, Shakur still remains a step ahead of the rap pack with "Me Against the World," a stellar mix of thought-provoking rhymes backed up by smooth base sounds and slick beats. In Shakur's mind, most of his problems are the cause of a troubled ghetto childhood and jealous people out to get him. His fury and anger are peppered throughout the disc, most prominently on "F The World," a fierce and foul rebuke of his many critics. But this album is more than a troubled man's outburst against the world; just when you think he is about to explode, Shakur switches gears and drops his guard to reveal a softer side. On the disc's most poignant track, "Dear Mama," a solemn Shakur gives thanks to his mother for supporting him through all the rough times. And "Old School" represents the album's rare lighthearted moment, as he gives props to all the old school rappers in a tune that will make any true-blue fan of the genre want to break out that old Run DMC or Slick Rick tape. "Me Against the World" is rife with contradictions; on "Young N!ggaz," he chastises young black males who see the thug life as their only way out of poverty; yet on other songs, he empathizes with drug selling and gang banging, a life he so often has embraced. But that doesn't take away from this disc's power, it just highlights the complexity of urban street life, and how hard it is to present difficult issues in black and white terms. - The Associated Press, 1995. My favorite song on the album: "So Many Tears." What's yours?

Arguably the best 2Pac album - yes or no?

Supastition & RJD2 "According To..." (Album Stream)

'According To…' marks the first collaborative release from critically acclaimed producer and DJ RJD2 and legendary underground rapper Supastition. Together, they merge their distinct styles to deliver an album that feels both familiar and unexpected, pushing creative boundaries while staying rooted in classic hip-hop sensibilities. The album was fully produced by RJD2, with Supastition delivering all vocals. Guest appearances include J-Live, STS, and E. Smitty. An incredible, genre-bending album from two phenomenal artists! According To... is available on Vinyl + CD HERE, and streaming below...

J.Cole "Birthday Blizzard '26" (EP Stream)

Birthday Blizzard ‘26 is a four-track surprise EP of freestyles released by J. Cole in celebration of his 41st birthday and in anticipation of his seventh and "final" album, The Fall-Off. The EP is hosted by Queens' own, DJ Clue. On the brief project, Cole raps over four classic Bad Boy instrumentals, particularly The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?,” Diddy’s “Victory,” and The LOX’s “Can I Live” and “Money, Power, Respect.” The EP was first teased by Jadakiss on his podcast, Joe and Jada, with Fat Joe, announcing that Cole would be tearing up some classic instrumentals from The Lox. Cole has utilized unique marketing approaches for his projects in past years, so I expect more of the same for The Fall Off. In past years, I've discussed DJ Clue's Birthday Blizzard '94 and Birthday Blizzard '96 mixtapes, so this is a nice nostalgic full-circle moment. Stay tuned for The Fall Off in February. 

Gang Starr "Step In The Arena" (CMJ New Music Report, 1991)

Gang Starr Step In The Arena (Chrysalis, 645 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022) -- It's been quite a turnaround this year for the Brooklyn-based duo known as Gang Starr. After a falling-out with their old label, Wild Pitch, the duo took their show on the road, made appearances on "Back To Back Rhyming" from Lord Finesse's LP and soon thereafter caught the attention of Spike Lee. That resulted in a collaboration with jazz saxophonist Brandford Marsalis on "Jazz Thing" from the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack and an eventual deal with Chrysalis. Their second LP, Step In The Arena, borrows the more stylistically sophisticated, classier samples of jazz, funk/soul and straight-up streetwise hip-hop. DJ Premier's extensive musical knowledge helps him to create sparse beats that rousingly mesh with distinctive samples, loops and scratches to create sharply enticing bass-lines which range from early Motown funk on "What You Want This Time?" to hypnotizing jazzy textures. Overall, his DJ work is the perfect backdrop of G.U.R.U.'s lyrics that promote the group's positive philosophy in "Street Ministry," "Say Your Prayers," "As I Read My S-A" and "Precisely The Right Rhymes." Gang Starr reminds us just how creative and boundless rap can be. Also experience: "Step In The Arena," "Form Of Intellect," "Execution Of A Chump," "Beyond Comprehension" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow." - CMJ New Music Report (January 11, 1991). Images: Hip Hop Connection.

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin'" (You Better Wrekonize!, 1995)

Brooklyn: Population 2,231,000. The New York City borough is a veritable capital of hip hop culture, with high profile residents including Digable Planets, MC Lyte, Jeru the Damaja, the Notorious B.I.G., Gang Starr, The Fugees and Black Moon. The latest b-boys to stomp out of this rap mecca and make a move on the rap scene in their unlaced Timberlands are rappers Tek and Steele, better known as Smif-N-Wessun. Their biggest hit, "Bucktown," is a pseudonym for the music hotbed. "The environment of Brooklyn has always been to take what you need to succeed," says Steele. Like the Wu-Tang Clan of Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun's style is strictly hardcore. Typical of West Coast rap, the cuts on Dah Shinin' (Nervous), their first album, are heavy on lyrics and light on R&B backbeats. Dah Shinin' debuted at number one on the rap chart in its first week of release. The hit "Bucktown" jacked the rap charts for a solid month. Keeping it real is a philosophy Tek and Steele picked up from their mentors in Black Moon. The duo get to perform as guest MCs on Black Moon's Enta Da Stage and open for Black Moon and Das EFX on their nationwide tour. Their opportunity to "shine" in that tour precipitated the album's title, Dah Shinin'. Summing up their style, Steele says, "We're just conversatin', speakin', talkin', puttin' facts into a rhyme so that they sound good to the ear.  

Bucktown, the breakout single by Smif n Wessun of Brooklyn, NY, is one of those songs that rips into radio by sheer force of popular demand, bucking expectations and giving new meaning to the term "pop music." But "Bucktown" is no novelty, and its proud descriptions of Brooklyn as "home of the original gun clappers" sure isn't pop in the usual sense. The track has an underproduced skeletal appeal; the terse, muscular rhymes by 21-year-old rappers Tek and Steele are as compelling as they are simple and grim. "Bucktown" took off so briskly, selling 75,000 copies in just three weeks, that the duo was a long way from having a full-length album completed to cash in on the single's obvious appeal. "The inspiration for the song was straight-up Brooklyn, USA," says Steele. "Bucktown is everywhere. We've been to places like Missouri, and we can tell you it's the same shit goin' on as we see in Brooklyn." As far as explaining the song's runaway success, Steele says, "I think if the idea could be bottled, then everybody would be making hit jams and selling 75,000 in one week. We're just representing ourselves, and people pick up on it. That's why we say, 'All heads recognize real heads on the rise.' This is classic New York City hip-hop! Continue to revisit Dah Shinin' below...

Additional Reviews: The Source, OneNut, Vibe, Rap Pages. Art by Danial Kelly.

Don't Be a Menace to South Central... (Vibe Magazine, Jan. 9, 1996)

Shawn and Marlon Wayans's new spoof, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, parodies the recent deluge of in-da-'hood flicks, while the film's soundtrack has a loose "Can't we all just get along?" - type theme. A compilation of songs from some of R&B's and hip-hop's most popular artists, Don't Be a Menace packs a loaded 17 tracks. Talented artists like R. Kelly and the Wu-Tang Clan reveal few surprises, but what they do - being a sex man, going lyrically buckwild - they do practically to perfection. The opening track is the Wu's hectic "Winter Warz," wherein the Shao Lin champs spout ghetto madness over RZA's hazy, nonmelodic production. By the end of the soundtrack, though, their contribution is balanced by the Island Inspirational All-Stars' lite gospel track, "Don't Give Up." Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Little Kim indirectly puts Jodeci's wailing pleas for sex ("Give It Up") in check with her sharp, cool-as-a-cucumber delivery on "Time to Shine." And R. Kelly proves he's the perfect renaissance man with his production of the Isley Brothers' mellifluous "Let's Stay Together," as well as his seductive "Tempo Slow." It's when artists are placed together, though, that the soundtrack becomes disappointing. Things just get awkward. Keith Murray and Lord Jamar accompany Texas's UGK in "Live Wires Connect," and the East Coasters overwhelm a weak, pseudo-G funk track. And when Luke joins Doug E. Fresh for "Freak It Out," a New York-style party chant, Mr. Campbell takes too long to warm up. The soundtrack for Don't Be a Menace probably won't help many menaces to society get along with folks any better. But the collection is filled with bouncing production, new-fashioned love songs, and even some old-school flavor--maybe it will at least get the boyz and girlz in the 'hood to dance. - Vibe Magazine, March 1996. The single version for "Renee" by Lost Boyz (not featured on Legal Drug Money) and Mona Lisa's "Can't Be Wasting My Time" - in addition to the classic verse from Cappadonna on "Winter Warz" - made this totally worth coppin' back in 1996. Revisit the Don't Be a Menace OST below...

The original album Vibe review and additional promo items are below...

Skillz "2025 Rap Up" (Happy New Year!)

What began in the early 2000s as a clever year-in-review record gradually became something fans came to expect — a lyrical snapshot of the year’s biggest moments across music, pop culture, politics, and everyday life. While many artists have attempted similar concepts, Skillz’s Rap Ups stand apart because they balance humor, critique, and perspective without feeling disposable or gimmicky. "2025 Rap Up" continues that lineage, but with a noticeable shift in tone. This year’s installment is explicitly dedicated to D’Angelo (R.I.P.), and that dedication shapes the entire record. Skillz raps over D’Angelo’s “Lady” and the smooth, soulful feel of the track slows the pace and gives the song a more reflective atmosphere. Skillz still touches on familiar Rap Up territory — notable events from the year, cultural shifts, moments that dominated conversation — but the approach feels less like rapid-fire commentary and more like reflection. The humor is still present, but it lands alongside fatigue, awareness, and perspective rather than punchline overload. The result is a record that feels less about racing through headlines and more about acknowledging the [obvious] emotional residue left behind by the year. We needed this! Listen to "2025 Rap Up" below + happy new year!

Nas & DJ Premier "Light-Years" (Album Stream)

GRAMMY-Award winning rap icon Nas and DJ Premier —two of the most influential and revered figures in hip-hop history—have released their highly anticipated collaborative album Light-Years. After decades of anticipation, Light-Years is a 30-year working legacy reborn. Nas and DJ Premier’s partnership is embedded in the DNA of Hip-Hop. Their origin story began in 1994 with Illmatic, which resulted in hits such as “N.Y. State Of Mind,” “Memory Lane” and “Represent.” Illmatic helped establish Nas as a generational talent and furthered Premier’s then burgeoning legacy. Their chemistry deepened over the next decade through classics like “I Gave You Power,” 2nd Childhood,” “Nas Is Like” and “N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. II.” Spearheaded by Mass Appeal’s groundbreaking Legend Has It..., a series celebrating and spotlighting some of the most important and influential Hip Hop artists of all time, the series has gifted a year long run of historic releases from culture defining artists including; Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Big L & De La Soul. With Light-Years, Nas and DJ Premier deliver the grand finale to close out the legendary series where their undeniable synergy remains elusive. In 2006, Nas and DJ Premier appeared on the cover of Scratch Magazine, teasing a joint project that again refueled fan frenzy and two decades worth of anticipation. Last year, Nas and Preem linked up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Illmatic with the release of a new track, “Define My Name,” where they first announced their landmark collaborative album. Light-Years is a true testament to both artists' influence, legacy and the timelessness of the music they create together. Listen to Nas & Preemo's album Light-Years below...

You can cop the vinyl, cassette and CD from Fat Beats, HERE.