B Dvine & Various Artists - Dvine Intervention Review

B Dvine and Various Artists - Dvine Intervention Review

Dvine Intervention, the hotly anticipated mixtape by Long Island resident and beat conductor, B Dvine, is an extraordinary collection of collaborations for hip-hop heads everywhere. Dvine's first exclusively produced hip-hop mixtape is hosted by mixtape curator J-Love, and features collaborators such as Prolifik, Vital, Meyhem Lauren, D-Rugz, and J-Love himself. It’s been a long time coming for listeners and fans to be graced with something as completely Dvine as this mixtape package B has put together. From D-Rugz and Timbo King’s jazzy “The Message” to J-Love’s badass “Fan The Fire” to Vital’s “Smoke Good” with Dvine’s lo-fi guerilla beat, there are sure to be a number of favorites for any listener.

Jahan Nostra - ESP Review

When it comes to intelligent, forward-thinking and eclectic hip-hop, the name Jahan Nostra as one of the more prominent emcees with this title becomes a no-brainer. Jahan, having been writing verses and slaying beats since he was a teenager, has already made a name for himself with a number of professional grade albums and releases. From releasing 2012's Bedtime Street album, and after releasing 2013's Sleepwalking LP, Jahan has made moves in directions both up and down the East Coast, touring in locations such as Newport and Providence Rhode Island, Brooklyn and New York City, and Greenville and Columbia in South Carolina. Now in 2016, ESP marks one of Jahan's greatest achievements in hip-hop storytelling and songwriting.

Shabazz Palaces – Black Up Review

When Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler of Brooklyn, New York, worked as part of the jazz hip-hop trio, Digable Planets, their easy-going alternative rap rocked the 90’s, when hip-hop was still in its early stages and growing in popularity. Now more than a decade later, Butterfly is back with a new name, and a new group, pushing a sound that burns a new chapter into the history of hip-hop. Based out of Seattle, Butterfly, newly dubbed as Palaceer Lazaro, heads Shabazz Palaces. Many excited fans were already buzzing from the release of Shabazz’s first two self-released EPs, Of Light and a self-titled EP. If these two releases meant anything in the world of hip-hop, it was a sure sign of something else entirely.