Archive for the 'All Reviews' Category

15 Apr

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

GRADE: B+
As the “pop” world reaches out its arms to Cee Lo Green and Danger Mouse, they instinctively pull back. If St. Elsewhere was their Frankenstein’s monster, then The Odd Couple is it’s terrifying killing spree.
St. Elsewhere was an album of twisted paranoia and doom disguised in the Trojan horse of an experimental party album. […]

11 Apr

MTV - “If I Were King”

GRADE: A
“If I Were King” is a no-holds-barred, gritty and intense behind the scenes look at Sean John’s return to NYC Fashion Week after a 5 year hiatus. In terms of made-for-TV documentaries, it doesn’t get much better than this.
5 years ago, Sean “Diddy” Combs won CFDA’s Menswear Designer of the Year Award for his […]

08 Apr

Ray J - All I Have

GRADE: C
Ray J, Ray J, Ray J… By all logic, there is no reasonable explanation for why this guy has been able to stay relevant for the better part of 11 years. He is far from a great singer, a D list actor (his last major film was the Shaq star vehicle Steel) and […]

25 Mar

Day26 - Self Titled

GRADE: B+
In case you have been living under a rock for the last 2 years, Day26 is the latest product of Sean “Diddy” Comb’s reality TV phenom, Making The Band. They are an R&B quintet made up of Michael “Big Mike” McCluney, Robert “Bitchassness” Curry, William “Shirtless Willie” Taylor, Qwanell “Dawn’s Boyfriend” Mosley and Brian […]

26 Feb

A Raisin in the Sun

GRADE: A
This week, ABC premiered its surprisingly relatable and entertaining remake of A Raisin in the Sun. Before you write off this 2008 remake as a Puff Daddy star vehicle,you may be interested to know that it was the first made-for-TV movie in history to be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival.
In case you […]

15 Jan

Raheem DeVaughn - Love Behind the Melody

GRADE: A
Lets be honest, to the casual listener, “Neo-Soul” artists like Cody ChesneTT, Van Hunt, Raphael Saadiq and Raheem DeVaughn all sound pretty much the same. They release similar sounding albums and tend to get similar responses from fans. With Love Behind the Melody, Raheem DeVaughn strives to elevate his sound without leaving his fans […]

11 Jan

First Sunday

GRADE: B–
Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams team up in “First Sunday.” A rare film that manages to be sickeningly warm and fuzzy while still legitimately funny.
First Sunday doesn’t have the sophisticated wit of Barbershop or the charm of Friday. However, it generates enough genuine belly-laughs to make it watchable. The cast […]

05 Jan

Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood

GRADE: B
Snoop Dogg has a new pseudo-reality show on VH-1. But Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood feels more like a Curb Your Enthusiasm style improvisational show than a reality show.
Perhaps comparing this show to Curb is a bit hasty. Snoop is funny guy and thankfully the show’s initial episodes place him clever situations. However, it […]

18 Dec

Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool

GRADE: A–
The phrase “concept album” has always left an uneasy feeling in the stomachs of Hip Hoppers. Since the late 80’s, rappers have tried (and almost always failed) to create truly interesting albums that follow closely on one theme. Then, in late 2007, Lupe Fiasco’s mentor Jay-Z did the unthinkable. Jigga released one […]

18 Dec

Ghostface Killlah - The Big Doe Rehab

GRADE: B+
Ghostface Killah resurfaces in familiar form with The Big Doe Rehab. The album finds the Wu-Tang Clan’s golden child back in his comfort zone.
Be warned, if you were never a Ghostface Killah fan, The Big Doe Rehab will not change your mind. Ghost is a creature of habit and every track […]