Forgotten Classics

Forgotten Classics: The Nonce – World Ultimate

by Jeff Leon February 9, 2012 Editorials

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In the early 1990’s, Los Angeles’ rap scene was blowing up, bringing to the national stage the brash, violent, and powerful music known as gangsta rap, and earning the left coast the distinction as the wildest cats around. But Cali was more than guns, women, and chaos. Taking a more subtle approach was a new [...]

Forgotten Classic: Arts The Beatdoctor – Transitions

by Jeff Leon January 26, 2012 Forgotten Classics

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I’m always on the search for Hip Hop from different locales and one scene I keep coming back to is from the Netherlands. Yup, Holland has a dedicated Hip Hop scene, which features artists rhyming both in Dutch and in English, along with some very musical producers, the most notable one on this side of [...]

Forgotten Classic: P.O.S – Never Better

by Jeff Leon January 12, 2012 Forgotten Classics

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I have a thing for unpredictable albums, listens, which can shock and amaze in their sounds and moods, and artists that always keeps you guessing with their every step, and P.O.S. is quite good at that. Coming out of the Minnesota cold, the artist born Stefon Alexander originally got his start in punk rock acts [...]

Forgotten Classic: New Kingdom – Paradise Don’t Come Cheap

by Jeff Leon December 22, 2011 Forgotten Classics

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Before we get into this edition of KN’s Forgotten Classics, I feel like I need to give you a bit of a heads up, because this record is a wild one. New Kingdom is the duo of Nosaj the Great and Sebastian; two New York musicians greatly inspired by Hip Hop, funk, rock and psychedelia, [...]

Forgotten Classic: Danny! – And I Love H.E.R. (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

by Jeff Leon December 1, 2011 Forgotten Classics

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“I try and confront H.E.R., but I just freeze / I want H.E.R…but does she want me?” Danny Swain or Danny!, is one of the most underrated and talented figures operating in Hip Hop right now. Originally from South Carolina, the producer and emcee has a storied history when it comes to making music, right [...]

Forgotten Classic: Da Bush Babee’s Gravity

by Jeff Leon November 17, 2011 Forgotten Classics

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After all these years, it still boggles my mind that Da Bush Babees never took off. The trio of Y-Tee, Mr. Man, and Lee Majors (also known as Babe-B-Face Kaos) all hailed from the Caribbean (Mr. Man and Lee Majors born in Trinidad and Y-Tee from Jamaica) but banded together in Brooklyn in the early [...]

Forgotten Classics: Asheru & Blue Black – 48 Months

by Jeff Leon November 3, 2011 Exclusive

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“I am the stone that the builder refused, I am the visual / The inspiration, that made the lady sing the blues…” Sounds familiar? Those are the opening lines to intro of the popular Adult Swim series, The Boondocks, an original rap contributed to the show by Washington D.C. artist Gabriel Benn, also known as [...]

Forgotten Classics: One Be Lo – S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.

by Jeff Leon October 6, 2011 Exclusive

One Be Lo’s 2005 effort S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. is a masterstroke — a top flight record in its lyricism, production, and scope, cementing the Michigan emcee’s legacy as one of the best to pick up a microphone. It’s easily one of my favorite records of all-time, hip hop or otherwise, and it’s a damn shame that it [...]

Forgotten Classic: Shad – The Old Prince

by Jeff Leon September 22, 2011 Exclusive

“Once upon a time there was an Old Prince. And this old prince had a problem. And his problem was that, well, he was an old prince. Princes aren’t supposed to be old, princes are supposed to grow up and become kings.” These intriguing lines begin The Old Prince, the second record by emcee Shad [...]

Forgotten Classics: Aceyalone – All Balls Don’t Bounce

by Justin May 26, 2010 Forgotten Classics

The focus of the 6th Forgotten Classic is Aceyalone & his debut album All Balls Don’t Bounce. After releasing albums with his crew Freestyle Fellowship, Acey went solo in 1995 and delivered a timeless LP. With the opportunity to go on his own, Aceyalone proved on this album he’s one of the top lyricists in [...]

Forgotten Classics: Odd Squad – Fadanuf Fa Erybody

by Justin May 19, 2010 Forgotten Classics

For the 5th round of Forgotten Classics, we revisit 1994 and the trio known as the Odd Squad. Devin The Dude has achieved plenty of critical acclaim over his impressive solo career but his start began with Rob Quest & Jugg Mugg. The trio released their one & only album, Fadanuf Fa Erybody, in ’94 [...]

Forgotten Classics: Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars

by Thomas May 12, 2010 Forgotten Classics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jynj3v6-mlg”>“Soldiers

The 4th installment of Forgotten Classics has us revisiting Killarmy’s debut album, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars. The Wu-Tang affiliate group consists of four members from New York (9th Prince, Islord, P.R. Terrorist aka Dom Pachino, and Killa Sin) and three from Ohio (Beretta 9 aka Kinetic 9, ShoGun Assassin, and producer 4th Disciple). They [...]

Forgotten Classics: The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better

by Justin April 28, 2010 Forgotten Classics

For the third installment of Forgotten Classics, we’re going back to 1989. Without The D.O.C, there is no N.W.A. The Texas native became one of the most prolific ghostwriters in hip hop, helping write classic tracks on albums such as Straight Outta Compton & The Chronic. In 1989, The D.O.C. got his shot in the spotlight [...]

Forgotten Classics: The Coup – Steal This Album

by Justin April 21, 2010 Forgotten Classics

Forgotten Classics continues as we revisit another one of the best albums of the late 90s, The Coup’s Steal This Album. By this time, The Coup was the duo of emcee Boots Riley and DJ Pam The Funkstress although former member E-Roc appears on “Breathing Apparatus.” Funk driven in-house production & Riley’s politically charged lyrics [...]

Forgotten Classics: Crooked Lettaz – Grey Skies

by Justin April 14, 2010 Forgotten Classics

Today we’re introducing a new series here on KevinNottingham.com, Forgotten Classics. We’ll be giving some spotlight to some of hip hop’s best albums that fly under the radar or don’t get their deserved credit. For the first in the series, I’ve chosen to shine the light on the one & only Crooked Lettaz album, Grey [...]

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