High Times’ annual Cannabis Cup went down in Amsterdam last November and Styles P, N.O.R.E., Ghostface Killah, and Scram Jones all made the trek. If you couldn’t get pass customs, here’s film from their adventure. We’re getting high just watching this.

Ne-Yo’s isn’t satisfied with the state of R&B. He said so himself. But instead of being bitter, he took himself to task and released last year’s delight, R.E.D. Honesty is the best policy. And Ne-Yo shows his vulnerability with “Cracks in Mr. Perfect” before segueing into the baby maker “Lazy Love”. Compatibility seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout R.E.D. He seeks for his better half on (“Be The One”, “Miss Right”) and with Wiz Khalifa as a wingman, he finds his perfect match […]

Number four should’ve been number one to me. In case there was any doubt, BFK solidifies Freddie Gibbs place as one of the game’s coldest spitters. From the opening bell, he commands our attention with a multi-layered flow (“BFK”). Throughout the tape, Gibbs uses his voice to his advantage. He manipulates his baritone on “Money, Clothes, Hoes” and gets back to business on cuts like “Hard” and “Kush Cloud”. He understands melody (“Stay Down”) and the importance of sharing the spotlight alongside a […]

Brandy’s sitting on top of the world again. On her sixth album Two Eleven, Ray J’s older sis seeks and finds love in all the right places. She turns surreal moments into “Wildest Dreams” and emits Graduate-eseque cool on “Slower”. After nearly 20 years in the game, Brandy’s pipes show no signs of patina. Her power ballads are strong (“No Such Thing as Too Late”) while capturing just the right amount of emotion (“Do You Know What You Have?” ). She even […]

Despite what his name suggests, Atlanta rapper Trouble found himself on the right side of the fence with Bigga Rankin on his mixtape 431 Days. The title pays homage to the amount of days he was out the bing. Now that he’s walking the right path, Trouble plants his flag on the menacing “It’s Time”. He chronicles his life on the Alley Boy-aided “ATL” but reserves his hustler tales for “Go!!”. Between rapping and trapping, the Duct Tape artist has a […]

Shawty Lo’s got a lot on his plate and 11 kids to feed. He has a reality special about his family on the way and talked to MTV about the importance of raising his children. “I came to be one of the largest drug dealers to come from Atlanta, Bankhead area and I started havin’ kids. When the money came, a lot of women came,” he said, estimating he was a millionaire by the time he turned 21. “Once you […]

Last Spring, Queens newcomer 360, bottled his highs and lows into an enjoyable listen with his debut EP, Everywhere And Back. After stating his claim on the title track, he plays for keeps on the haunting “Own Thing”. Songwriting is where ’60’s strength lies and he diversifies his pen for the ladies (“Lovin’ You (Tonight)”) and the tramps (“Power Pussy”).  He keeps it light-hearted on “Woulda Kid” and strikes hard on the J.Cole-crafted “What Goes Up”. He fed the streets on […]

A! Juelz Santana’s God Will’n mixtape drops next Monday, but today, Flex premieres a posse cut off the project. Meek and his watch go hand in hand. Ha! Read Elz’s interview with Village Voice here.

While the verdict is still out on Chief Keef, it’s unanimous that his producer Young Chop is packing some heat. Thanks to intimidating 808s and meager pianos, Keef’s “I Don’t Like” became a runaway hit. Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music familia even flipped the track as a single to their Cruel Summer compilation. Chop didn’t like ‘Ye revamping his production, but it actually turned out better than the original. Bang, bang. Previously: #5 Rico Beats “Exodus 23:1” l #4 Salaam Remi “Queens […]

Damn, Maino throws one helluva hotel party. Covering Scarface’s “Mary Jane”, Maino incorporates hip-hop’s current favorite drug into his new video. This is definitely Not Safe For Work, but if it is, pop a molly and enjoy.