Focus Hip Hop

Music Writing with a Focus on Underground Gems

  • Album Review | RZA – Bobby Digital in Stereo

    This album was released on November 24th in 1998. RZA’s very first project as Prince Rakeem was obviously not good, but I was actually kinda looking forward to hearing this project. I remember my older brother telling me that this album had some really good stuff on it, and I thought the idea of the…

  • Tardy Album Review | GoldLink – Diaspora

    This album was released on June 12 this year. The first time I ever listened to GoldLink was back in 2015 when he released his debut album, …And After That, We Didn’t Talk. I thought it was really bad, so I never checked out any of his other shit until literally the end of September…

  • Tardy Album Review | MIKE – tears of joy

    This album was released on June 21st this year. MIKE is an artist who I’ve been familiar with for about two years now. The first project I ever listened to from him was MAY GOD BLESS YOUR HUSTLE, which I thought was pretty good. After that he dropped BY THE WATER, which I thought was…

  • Tardy Album Review | Che` Noir – The Thrill of the Hunt 2

    This album was released on June 7th this year. Che` Noir is one of the most exciting discoveries I’ve recently made. This chick is a fucking beast. She’s cool with guys like RJ Payne and the Griselda crew. 38 Spesh actually produced this entire album, so that should give you an idea of the type…

  • Tardy EP Review | Jean Deaux – Empathy

    This EP was released on June 14th this year. I first became familiar with Jean Deaux when she was featured on my favorite song from Mick Jenkins’ The Water[s]. I really loved her hook and verse on that song, so I made sure to keep my eye on her—figuratively and literally because she’s fine as…

  • Tardy EP Review | Stro – Last Friday

    This EP was released on June 21st this year. Stro is an artist that I’ve been aware of for a long ass time now, but I hadn’t actually been listening to his music until more recently. He started putting music out before he was even a legal adult under the stage name The Astronomical Kid.…

  • Tardy Album Review | Ol’ Burger Beats – Daybreaks

    This album was released on June 28th this year. Ol’ Burger Beats is a producer who I’m pretty sure I’ve been aware of for a long time, but I don’t think I’d actually heard any of his production until last year when he produced the song Tiptoe from milo’s last solo album. I don’t really…

  • Tardy EP Review | Slum Rugglers – bbbbbbbb2

    This EP was released on June 23rd this year. Slum Rugglers is probably a name you’re familiar with if you’re a fan of MIKE’s work. That’s how I became familiar with them. I thought it was just one dude for a while, but I recently found out that they’re a duo comprised of David Carey…

  • Tardy EP Review | Bodega Bamz & Salaam Remi – Bodega’s Way

    This extended play was released on June 28th this year. I guess Salaam Remi just felt like doing a couple EP’s with latino rappers in June. Or maybe it’s just a coincidence. I don’t know. Anyway, this was actually my first time listening to a project from Bodega Bamz. I’ve heard him on features in…

  • Tardy EP Review | Joell Ortiz & Salaam Remi – BoxTalk

    This EP was released on June 7th this year. Before listening to this project, I went back and listened to almost every project Joell Ortiz has ever released that I hadn’t heard before. I skipped the collaborative projects like Gorilla Glue, mainly because I think Fred the Godson sucks. Overall, my favorite project is definitely…

  • Tardy Album Review | Pell – Gravity

    This album was released on June 21st this year. Pell is one of those artists who I’d been aware of for a long time, but I hadn’t actually listened to his projects until recently. The first song I ever heard from him was Gibberish, which I thought was amazing. It’s actually the most played song…

  • Tardy EP Review | Dis Fantasy

    This self titled EP from Dis Fantasy was released on June 25th this year. They’re a newly formed duo consisting of producer Margot Padilla and rapper Brittany Love. This project was released by Deathbomb Arc, which is pretty much the only reason I gave it a chance to be honest. I had no idea what…