By Jarett Sommer Since the release of his 2011 video “Yonkers,” rap artist Tyler, the Creator has been at the center of discussions, mainly due to his aggressive nature and controversial lyrics. After the release of his debut album “Goblin,” Tyler and his Odd Future crew have garnered a large following of fans thanks to

By Joseph Souza

By Jarett Sommer One of the more surprising releases of late-2011 was the break-out hit mixtape by A$AP Rocky by the name of “Live.Love.A$AP.” With an East Coast flow, and a strong Southern influence, Rocky became one of the first New York artists to create a unique style that has a variety of sounds coming

By Joseph Souza For better or for worse, Joe Budden is one of the most polarizing figures in hip-hop. His loyal followers will tell you that Budden is one of the best lyricists in the game, and that his history of solo album failures has been the fault of poor management and shoddy production. Detractors

By Jarett Sommer

By Jarett Sommer Back in 2010, a rapper out of Compton named Kendrick Lamar created an enormous buzz with the release of his independently-released album called “O.D.: Overly Dedicated.” People were amazed with his vivid story telling, and ability to be so versatile on different tracks. A year later, Kendrick impressed again with his second

By Jarett Sommer In the mid-2000s, the world was introduced to a breath of fresh air in the rap game with a new artist by the name of Lupe Fiasco. With his debut release of “Food & Liquor” in 2006, Fiasco brought back intelligent street rap mixed with incredible storytelling to a genre like rap

By Leanna Bornkamp Thoroughly established in the underground music scene, Grizzly Bear has nothing to prove to listeners – yet they keep blowing us out of the water. The Brooklyn-based quartet was formed in 2002, molded from the brainchild of original member and lead singer Ed Droste. Often considered to be under the umbrella of

By Jarett Sommer Within the past few years, there has been a power struggle in Hip-Hop over who is the best crew in the industry. There are those such as Maybach Music, Young Money, and Taylor Gang who have all gained commercial success, and then there are others such as Black Hippy, Odd Future, and

By Leanna Bornkamp Music that doesn’t really stop the presses for a listen sometimes has the most surprises within its folds. Beacon, sophomore album by Two Door Cinema Club, tends to fade into the background – but around track 3 or 4 it starts to gain some color. TDCC, Northern Ireland natives, have a history