Big Punisher

Suburban White Fake Rapping Dads Are the Worst

Gangsta rap jokes are almost as old as gangsta rap itself, with seminal hip-hop comedies CB4 and Fear of a Black Hat dropping in 1994. There are probably earlier examples in song; indeed, short of hair metal, few musical genres are more ripe for parody. Since then gangsta rap gags have not abated, ... More >>

Homeboy Sandman on His Black Thought Man-Crush

Five years ago, you could find an aspiring New York rapper named Homeboy Sandman bombarding the subway cars of the 7 train with promotional material claiming that rappers Mos Def, Big Pun, and The Roots' Black Thought considered him the next great rapper. It was a promotional ruse, but one that seem ... More >>

Music Picks: Soweto Gospel Choir, Garbage, Neon Trees, Jennifer Leitham

Also, Kitty, Slaughterhouse, James, Chairlift and others

Soulstyce Festival featuring Fat Joe and others - Pico Rivera - Sept 17, 2011

Ben WesthoffFat Joe performs at the left. BMX dudes catch air to the right. ​Soulstyce Festival Reaturing Fat Joe, Redman, Ras Kass, Binary Star and others Pico Rivera Sports Arena Sept 17, 2011 Better than...party rocking in the house tonight. The second annual Soulstyce Hip-Hop And Arts F ... More >>

More Fun with Food & Rap: Fat Tony's "You Ain't Fat"

He calls himself Fat Tony, and he's not fat. But just to let everyone know that, the Houston-based rapper wrote a song and made a video. As the protagonist of "You Ain't Fat" exercises and struggles with temptation, hallucinating that the grocery store clerk has spaghetti for hair, that his waite ... More >>

Music Picks: Evelyn Evelyn, Booker T. Jones, Kaki King, Pete Rock

Also, the National, Entrance Band, Noodles, Bunbury and others

Weiss' 50 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2008 (#50-26)

Over the next two weeks, myself and a very talented cadre of contributors will be emulating the book above. Unlike said tome, it won't cost money and you'll get free MP3s--which, presumably, serve a tangible purpose. Now go cry into your near-beer, Phillip Ardagh, you lovable rogue. 50. Redman ft ... More >>

Nico the Beast's "No Beast So Fierce" And The Power of the Plain White Tee

Odds are on any given day you can catch Nico the Beast rocking plain white tees. They're his uniform of choice. Not because he's trying to sell some D-boy image to get that Plies money.* but rather because they symbolize what Nico reps: a sort of basic no-frills, rock-ribbed fundamental rap. Or ... More >>

Who's Biting J Dilla's Beats?

Hip-hop producer's legend ascends posthumously; estate struggles to maintain control

Weiss Muxtapes #7 and #8: I Can't Live Without My (Internet) Radio

Have you ever read this blog and wondered to yourself, hmm...this Jeff Weiss fellow has some self-righteous and ill-founded opinions, is it possible that he may be in the wrong medium? One would hope. Yet despite my repeated attempts to turn these misguided ideals into a viable run for the GOP nom ... More >>

An Interview With Pete Rock

Pete Rock needs no introduction. His new album NY's Finest drops on Tuesday. While it might not be a classic on the level of a Soul Survivors or Mecca & The Soul Brother, it's a strong record with occasionally great moments. But buyer beware: Jim Jones yells "floooosssssiiiin'" no less than fo ... More >>

Record Reviews: Jonny Greenwood, Bishop Lamont, Melchior Productions

Blood soundtrack, Caltroit mixtape and No Disco Future

Bishop Lamont-The Next Great West Coast Hope?

I...listened to all that Death Row stuff....and Lords Of The Underground, Busta Rhymes, Redman and Keith Murray, where your takes had to be so clean and ill to get off the phonetics that you were dropping. Your lines had to be crisp. Other cats don’t come from that school. It took me studying R ... More >>

Heroes, Villains and the Rest of Us

Now playing at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival

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Music mutilates the movies