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BEST ALBUMS OF 2007  

It seems that every generation of rappers finds at least two factions drawing PR battle lines and firing insults at one another through the media. This generation is now seeing new factions with the same ridiculous scores to settle.

curtis vs. graduation

As 2007 comes to a close it's time to look back over the past year. 2007 proved to be an exciting year in the R&B/Hip-Hop scene with the most attention being paid to the simultaneous releases from Kanye West and 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) in September.

The Grammy's will take place on February 10, 2008. The musical genius of Herbie Hancock, Nelly Furtado, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse and other albums are featured in this article.

50 Cent and Kanye West lead the charge this fall season and things will only get merrier, with releases by the likes of Alicia Keyes, R.E.M., Carrie Underwood, and a few first-name-only divas.

What an amazing year for music. Big artists dropped albums this year, from rap heavy-hitters Jay-Z and Kanye West, to country crooners Carrie Underwood and Bad Paisley.

A brief look back with good tastes in music as we discuss the influences of Rap/Hip-Hop throughout urban communities.

Kanye West and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson are two of the rap games most prominent figures. Recently the two challenged each other to a friendly competition of who could outsell who in record sales which started September 11, 2007.

High-profile rappers 50 Cent and Kanye West both released new albums on September 11th. It seems that the two have recently kindled up a rivalry, or perhaps they are just using guerrilla marketing to promote and sell more albums.

This article explains why Kanye West beat out 50 Cent in their head-to-head sales battle.

50 Cent has now vowed to retire his solo music career if Kanye West sells more records than him on September 11th. Both artists drop Curtis and Graduation respectfully.

50 Cent the Queen's native has his album being pushed back from September 4th to September 11th, also Kanye West the Chicago native had his album pushed backed from August 21st to September 11th, the same date as 50 Cent.

Kanye West's new album, Late Regisration, is changing the face of hip-hop. How did this backpack-toting producer acheive his lofty ambitions and answer his toughest critics?

Miri Ben-Ari releases her debut hip-hop album. Instead of just violin solos with hip-hop beats serving as the background, the album is packed with hip-hop's biggest stars peforming over hot beats blessed with her soulful violin.

In case you've been living in a cave, Kanye West's Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis are both dropping on the same day. September 11th, 2007 marks the official showdown.

50 Cent and Kayne West released new albums September 11, 2007. 50 Cent has vowed to retire if West's sales beat his own. Take a look at the competition and help predict the outcome.

If you didn't happen to tune in for the 50th Grammy Awards, in my personal opinion, you missed some great performances. But don't fret -- catch the highlights on youtube.

This year's Grammy Awards featured performances from such legends as Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and a black-and-white version of Frank Sinatra

Hyped as The Clash of The Titans by BET's 106 & Park, rappers Kanye West and 50 Cent face off on BET's 106th & Park.

This article outlines the pioneers in Hip-Hop, the latest news on the pioneers of Hip-Hop, how new school Hip-Hop and old school Hip-Hop relate, and the attitudes of the media with old school artists.

In a controversial move, rapper Nas has titled his newest album, "Hip Hop is Dead", apparently citing that the genre has grown stagnate. With rappers moving in different steps though, such as Mos Def or Kanye West, does this have any credence.

"Damn they don't make them like this anymore." -Lyrics from "Stronger", West's 2nd single from his latest Album. This quote sets the tone for Kanye's up and coming LP, Graduation.

Hip-hop heavyweights Kanye West and 50 Cent both release new albums on Tuesday. This is an early review of Kanye's - the third of his career.

Hip-hop artists have long been stereotyped as shallow materialists with little regard for their society, but some rappers are out to change the public opinion of their art form.

This article looks at some new hip-hop and R&B artists who have had success in music in 2006.

The four person group called POETREE teases the line between hip-hop and spoken word on the streets of Chicago.

A classic hip-hop album. A classic hip-hop album. A classic hip-hop album.

Attention all music journalists, interns, and enthusiasts; hip-hop music production may never change!

This is the first in a series of reviews in my "Unearthing Gems" project: an effort to expose lesser-known hip-hop talents from all over the states to a wider audience.

As the record industry continues to be reeling from both legal and illegal downloads, it seems they have a new facet to worry about; especially in the hip-hop genre, where mixtapes have become better buys than studio-released albums.

This upcoming fall season has a lineup of some of the biggest names in rap & hip-hop that will be releasing new material and hopefully resurrecting a genre that has declined over the years.

Kanye rose triumphantly from the ashes and proclaimed himself the winner in the rap battle of the year, if not the decade; having beat out 50 Cent on his first week of sales.

Counting down the best from rap and hiphop over the past 3 decades.

Both Beyonce and Rihanna will shine at this year's MTV VMA awards. Beyonce and Justin Timberlake dominate the nominations with seven nods followed by Rihanna and Kanye West with five. The two R&B/Pop princesses will compete for Video of The Year & Best Female Artists.

A look at some highly anticipated albums slated for release in the next sixth months.

The much anticipated 2006 MTV VMA's was quite a disappointment. Although, the performances, outfits, skits and dialogue were a let down, there were a few bearable moments to reflect upon.

Working in the style of prison tattoo artists, Mister Cartoon has perfected the technique to the point that he is now considered to be one of the best tattoo artists in the business, and is sought out by music artists who want to get seriously inked.

After a long and bumpy ride, Fiona Apple's new album is finally here. And it proves to be worth the wait.

The last album I bought was Common's Be and that was a lot different than his new album entitled Finding Forever. Released on GOOD/Geffen Records, it is still primarily produced by Kanye West. The album is scheduled to be released on July 31st, 2007.

Mos Def is one of the truly original rap artists in the industry today. A undeniable pioneer of the hip/hop culture, Mos Def is not afraid of taking his art in new directions. Here are ten of his songs that best represent his contribution to hip/hop.

Of course, this is all a matter of opinion. For me, there were three albums that really stood out this year and deserved praise. Starting with Amy Winehouse's Back to Black.

The public seems to agree that much of the success and fanfare over the truly good music in 2007 has been a sigh of relief to some degree. Here's a look into the original and re-released albums that have made the year pleasantly good.

Music is a big part of American life and is extremely diverse. So how can we decide which albums are the best of 2007? For the purpose of this article, I have combined both objective (total album sales) and subjective sources.

the best albums released in 2007

Here's my "Top 10 Albums of 2007." These aren't listed in any particular order - it's just 10 albums I really enjoyed this year. Music is very subjective, so, if you disagree, too bad. Make your own list.

The BET Hip Hop Awards show returns for its second year.

A Handful of 2007's Most Magnificent Recordings Give Hope to the Faltering Music Industry

Check out some of the best releases of the past year.

Editorial essay about linguistic, vocabulary, and social values hidden within Hip-Hop music.

Appealing to the 16 to 24 year old age group, hip hop music is the second most popular genre falling closely behind classical music. With the Christian influence steadily impacting hip hop, the genre is guaranteed to fall into the top music selection.

There was a time in hip hop music that women could vibe with it and not worry about being insulted. But those days are over now that rap has taken over. When will hip hop come back?

This article reveals, in my opinion, the 10 worst songs of 2007.

Unlike the psychedelic British Invasion of the sixties, this time, they're all cute, pop-singing young women. They've each got a single or two, but how do their albums compare, and who's got lasting appeal?

Kanye West has been many things in his career: blueprint designer for some of hip-hop's most highly touted albums, style maven, jewelry connoisseur, even to some a degree a bastardized version of a Christian prophet--now he is graduating into a new musical arena.

Does MTV represent hip-hop and rap culture better than BET?

Kanye West went and combined two of my most favorite things. Web browsing, and winning.

Kanye West protested on stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards when he didn't win the award for Best Music Video. West's selfishness is supported by fans when they purchase his albums. Isn't it time that fans show Kanye that his outbursts aren't acceptable?

Kanye West does everything big. His third album, 'Graduation,' wont be released until late August but the hype is beginning to build. He has already released the first video and has given tastes of a couple of other songs.

The first thing that a listener needs to know before listening to Donuts is that J Dilla was way more complex than most other hip hop artists today. If a person likes the newest Lil' Jon or 50 Cent track, they will most likely not enjoy Donuts very much.

Kanye was recently caught on camera telling the world that he is number one. While it is true that this week, Kanye West's "Graduation" is number one among The Billboard 200, is this simply because his ego is smothering the other artists on the list?

Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour was one of the best concerts I had ever been to. It was fun, exciting and most of all: touching. His performance made me cry, smile, jump up and down and also have one of the most memorable nights of my life.

According to reports from CNN.com under the report titled "Kanye West's Mother dies after cosmetic procedure", Kanye has lost his mother and his best friend.

Some of Kanye West's top songs during his career

Images and concepts portrayed in Hip Hop and Rap music are eroding values in the Black community.

album review of Kanye West's sophmore album.

A review of rapper/producer Kanye West's new mixtape, "Can't Tell Me Nothing".

Hip Hop has over the years influenced popular trends, fashion, language and culture in general. Businesses catering to the Hip Hop industry are on the rise.

Hip Hop is at a crossroads and its time to take a look at the best of the genre.

Will Power's Hip-Hop rendition of Aeschylus' tragedy, The Seven Against Thebes, takes an archaic play and turns it into a modern exciting, spectacle that audiences today can enjoy.

I don't know about anyone else but to me modern day hip hop is garbage!

Hip Hop fashion in the 80's and 90's revealed a new approach to style and dress.

Love him or hate him Kanye West is one of the more influential artists in hip-hop, and offensive and politically incorrect, which is what the genre used to be about.

There was an upheaval at the Grammys Sunday when Kenya West refused to leave the stage.

In the world of entertainment, nothing seems too far-fetched. But what about an overseas $3,900 take-out dinner for eight...?

With the release of the track "Go," featuring John Mayer, buzz surrounds highly anticipated release of Common's latest album titled Be.

Kanye West is a racist against biracial against women. Kanye West views biracial women as "mutts."

Dr. Donda West, the mother of hip-hop star Kanye West has passed away. The family has asked for privacy while it grieves, but media reports have said she died while undergoing cosmetic surgery.

He deserved a Bachelor with this ones...

With the fashion industry changing everyday, more and more entertainers such as rappers are expanding their horizons to reach out and design clothes. While some lines are booming with sells, others have flopped worst than Flavor Flav's last CD.

Donda West, mother of Grammy-Nominated hip-hop star, Kanye West dead after compications from cosmetic procedure.

Educator and mother of entertainer and producer Kanye West has passed away at age 58. The former Chicago State University professor passed away in a los Angeles hospital.

Most Anticipated southern rap albums of 2008, the list includes Lil Wayne, Ludacris, T.I., Young Buck and others.

Kanye West personifies arrogance, talent, ambition and confidence. He is known for his larger-than-life ego, but is it justified? What are the top ten Kanye West songs?

Top 5 most anticipated rap albums from west coast artists such as Snoop, The Game, E-40 and Ice Cube.

A new 50 Cent album titled Curtis will hit the stores on June 25th of this year.

It's all about the production, production, production! And sometimes, Kanye opens his mouth!

Hip-hop fashion has been one of the most successful newly found industries in the world today. This trendy style originated from the urban streets of New York.

A look at how two celebrities, Kanye West and Faith Hill, reacted to losing at award shows. Is this a new trend or just isolated whining?

Top 5 rap albums of the fall; The list features artist such as Lil' Wayne, Jay-z, Nas and others.

Natalie Fasnacht conducted a study among white college students that reveals a disheartening fact about rap music. The more widespread the mainstream success, the less it is actually empowering the African-American community.

A review of this summer's biggest tour.

Rap music today in our world and culture can inspire and influence teenagers to the extent where they have more self-confidence. But the kind of rap music today by known bands as “50 cent” and “2pac” do they lead us down the wrong path?

Kanye West's mother, his pillar of strength, Dr. Donda West dies at the young age of 58.

This year, people care more about what generated the most buzz in the blogosphere. The results for 2007 are in.

Introducing the work of Empress as a new singer/song writer of hip hop rap and pop music

As a music lover, as I am sure most of you reading this right now are, I would applaud and champion the phrase "save the music" as a noble and necessary idea. Let's face it, music is the universal language ...