Articles by Claire Marie Blaustein

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  E-40

  My Ghetto Report Card

  PUBLISHED May 1, 2006

  Unless you live on the West coast, you may not have heard of the Bay Area-based "Hyphy” sub-genre of rap — a dance floor-focused hip-hop mo...

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  The Streets

  The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living

  PUBLISHED May 1, 2006

  Being an autobiographical tale of the ups and downs that have followed Mike Skinner since the release of his critically and financially suc...

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  Pitbull

  Money Is Still a Major Issue

  PUBLISHED Apr 1, 2006

  Miami’s finest throws down a remix album with four new songs and a bonus DVD. The DVD first: the standard club hoochie-and-crystal music vi...

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  Planet Asia

  The Sickness Part One

  PUBLISHED Apr 1, 2006

  This long-time West coast legend is now firmly back underground after a deal with Interscope floundered (despite a 2002 Grammy nomination),...

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  P.O.S.

  Audition

  PUBLISHED Apr 1, 2006

  It should come as no surprise that this uneasy fusion of punk and hip-hop comes from Minnesota, the same state that brought the alt-hop of...

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  Tha Alkaholiks

  Firewater

  PUBLISHED Mar 1, 2006

  While everyone knows that rappers only retire until they run out of money or props, let’s hope tha Alkaholiks know that it’s finally time f...

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  Atach Tatuq

  Deluxxx

  PUBLISHED Feb 1, 2006

  While the rest of the country has been looking to Toronto, the two coasts, and little in-between, Montreal has been steadily producing a se...

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  Fort Minor

  The Rising Tied

  PUBLISHED Feb 1, 2006

  It’s a good thing that Def Jam head honcho Jay-Z executively produced this album, because Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda couldn’t be dragging l...