Articles by Del F. Cowie

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  Wiley

  Playtime is Over

  PUBLISHED Sep 4, 2007

  Ahead of the release of this album, Wiley has been vowing to retire permanently from the grime scene he arguably helped create. While it’s...

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  Blu & Exile

  Below the Heavens

  PUBLISHED Aug 16, 2007

  MCs like Aloe Blacc and Trek Life are bringing some fresh sounds from Los Angeles, and with the release of his solo debut, Below The Heaven...

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  Tona

  Don't Holla EP

  PUBLISHED Aug 16, 2007

  Toronto MC Tona (formerly Daetona) has been holding down Toronto college radio hip-hop shows with the "Dial Tone” single for the better par...

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  UGK

  Underground Kingz

  PUBLISHED Aug 16, 2007

  Timing is everything, just ask UGK. The Texas duo of Pimp C and Bun B released the seminal Southern rap thesaurus, 1996’s Ridin’ Dirty, and...

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  Common

  Finding Forever

  PUBLISHED Jul 31, 2007

  While the title of Common’s seventh album is supposed to conjure up a whimsical search for enduring relevance and timelessness, it seems mo...

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  Notes From the Underground

  Liner Notes

  PUBLISHED Jul 23, 2007

  XXL Magazine columnist Brian Coleman first chronicled influential hip-hop albums in the self-published Rakim Told Me now expanded as Check...

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  Waajeed

  The War LP

  PUBLISHED Jul 20, 2007

  From the moment the sounds of urban chaos, sirens and distant gunfire subside to Tiombe Lockhart’s deceptively seductive vocals intoning, "...

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  Deep Crates 2

  Jeremy Weisfeld

  PUBLISHED Jul 20, 2007

  Toronto filmmaker Jeremy Weisfeld gathers an impressive cast of legendary hip-hop producers to talk about their craft. While the talking he...