Alt-R&B’s RICEWINE Nails the Vibe on ‘Lovesick’
RICEWINE's uneven yet generous third LP, Lovesick, perfects an infectious and consistent sound, allowing the groove to propel the album forward.
alternative hip-hop
The Best Hip-Hop Albums/Mixtapes of 2010
Epic, sleek, weed rap, emo, sociopolitical, gangsta, or house party? In which direction will hip-hop go? 2010 was a year for all of the above.
Run the Jewels – “Ooh LA LA” (Singles Going Steady)
Run the Jewels' "Ooh LA LA" may hit with old-school hip-hop swagger, but it also frustratingly affirms misogynistic bro-culture.
The Seshen Return Feeling Kind of ‘Cyan’
San Francisco alt-R&B/electropop group, the Seshen tie musical and emotional threads together beautifully on Cyan.
Marks X the Spot: Rapper Giovanni Marks Challenges the Hip-Hop Paradigm
Giovanni Marks, the William S. Burroughs of hip-hop, offers up his thoughts on the trials and tribulations of an indie hip-hop artist.
Danny Brown’s ‘uknowhatimsayin¿’ Is a Classic Hip-Hop Record Without the Experimental Edge
Detroit rapper Danny Brown's uknowhatimsayin¿ is a spare, principled record that's mostly about hard beats and harder bars.
JPEGMAFIA’s ‘All My Heroes Are Cornballs’ Humanizes His Visceral Online Image
On All My Heroes Are Cornballs, experimental rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA broadens his visceral online image and sounds into a more vulnerable, humanizing, and melodic project.
Dirty Heads Update Their Sound, But Not Enough, with the Charming ‘Super Moon’
With Nashville producer Dave Cobb in tow, California quintet Dirty Heads beef up their chill party vibe with some unique sounds on Super Moon.
By Style and Error: M. Sayyid Takes Hip-hop to the Exosphere
Few rappers have been brave enough to try what Sayyid has been doing for years; his hip-hop suffers brutal and fantastic experiments of Asimov-proportions.
Mister and Curt Cataract Release Conceptual Rap Album 11 Years in the Making (premiere)
After a decade-long gestation, a collaboration between Detroit rapper Mister and UK producer Curt Cataract is bearing fruit. Hear their latest track "Holding It Up".
Twenty One Pilots Get Sensitive on ‘Trench’
On Trench, arena-pop duo Twenty One Pilots shift to a more tasteful, sensitive approach to mixed but mostly positive results.