Hip-Hop
Most Spun 2007: The Runaway aka Jon Corbin
Submitted by kim on April 11, 2008 - 8:58am. Feature | Hip-Hop | Various ArtistsSubmitted by The Runaway aka Jon Corbin (Current Album: A Brief Word - Prophetic Poetic Productions)
1. Relic It's All Relative
A self-produced hip-hop record from my man Relic in Brampton, Ontario. This one has been several years in the making and has been creating quite a buzz online. So few hip-hop records can offer dope beats and rhymes the whole way through. Here, both are outstanding.
Listener wants to perform at your house
Submitted by ben on October 22, 2007 - 4:08pm. Hip-Hop | Listener | News Story
In 2005, Deepspace 5's The Listener embarked on a unique tour that found him in very odd - and relatively small - places. Dubbed "Listener's Tour of Homes," the venture consisted of a number of small concerts in attics, living rooms, front yards, and back yards - as well as larger spots like skate parks, art galleries and amphitheatres.
"We had such an amazing time," says an unnamed 2005 Tour of Homes attendee in a recent edition of Listener's e-mail newsletter. "It's the kind of DIY touring and music making we love to do, and you guys [the fans] have done a fantastic job of making us household names in a ton of households."
Kanye West - Graduation (2007)
Submitted by ben on October 13, 2007 - 11:02pm. Album Review | Hip-Hop | Kanye West
There comes an unfortunate moment in the career of many an artist when the music they create is largely irrelevant to the way they are publicly perceived. For better or worse, celebrity and not substance is this person's driving force, and it is not they, or the music-buying community, but the media who decide their ultimate fate. At this moment, they become more compelling as public figures than as musicians, and there is little they can do about it. Either this process will immortalize them (as with Elton John and the Rolling Stones) or it will swallow them whole (Michael Jackson, Britney Spears). With the arrival of his third album, Graduation, Kanye West teeters on the edge of this chasm.
Blowin' up like we thought he would...
Submitted by ben on September 17, 2007 - 6:07pm. Hip-Hop | News Story | The RunawayThe Runaway has been nominated alongside heavy-hitting Canuck Manafest in the Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year category of this year's Covenant Awards, a show similar to the United States' GMA Awards and administered by Gospel Music Association Canada (GMA Canada).
Kanye projected to top 50 Cent this week
Submitted by ben on September 13, 2007 - 6:27pm. 50 Cent | Hip-Hop | Kanye West | News StoryKanye West appears to be winning his head-to-head battle with 50 Cent for record sales supremacy, but both rappers are likely to move fewer units than they did with their previous albums.
This is the verdict of a Reuters news article that cites Billboard magazine as saying West is projected to sell between 575,000 and 700,000 copies of his new album Graduation, while 50 is likely to sell between 500,000 and 600,000 of his new offering, Curtis.
Clash of the...uhh... titans?
Submitted by ben on September 6, 2007 - 7:53pm. 50 Cent | Hip-Hop | Kanye West | News StoryIt won't exactly be a battle of wits, but the rumoured debate between 50 Cent and Kanye West is apparently a go. The two will face off Tuesday on BET to argue the merits of their respective albums - Curtis and Graduation -- according to the Associated Press.
A Brief Word with The Runaway
Submitted by ben on June 12, 2007 - 6:07pm. Feature | Hip-Hop | The Runaway
A few years back we had a Canadian dude named Jon (alias: "The Runaway") handling our hip-hop section. Though some of us were (and are) fans of this type of music, we lacked the depth of understanding and intelligence Jon brought to appraising albums of the type. In late May, he broke in with his first full-length offering as a producer and emcee, titled A Brief Word. Here are the details, straight from the man himself.
The Runaway set to release devbut album
Submitted by ben on March 8, 2007 - 2:25pm. Hip-Hop | News Story | The Runaway
Our old buddy The Runaway, known to cMusicWeb.com readers as hip-hop reviewer Jon Corbin, is set to release his debut album as an emcee on May 1. Titled A Brief Word, the album features guest spots from Deepspace 5's Sivion, respected Ontarian spitter Shad K, as well as Titus, N.I.F.T.Y. and ILL Seer. The album also features production from N.I.F.T.Y. along with beats from Tony Stone, Theory Hazit, Relic, and Run himself.
Most Spun 2006: Terrence "SouL" Dove
Submitted by ben on January 17, 2007 - 7:41pm. Feature | Hip-HopSubmitted by Terrence Dove, a.k.a. "SouL" (Editor-in-Chief of the late, great, FEED magazine)
1. Supastition: Chain Letters
Not since '93 have I heard an album that was flawless from beginning to end, both in production and lyricism. Hip hop has a quiet but deadly demigod in this emcee. His inner egos run the gamut from battle emcee ("Ain't Goin' Out") to hip hop culture aficionado ("Nickeled Needles"), from life teacher ("Yesterday, Everyday") to underdog advocate ("Hate My Face"). There are no lulling moments in this listen. If given the chance and the light, Supa would be a reckoning force in the 21st century. He made it into my top ten emcees of all time--easy.
Most Spun 2006: Flynn Adam
Submitted by ben on January 13, 2007 - 1:19am. Feature | FLYNN | Flynn Adam | Hip-HopSubmitted by Flynn Adam (solo artist and L.A. Symphony member)
1. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Ever since the release of "Crazy" I think just about anyone and everyone was sucked into the intrigue and brilliance behind the Gnarls Barkley project... to say the least it's definitely one of the more progressive and artistic releases of 2006 and I definitely have enjoyed the music, videos and comedy behind even their press / publicity... It's hip hop meets Motown meets a bit of rock meets a bit of crazy (for lack of better word/pun)...
