Every year the Village Voice poll a huge range of music writers and critics for their top ten favourite albums and singles of the year and then tally the votes up into one mammoth list. This time around, Animal Collective’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavillion’ took the top long-playing spot and Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State Of Mind’ nabbed [...]

Ten years ago it would have been easy to predict the next stage in Alabama-born but Atlanta-based Yelawolf’s career: Get signed to a major, taken under the wing of a big-wig producer, and then get your marketing bods drumming up a batch of hype based around being a white rapper with a vaguely Eminem-esque white [...]

HHC’s rap round-up…
By Richard Watson
Photography by Kristina Hill
Send in the clones! This week, MF Doom once again found himself accused of getting an imposter to do his metal-faced bidding at a live show. When HHC Digital reached out to Dumile for a comment, he strenuously denied the allegations − but in a thick Geordie accent, [...]

Click here to download HHC Digital 005, headed up by Rakim talking about Dr Dre’s studio antics, his first meetings with Nas and Jay-Z, Large Professor’s sample game, the day KRS-One put the blame for gangsta rap on him, the original 50 Cent and Killer Ben, the legend of The Rooftop, plus the exact price [...]

With his dope ‘Saving Seamus Ryan’ album out now, we checked in with Esoteric to talk about working with Masta Ace, nearly recording with Eminem, and why Seal is cooler than most modern rap chaps…
What’s the meaning behind the album title, ‘Saving Seamus Ryan’? And were there any other alternative titles that you considered?
“Nah, not [...]

HHC Digital’s rap round-up…
By Richard Watson
With the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors celebrating Def Jam’s 25th anniversary, KRS-One offered a more balanced opinion on the label’s legacy, naming it single-handedly responsible for hip-hop’s destruction. Which we don’t think was an actual award. In tangentially related news, it emerged that Def Jam alumnus Foxy Brown may be the [...]

HHC Digital’s online news round-up…
By Richard Watson
Paging Jackie Chiles… Max B is looking at 75 Years in the clink for his part in a fatal armed robbery, unless his lawyer can blow the case wide open within the 30 days granted for appeal. As Wavy Crockett himself might say, Oowww.
Max probably won’t enjoy hearing Saigon’s [...]

HHC Digital’s online news round-up…
By Richard Watson
“He’ll hit you/Get the picture, Kodak man?” In Croatia, Jay-Z’s bodyguard scuffled with a paparazzo, while back on home soil habitual Jigga haters The Game and Jaz-O joined forces for the week’s most economical dis record and Jim Jones accused Jigga of jacking his splash – which thankfully isn’t [...]

By Richard Watson
C-Murder got life for second degree murder, with his sister lamenting Barack Obama’s lack of intervention. Through a spokesperson, the President said, “Ehh … I’ve always been more of a Silkk The Shocker fan.”
Continuing the current vogue for golden era tandems, Masta Ace and Edo G unveiled the first fruits of their A&E [...]

Having seen his next solo album continually pushed back by the suits over at Interscope, 50 Cent’s been keeping busy by stepping up his acting game (and ragging on Turtle in Entourage). Speaking on the eve of the DVD release of Streets Of Blood, the post-Katrina flick that co-stars Sharon Stone and Val Kilmer, Curtis [...]