Born In The Bronx- A Visual Record of the Early Days of Hip Hop. Edited by Johan Kugelberg. Photographs by Joe Conzo. Foreword by Afrika Bambaataa

This book is phenomenal. I might as well get that out of the way. Rest assured, I will explain my feelings.  Bambataa’s foreword serves to give the reader some perspective of the cultural, racial and socioeconomic context of the Bronx between the 1960s and 70s. In the 1960s, minorities living in the Bronx kept themselves segregated, through identity and geography. The pictures in this book focus on the shift in the 1970s, when racial identities began to dissolve and hip hop music started to transcend Bronx culture as a whole.

Born In The Bronx provides a visual record for the birth of the hip hop revolution in coffee-table format. The book features some of the most stunning and poster-worthy images relating to hip hop I have ever seen. The printing is stunning and detailed and the collection features photos, event tickets, vinyl covers and all sorts of  early hip hop memorabilia.

In the two weeks that I have had custody of this book, various friends and associates have visited my home and scrutinized it. Virtually all of them have stated that it is nothing short of an epic collection of art. If you have any appreciation for hip hop or even music in its broadest sense, this should be on your coffee table.

    That time has arrived once more. The time we all look forward to again and again, year after year. Just when you start to feel that emptiness inside, and realize that something is missing in the whole scheme of things, Pretty Toney comes back and blesses us with another one. Yep, that’s right! The Almighty Ghostface Killah has returned with another banger full of goodies; entitled The Big Doe Rehab.

    There’s not really much to say about Ghostface Killah that hasn’t already been said. He has helped keep the Wu-torch burning while many of his mates have fallen off. He has managed to stay relevant in a time where being a rapper past the age of 29 isn’t promising. He has released many great albums, with tons of great tracks, and this album is no different.

    The Big Doe Rehab is full of great Ghostface lyrics, and solid production (none from RZA). Some of the guests include: Beanie Sigel, Kid Capri & The Rhythm Roots Allstars, his Wu-Tang brethren (of course), and Ghost’s son Sun God who is featured with Trife Da God on “Yapp City”--one of the hardest tracks I’ve heard in recent memory. “White Linen Affair” comes in right after, with Ghostface using ill imagery to describe his own fantasy award show.

    On “Yolanda’s House” and “Shakey Dog”, alongside his partner in crime Raekwon (and Method Man on the former), Ghost displays why he’s still one of the best with his superb storytelling abilities. This album never really lets down until the closing skit when you realize it’s finally over. It’s so enjoyable that the bonus tracks don’t even feel too extra. The Big Doe Rehab is another solid album from one of the greatest around.

words: Pünker Ace

For me, Hi-tek has always been one of those guys that I knew was doing good stuff. I jammed to his songs along the years, but never got the chance to fully check out his work. So when his new album Hi-Teknology 3 hit the WRG? offices, I happily jumped at the chance to review it.  
Hi-Teknology 3 is part three in a series of Hi-Tek produced albums. I didn’t hear any of the previous installments but this one really impressed me. Hi-Tek appears to have a knack for choosing the perfect mix of artists to complement his songs and add to his albums on a whole. From Ghostface & Raekwon to Young Buck, Talib Kweli, upcoming English singer Estelle and various obscure indie rappers. Your particular taste of hip hop is most likely represented on this album. His versatility as a beat maker is impressive as well. One minute I’d be listening to the next neo-soul incense lighting anthem, then I was grooving to a big bounce, baller-boogie beat, and at the drop of a snare I’d be hit with a melodramatic mix-tape style masterpiece.
Overall this is a good album that I feel myself coming back to and listening to again, while driving, getting ready to go out on a Saturday night or even on a relaxed Sunday spent at home. Though there are one or two slight duds like, “Knew Me” which feels two minutes and a half too lon and “Life To Me” (on first listen seemed to me to be a lifeless neo-soul, floetry-esque track, but got better over time. But, the overall vibe of this record over powers the minor misses, and everything gels together to make an enjoyable album.   

words: Pünker Ace

The Games Black Girls Play by Kyra D.Gaunt

In this study of African American musical lineage, Kyra Gaunt examines the playful roots of contemporary hip-hop. Gaunt is a professor of ethnomusicology at NYU, so this work is fairly analytical in nature despite its title and subject.

Because of her scholarly approach, this book is far more geared towards students of music in the classical sense than it is to fans of hip hop. That being said, it still offers insight into the roots of some classic rap verses and hip hop motifs. For instance, Gaunt explains how Nelly’s Down Down Baby is basically a play on the street game “Down Down Baby,” also known as “Hot Dog.” The main hook of Nelly’s song simply replaces the words, “sweet sweet baby” and “roller coaster” for “street-sweeper baby” and “Range Rover.” This random example merely scratches the surface though, as Gaunt goes into far more detail with charts and graphics explaining the visual similarity of both verbal games and hip hop.

Additionally, it becomes quite apparent within the first few chapters that Gaunt is examining her work within prominently feminist perspective. This book is certainly interesting but it’s reader appreciation is seriously specific.

This is not the type of book I would pick at the airport news-stand for an entertaining read on a flight. If you enjoy the study of music in the scholarly sense and additionally enjoy hip hop music, then perhaps The Games Black Girls Play is for you.

words: Mosin Aziz