Nas is back and more controversial than ever on his new untitled Def Jam release. On this, his 9th studio album, Nas studies and lyrically dissects some of the our most divisive issues: race, inequality, poverty, and power. And who better to stir up debate than the man most consider one of the top five emcees in the history of the game? From his brilliant 1994 debut Illmatic, to his mainstream success with It Was Written, to anthems like "Hate Me Now" and "One Mic" and his venomous lyricism on "Ether," Nas' ability to tell stories, educate, make you dance--and make you look--is the stuff of rap legend. The outspoken Queensbridge rapper has sold over 15 million albums worldwide over the course of his storied career. Nas' Def Jam debut, Hip-Hop Is Dead, was released in December 2006 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 350,000 copies sold in its first week. Preparing now for the 2nd Def Jam release, Nas is ready to release his untitled album on July 15th.

Illmatic is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording Studios in New York City.

Japanese version featuring a bonus track: 'Silent Murder'

The Notorious BIG在1994年发行的第一张专辑名字就叫Ready to Die，像是暗示了Biggie三年后遭枪击身亡的悲剧。然而Ready to Die着实是这位早逝英才震撼说唱乐界的超级武器在将Biggie自己半辈子的帮派生活缩影在80年代Funk节奏中的Ready to Die，毒品、谋杀样样都真实地穿插在Biggie比帮匪说唱更黑暗的音乐笔记里，The Notorious BIG拥有将幽默感发挥在人生最黑暗一面上的功力，能以生命历练来左右创作的态度，实在难得。但是专辑中两首歌重混音后的Top 10单曲Big Poppa和One More Chance却区别于整体上深沉的专辑走向，带来了慵懒的Funk风情

Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous is the only album released by American hip hop artist Big L in his lifetime, released March 28, 1995 on Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place primarily at Powerplay Studios in Queens, New York from 1993 to 1994. Production was handled by Buckwild, Craig Boogie, Lord Finesse, and Showbiz. After being discovered by Lord Finesse in 1990, Big L signed a deal with Columbia Records, and he started to work on the album.
The album debuted at number 149 on the US Billboard 200 and number 22 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, but did not chart internationally. Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous spawned three singles: "Put It On", "M.V.P.", and "No Endz, No Skinz", the first two both peaked within the top 25 on the US Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Dance Singles Sales. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics, earning praise for Big L's lyrics and word play. Lifestylez Of Da Poor And Dangerous is considered by many fans as a classic album. As of August 2000, the album has sold 200,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Colored vinyl, Deluxe vinyl 2 LP pressing in gatefold jacket including five color print (full color plus metallic gold pantone) with spot gloss UV effects and flood matte finish. The raised spot gloss application to Big L's face, hand and the album title on the front cover, as well as the full figure on the back cover creates an almost 3D-ish effect. An illustration of Big L's hand has been printed with a unique gold pantone on the inside panels of the gatefold, along with oversized apparitions of his name and figure that have been layered with spot-gloss over a collages of hotographic images on the left and right panels for further Op Art effect. As if that weren't enough, both board based inner-sleeves feature photographic collages in full color with a Matte finish making for a totally pimped-out class act package! Lovingly rendered for the collectors who dig aesthetics and folks with finely refined tastes, this piece not only is an ode to Hip-Hop fans worldwide, but to honor the legacy that Big L created.

AZ是90年代中期在纽约涌现的几位有思想,有文化的匪帮饶舌大将之一。他曾经与Nas合作，帮助他发表了那张旷世巨作《Illmatic》。不过AZ却从未得到过与他同辈的艺人，如Nas、Jay z那般的关注。相反，他的第一张专辑《Doe or Die》只是在评论界大受好评，在这样小小的短暂的成功之后，他的音乐生涯便堕入低谷。评论家和B-Boys都喜欢他，但他却始终隐没在Nas与Jay Z的巨大阴影之下。就说唱方面来说，他的精准巧妙饶舌以及让人印象深刻的FLOW，在纽约数不胜数的同类MC中都是独树一帜的。可惜AZ自从第一张专辑之后，一直到2000年才真正觉醒并签约MOTOWN发表新专辑。

After nearly one full decade at the absolute pinnacle of the rap game, Desert Storm/Def Jam artist Fabolous will deliver the most personal, confessional album of his career when LOSO'S WAY arrives in the physical and digital marketplace on July 28th. The new album provides an intimate glimpse into the rise of the Brooklyn-born rapper, one of today's most important and controversial players, exploring the perils that come with managing the transition from a street life to one of legitimacy.

Underscoring the autobiographical portrait of LOSO'S WAY is Fab's first long-form video project, a 30-minute film to be released in conjunction with the album. Several trailers from the film have been released, creating a huge buzz for the project online. Known for keeping his personal life separate from his rap career, Fab was inspired by Carlito's Way (Al Pacino), as he told SOHH.com recently: "I think we had some similarities. Carlito was a street dude trying to make the transition from the streets to something better. That's where I felt I was at....transitioning from the streets to a hip-hop artist."

In advance of LOSO'S WAY, two singles are building simultaneously at radio: "Throw It In The Bag" featuring fellow Def Jam artist The-Dream (produced by Tricky Stewart) was #1 Most-Added at Rhythm formats; and "It's My Time" featuring brand new Def Jam artist Jeremih (produced by the Runners) is currently exploding at the Urban format.

This is the return of Wu-Tang! Their first studio release since the death of Dirty Ol Bastard; these superstars have returned...GZA, RZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killa, Raekwon, U-God, Inspecta Deck and Masta Killa, they're all here. "The Hear Gently Weeps" features Erykah Badu and is the first song to feature a Beatles sample! This is A MUST for true hip-hop fans. "The 8 Diagrams" comes with a bonus DVD!!

After making their indelible marks on the game luminaries KRS-One and Buckshot, arguably two of the games most prolific emcees, will link up to give fans a collaborative album entitled SURVIVAL SKILLS.

With guests ranging from Mary J. Blige, Slug Of Atmosphere, K'NAAN, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Melanie Fiona, Naledge of Kidz In The Hall, Sean Price, Geo of Blue Scholars, Pharoahe Monch, Bounty Killer, Smif N Wessun and Rock of Heltah Skeltah, "Survival Skills" represents a diverse range of topics, all while maintaining a consistent sound. The album has production from Havoc of Mobb Deep, 9th Wonder, Black Milk, ILL MIND, Coptic, Moss, Nottz, Marco Polo, and KHRYSIS!

On the surface the album is a testament to the resiliency of two lyrical titans, but at its root SURVIVAL SKILLS is a blueprint for life. For instance on the infectious head-nodder "Robot," which was released 6 weeks prior to Jay Z's "The Death Of Auto Tune" track, and already available World Wide at Digital Retail Shops, such as iTunes, the duo speak-out against the recent overuse of the Auto-Tune vocal effect in urban music, but under the surface the message is much deeper. "I don't want people to get the averaged clichéd version and thinking that we're dissing people,'" Buckshot clarifies. "What we're calling out here is the biters, the people that feel like because this guy sold X amount of records doing this, that I'm going to turn around and do it as well," KRS says of the array of artists who have followed in the creative footsteps of Roger Troutman, Afrikka Bambatta, Teddy Riley and T-Pain. Despite its heavy message, sonically the track, produced by Mobb Deep's Havoc, is as inviting as anything on the radio today. The video for "ROBOT," directed by Todd Angkaswan, has been added into rotation at MTV & BET. The track has also been included in the sound track for Activision's upcoming Tony Hawk skate game in stores this Fall.

Still gritty tracks like "Clean Up," featuring Rock of Heltah Skeltah and the politically minded "Running Away" featuring Immortal Technique, make Survival Skills a Hip-Hop fan's dream, catering to those that love lyrics and the boom-bap. Equally as rich is the album's Black Milk-produced track, "The Way I Live" featuring the Queen of hip-hop soul, Mary J. Blige. Together they create a triumphant anthem for all those on the grind trying to conquer their dreams. The song's summery feel and soothing melodies make it an instant hit.

Artist：Jay-Z
Album ：The Blueprint 3
Date ：2009.09.11
Label ：Roc Nation, Atlantic
Style ：Hip-Hop、Rap
Myspace：
Website：
期待已久的Jay-Z最新音乐大碟《The Blueprint 3》于2009年9月11日正式发售。除Jay-Z嘲讽流行音乐过多电子音效的《D.O.A》单曲之外，还有和Kanye West与Rihanna三方合唱的《Run This Town》单曲都将收录于其中。
《The Blueprint 3》会在他的超白金专辑《Blueprint》发行的8周年纪念日9月11日推出，专辑由Atlantic发行。
据悉，Jay-Z 打算将他的Live Nation厂牌Roc Nation带到索尼，并且通过Epic经销音乐。

For a short span of time during the early ’90s, the offshoots of EPMD stylistically held the entire New York City rap scene on lockdown. While Erick Sermon’s Def Squad scored early and often with Redman leading the charge, PMD’s Hit Squad was left hoping to follow up the success of Das EFX with the release of Magnum Opus by Top Quality. Despite its obscurity and lackluster reception, the album reveals an uncanny panorama of East Coast hip-hop circa 1993. Complete with references to Philly blunts and “buddha,” formatted at times in pig Latin and abrasively delivered by a roughneck emcee, the clichés on Magnum Opus are abundant. But Top Quality actually proves why such confrontational music became so overwhelmingly popular in the first place. With a lyrical versatility seldom expressed within a single rap album, Top Quality pulls out all of the stops in order to outwit his beats. Indeed, the title track has become somewhat famous as an exercise in creative sampling. Other highlights include the story of the “Graveyard Shift,” along with a few moments of compelling production provided by Charlie Marotta.