Predictions / Theme / What We Did On Show Vacation / “Shell Games” / The People’s Key / Joe & Phoebe / “Paisley Park”

Sagely, Jay-Z once rapped “If skills sold, truth be told/I’d probably be lyrically Talib Kweli.” In his book Decoded (see the Assault review), he elucidates: “[Kweli and Common are] great technical MCs, but there is a difference between being a great technician and a great songwriter.” This probably sums up the key flaw in Talib Kweli’s discography, and Gutter Rainbows is no exception. He’s always stunning verbally, but musically he lacks the direction to keep things interesting.

America’s MC crafts a surprisingly insightful book.

The best rap that rappers rapped in 2010. Rap!

Kid Cudi tries to make you sad-high.

Now that MTV has about as much to do with music as KFC has to do with Kentucky, the Internet has become our primary source for music videos. With the Internet, though, there is no filter. It’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Well here, pledge drive fanatics, is the chaff. It’s your [...]

In this, the landmark twentieth episode of Audio Assault, Jere and Oswald dissect Kanye’s new masterpiece and the latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise. Plus: Oswald interviews Miss Alex White of White Mystery – they talk about booking shows, writing songs, and making buttons.

Rihanna returns to rock you– well, not really. I guess we’re all hoping for a holiday break.

It is a stroke of luck (or massive talent and commitment) that Pimp C’s The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones is not a shitty posthumous cash-in. When he died in 2007, he was working on this and the previously-released final UGK album (the excellent UGK 4 Life)It’s a fitting tribute to a guy who was [...]

Wale rebounds from the commercial and critical disappointment of Attention Deficit with more fresh Seinfeld references.

This time, the revolution will NOT be Googled.

Rick Ross keeps improving his rap game and stepping up his fantasy game. Also: these beats are dope.

The underrated half of OutKast returns with his first official solo album, showing off some surprising eccentricities of his own. It’s a must-listen for any fans of great shit.

The Roots take a step back from the brink, get warm and fuzzy again. Also: hang out with Jim James.

Contrary to what you see on Assault, we still have time to lovingly peruse our old music collections. With that in mind, Jere has fired up his iPod, set it to “random album” and reviewed the first three things that pop up. We call is Assault Shrapnel Reviews, where nothing is off-limits and you don’t know what’ll hit you! This week: Willie Nelson, Busta Rhymes, and The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968.

Eminem returns, and he’s calling it a comeback.

The Roots debut their new video – and it’s a Monsters Of Folk cover.

Now that MTV has about as much to do with music as KFC has to do with Kentucky, the Internet has become our primary source for music videos. With the Internet, though, there is no filter. It’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Well here, ladies and gentlemen, is the chaff. It’s your penance for a lifetime of sins: Music Video Hell. This week: Eminem’s new single, “Not Afraid.”

Too $hort proteges The Pack, hailing from Berkeley, CA and responsible for the noted semi-hit “Vans,” are prepping for the release of their new album, Wolfpack Party, and they’re kicking the festivities off with some fun shit. We’ve got said shit embedded below: the album’s titular first single and a video showing the aftermath of [...]

B.o.B.’s “The Adventures of Bobby Ray” deserves its chart-topping fate by sheer virtue of having the balls to be a rap album openly courting a non-hip-hop audience.