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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

GRADE: A–
The Queen of Hip Hop Soul is top form. In a time where new, generic, cookie cutter R&B artists are appearing (then quickly disappearing) every other week, it’s refreshing to see urban music’s favorite underdog finally getting the pop props she deserves.
Both vocally and lyrically, Mary J. impresses on Growing Pains. Though not [...]

GRADE: A
After a string of ambitious (but ultimately underwhelming) albums, Wyclef Jean impresses with the sequel to his solo debut, 1997’s The Carnival: Featuring the Refugee All-Stars.Carnival II, like the classic LP which it borrows its name from, is inventive, fresh, experimental and pretty damn genious.
Since Clef’s debut, he has crafted gems for everyone [...]

GRADE: C+
How would you imagine a collaboration album from the artist formerly known as Lil Bow Wow and the lead singer of B2K would sound? Think hard. No surprise, that’s EXACTLY how Face Off sounds.
Bow Wow has seen an odd decrease in the overall quality of his albums in the last few years. In [...]

GRADE: A–
Terius “The Dream” Nash has proven himself to be a more than competent songwriter by penning number one hits for Rhianna, Madonna, J. Holiday and Britney Spears. Like fellow songwriter Ne-Yo, Nash has decided to parley his industry status into a singing career with the release of his solo debut LoveHate.
It should come [...]

GRADE: B
Alicia Keys deserves to (one day) be mentioned in the same breath as soul icons like Roberta Flack, Minnie Riperton and Aretha Franklin. Not only for having a stellar and unique voice, but also for creating music with the kind of passion that sends chills through every inch of a listener’s body. [...]