This album proves that Detroit is a place where hip-hop is livin and talent is brewin. Watch out for more Detroit releases in the near future (and I ain’t talking about D12). Features also on the album: Lil Sci from Scienz of Life.

The combination of the pumpin funk beats, the fantastic horns and Lakim’s unique rapping style is superb. Lakim seemed more relaxed than on the first LP and totally rips the mic!

Portland’s Jumbo –producer/MC- and Vursatyl – MC and a pretty damn good one- are back with their second release 'Gutterfly: The Original Soundtrack', inspired on a movie by Baraka Feldman, that actually never got finished. A conceptual album that tells the adventures of Bumpy Johnson (Vursatyl), Sleepy Floyd (Jumbo) and Jimmy Slimwater (DJ Rev Shines), roaming through Razorblade City.

This Portland group consists of Braille, who made a name on the underground level, Ohmega Watts, who’s about to drop his solo effort 'The Find' on Ubiquity, Othello, who rolls with the Hipknotics and Canadian producer Muneshine, who connected with the group through the Internet.

With more than a regular interest we've been keeping an eye on the West Coast underground, because there's an irreplaceable vibe and creativity that dominates and spices up the rap scene. 'Unspoken' has some of that energy and pins one's attention on a group that has plenty more good vibes for the future.

According to the album's potential, 'Good Music' is a humble title. J Sands raps 'makin good music, no more no less' in 'Brother's Keeper' but we would hardly do it any 'good' by callin it that way. There are adjectives that are more accurate to underline this album's craftsmanship; please choose from 'superb', 'excellent' and 'near-classic'. 'Survival' is a minor setback but in every possible sense, this album has lived up to our high expectations!

After hookin up with Stu Fine, owner of the Wild Pitch label, the then 20-year old Finesse and DJ Smooth dropped this fantastic LP on us. With the help of DJ Premier, Showbiz and Diamond they’ve created one of the best hip-hop albums ever made.

‘Look On The Blight Side’ is more than rapping, beats and scratches. It’s an experimental, very musical piece with complex arrangements, a dazzling array of instruments and sweet-sour chants. Honestly: we miss jolly one-liners like ‘I hope a hospital's near, before I OD on Old E’ and the frivol boom bap by JJ Brown. But how can one inspire others if you stick with the same old recipe?

Prices go high for this one, for the LP as well as the CD (even higher!), but you just need to hunt it down!

Luckyiam concentrates on love and the lush life. He’s a rapper who can make the most interesting song about shooting the breeze. Probably a Pacific breeze.

Having AG, Roc Marciano, Kool Keith, Kurious, ànd OC forming a group sounds like a dream to any hip-hop aficionado. Unreal, unbelievable. Or tricky? How would these lyrical giants fit together on a sonic canvass that’s not even 35 minutes long?