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hip-hop feature
Meet Maj once again
BoogiRoot - DJ Maj DJ Maj has made a career out of creating ground for other to walk on, but with BoogiRoot he frequently steps out on his own. You'll still find the big-name collaborations you expect from a Maj album-L.A. Symphony, KJ-52, Verbs, Michael Tait and tobyMac all make appearances-but more than ever before, you'll also hear the voice of Maj himself, and the results are pleasing. No doubt you've heard "Love (So Beautiful)" by now, but lesser-known cuts like "Up All Nite," "H.A.N.D.S." and "Gotta Go Now" should not be overlooked. Though BR can come off as sappy and a bit over-produced at times, it's a very strong effort from a man not afraid to take risks, and may have laid the groundwork for much bigger things down the road.



picks

Stop The Music - New Breed
Stop The Music
New Breed

Factors Of The Seven - GRITS
Factors of the Seven
GRITS

hip-hop artists
4th Avenue Jones
not many hip-hop groups have a live band, and this band does their own blend called hiprocksoul.
BK & Associates
blake knight takes the production and gathers up all his buddies for a hip hop party.
Braille
not many artists stay independent for long, but this man hs amazing hip-hop on his indie releases.
Freddie Bruno
a unique voice in hip hop, freddie finally goes solo after many years of working with other mcs.
City High
the few bright spots in their music are nullified by dark thoughts of vengeance and lewd fantasies.
The Cross Movement
keepin' it real rappin' for Jesus is their mission, and these guys are some of the best around.
Deepspace 5
one week in a home studio with some of the best in christian hip-hop, and they all come out winners.
DJ Maj
for the ultimate mix of hip-hop, look no further. dj maj has it all, and mixes it very well.
Flynn
the white guy from la symphony, this guy has a lot to prove. and he does it all with the best of 'em.
GRITS
one of the most popular and acclaimed in the industry, this duo is the bar to measure up to.
Lauryn Hill
doing her own thing is her trademark, turning from her hip hop roots with the fugees into folk.
KJ-52
although he sounds like eminem, that is where most of the similarities stop with kj-52.
Ill Harmonics
not afraid to put some of their guitars in their music, this duo rocks the mic, white man style.
LA Symphony
this crew of los angeles rappers delivers some of the best underground hip-hop in the industry.
LPG
keepin' it real for years in hip-hop and changing the culture is this duo's prime directive.
Manafest
going solo from the city of toronto, manafest is a distinct new voice in hip hop.
Mark J
an underground hip-hop artist with lots of guests and lots to offer to his fans.
Mars Ill
this emcee and dj duo are producing some of the best underground beats in the hip-hop industry.
New Breed
puerto rican brother-sister duo macho and elise bring their east coast style to disc in good fashion.
Out of Eden
for years the only name in christian r&b, these veterans are still making great music.
Peace 586
a founder of christian hip hop, peace surrounds himself with the best of the genre.
Pigeon John
one of the most memorable emcees from the la symphony crew is keepin it real his solo disc.
Playdough
half of the ill harmonics brings middle-class suburban rhymes to the solo cirucit in this album.
Sharlok Poems
the guy with the low voice and cool raps from la symphony delivers so much more when going solo.
Propaganda
the newest member of the tunnel rats crew gets his own disc right away, and proves to be an asset.
Raphi
tunnel rats member raphi does his own beats this time around, and brings some guest rats.
Re:Son
a new emcee on a mission to win souls, it will be exciting to see re:son's talent increase.
John Reuben
a new twist to old school hip hop laced with adrenaline pumping lyrics sure to enliven any party.
Sev Statik
hailing from the tr'z and ds5, sev statik delivers his own solo friends with his supercrew friends.
Sintaxtheterrific
an indie that's part of the deepspace5 crew and finally got a solo album.
Soup the Chemist
one of the pioneers of christian hip-hop is finishing his career as a solo artist with lots of guests.
Speech
the leader of arrested development has brought thoughts on life to the hip-hop world for years.
Stu Dent
you may recognize the emcee as sev statik, but his alter ego has some more good hip hop to share.
TobyMac
getting his formidable start with dc talk, toby has been on his own doing pop/rap.
T-Bone
billing himself as the bad boy of Christian rap, this artist delivers the popular hooks.
Tunnel Rats
a california supercrew aiming for impact--both in christian and mainstream markets.
Verbs
really keepin' it real, verbs keeps his beats and flows top-notch and makes killer appearances.

Compilation Albums
Underground Rise
a weekend jam session of rhymes and beats brings a disc featuring the best in underground hip-hop.
Uprok Mixtapes
surpassing the average sampler, the crew at uprok throws their best into mixtapes for a good ride.
hip-hop news
February 16, 2006 - Kanye West wants to be in the Bible
Rolling Stone points out in its recent cover story on Kanye West (watch for our review of his latest album, Late Registration, soon) that calling the Chicago-bred rapper cocky is now a cliché. But if a short blurb found on Contactmusic.com is any indicator, West's bravado has reached hilarious new heights. According to the article, which we found via rockrebel.com, Ye is "calling for a revised edition" of the Christian scriptures, because he figures he should be in them. West is quoted as saying, "I bring up historical subjects in a way that makes kids want to learn about them. I'm an inspirational speaker. I changed the sound of music more than one time... For all those reasons, I'd be a part of the Bible. I'm definitely in the history books already."

cMusicWeb.com doesn't support West's petition to enter the Holy Book, but wouldn't mind if George Lucas, Peter Jackson and the entire crew of the original Star Trek series got in.
- Ben 

January 25, 2006 - Kanye poses as Jesus on Rolling Stone cover
Controversial rapper Kanye West appears on the cover of the February 9 issue of Rolling Stone, the Associated Press reports. West wears a crown of thorn, a tunic and has (presumably) fake blood smeared on his right cheek in the cover photo, which mimics the poster graphic for Mel Gibson's hit movie The Passion of the Christ. The words "The Passion of Kanye West" appear next to West's visage.

The excerpt made available online is unremarkable, but the AP blurb, which we found via Christian author Mark Joseph's rockrebel.com, states that West admits to the magazine that he is addicted to pornography. He traces the problem back to when he saw an issue of Playboy belonging to his father at age five.

West is nominated for eight Grammy Awards this year. The Grammies will be handed out on February 8.
- Ben 

October 20, 2005 - Kutless hits road with Disciple, KJ-52 today
Limp Bizkit has abandoned its roots and Rage Against the Machine may be gone, but rock and rap continues to collide in the music business.

Such is the case on hard rock outfit Kutless's latest headlining tour. The band hits the road today with emcee KJ-52, Essential Records' Krystal Myers and metal heads Disciple, according to CCMmagazine.com.

Kutless is touring behind Strong Tower, a worship album that has been its fastest selling record to date, CCM reports. "We've been in the studio for 2 1/2 months recording our next record, so we feel like we've got some energy to burn," says the band's lead singer, Jon Micah Sumrall.

The new record is due out in 2006 and at this stage looks like it more closely resembles the "rock roots" of the band's eponymous debut, released in 2002.
- Ben 

October 19, 2005 - Another cMW writer enters the music biz
Write for us and good things happen, folks. Latest case in point is Jon Corbin, a good friend of cMusicWeb who at one time was our principal hip-hop reviewer. Known also as The Runaway, Jon is stepping out into the music business on his own as an emcee, producer and spoken word artist.

His current EP, a five-song demo titled The Runaway Speaks, is a collection of "delicious poetry and rap tunes" as Jon puts it, and can be had now by contacting the artist directly at jon@propheticpoetic.com. Proceeds from the sale of the demo will go toward paying for Jon’s full-length project, A Brief Word which is due out next year.

Says Jon, the demo “can be yours for 5 bones, or two copies for 8. The lovely Abigail Silk (my wife) has designed two different labels so you can grab two, pick the best one for yourself and give the other one to your mom!”

You can preview one of the tracks from the demo by clicking here.
- Ben 

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