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2010 marks the return of the singer/songwriter with the unmistakeable deep baritone voice, full of soul and nostalgia. In a class of his own amongst his soul singing peers, it’s Jaheim!
With his impressive first release
Ghetto Love back in 2001, he conjured comparisons to greats like
Luther Vandross and
Teddy Pendergrass. It’s this mature sound in a youthful package that makes Jaheim the old soul voice for the new generation, so his latest effort and fifth album
Another Round is a welcome return. After a three year break since
Makings of a Man in 2007, it seems Jaheim is continuing in the vein of the refined gentleman we began to see then, and it’s definitely working for him.
Whilst the Maybach Music Group ran roughshot over the three months of inconsistent summer weather, the enigmatic powerhouse collective known as G.O.O.D Music was quietly creating a buzz akin to a tropical hurricane. News of the imprint’s joint album Cruel Summer began to surface as the group’s leader, Kanye West, spent this past summer adding lyrical muscle to affiliates Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz’ cuts [in addition to fleeing from the paparazzi with ‘new’ beau Kim Kardashian]. As we enter the Autumn months, can his collective create an ‘Indian Summer’ of substantial heat?
Arguably the most revered group of the late '90s and beyond, Yonkers' The LOX lyrically (and at times physically) shook the competition into submission. With each of the members playing their part - Jadakiss being the franchise and Sheek Louch the street general - it was Styles P who somewhat surprisingly managed to stand comfortably on the fine line between critical acclaim and hood props. With albums touching the nerves of a college kid, activist or gang member, Pinero, in some peoples eyes, was the real gem of the group instead of the much lauded Kiss. With rap now being dictated by the more emotional of rappers, Master of Ceremonies aims to inject that rough house, honest dialect with which Styles P has reigned.
On the weekend in which the Hip Hop world celebrated the late Notorious B.I.G’s birthday, it was only fitting that one of the few emcees to ever make a song with Frank White would drop something new for the masses.