Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known, revered, and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. Christgau spent 37 years as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music, and was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world – when he talks, people listen."
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 is the second studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 4, 1997 by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAA, selling over 138,000 copies in its first week of release. In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 also served as Jay-Z's first album release following the sudden death of fellow Brooklyn rapper and collaborator The Notorious B.I.G. in March 1997.
Tsidi Ibrahim, known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American rapper from Manhattan, New York City. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international fanbase. Her unique music and lyrical style have earned her recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.
Saved is the 20th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on June 23, 1980, by Columbia Records. Saved was the second album of Dylan's "Christian trilogy". It expanded on themes explored on its predecessor Slow Train Coming, with gospel arrangements and lyrics extolling the importance of a strong personal faith.
No Ceilings is a mixtape by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was scheduled to be released on October 31, 2009, but was leaked before the official date. No Ceilings was officially released on October 31, 2009, with 4 additional tracks. The mixtape is available as a free and legal download and it received widespread acclaim from critics. An abridged version was officially released to streaming services on August 28, 2020, excluding ten songs.
XXX is the second studio album by American rapper Danny Brown. It was released on August 15, 2011, by Fool's Gold Records. The album's production was handled by Frank Dukes, Brandun DeShay, Skywlkr, Nick Speed, Quelle, Paul White, Squadda Bambino and DJ House Shoes. The album's only guest appearances come from Brown's Bruiser Brigade cohorts Chips and Dopehead.
Bilal Salaam is an American independent, experimental composer.
Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Killah, Open Mike Eagle, L'Orange, Quelle Chris, Jean Grae, Kool Keith, Nottz, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Pete Rock, and Rapper Big Pooh. In 2012, MTV Hive described MMG as having a "dedication to intelligent, street-wise boom bap", although the label has released a number of purely instrumental albums as well. In 2016, Forbes magazine called Mello Music Group the most successful indie rap label of the decade.
Innocent Country is the first collaborative album by American rapper Quelle Chris and producer Chris Keys. It was released through Mello Music Group on July 10, 2015.
Ghost At The Finish Line is a 2013 studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris, released on October 29, 2013 via Mello Music Group. The thirteen-track record featured guest appearances by the likes of Alchemist, Black Milk, Denmark Vessey, Fuzz Scoota, Guilty Simpson, House Shoes, Jimetta Rose, Marv Won, and Mosel.
Too Dirt For TV2 – Niggas Is Men is a 2013 mixtape album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It featured audio production handled by Messiah Musik, Sifu and Quelle himself, and guest appearances from Bwameeks, Cavalier, Chay, Denmark Vessey, DJ GroWeyez, Fresh Daily, Mosel, and Tanya Morgan.
Gavin Christopher Tennille, known as Quelle Chris, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has released over 15 albums as a solo act and with his collaborative projects. He has been described as a student of Detroit hip hop.
Everything's Fine is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jean Grae and Quelle Chris. It was released on March 30, 2018, via Mello Music Group. The fifteen-track record features guest appearances from the likes of Your Old Droog, Denmark Vessey, and comedians Hannibal Buress, Nick Offerman, Michael Che and John Hodgman, among others.
Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s is a music reference book by American music journalist and essayist Robert Christgau. It was published in October 2000 by St. Martin's Press's Griffin imprint and collects approximately 3,800 capsule album reviews, originally written by Christgau during the 1990s for his "Consumer Guide" column in The Village Voice. Text from his other writings for the Voice, Rolling Stone, Spin, and Playboy from this period is also featured. The book is the third in a series of influential "Consumer Guide" collections, following Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981) and Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990).
Guns is a studio album by American rapper and record producer Quelle Chris. It was released on March 29, 2019 through Mello Music Group with distribution via The Orchard. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Dane and Quelle himself. It features guest appearances from Bilal Salaam, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Eldar Djangirov, James Acaster, Jean Grae, Jonathan Hoard, Mach-Hommy and Ugly Boy Modeling.
Tom Hull is an American music critic, web designer, and former software developer. Hull began writing criticism for The Village Voice in the mid 1970s under the mentorship of its music editor Robert Christgau, but left the field to pursue a career in software design and engineering during the 1980s and 1990s, which earned him the majority of his life's income. In the 2000s, he returned to music reviewing and wrote a jazz column for The Village Voice in the manner of Christgau's "Consumer Guide", alongside contributions to Seattle Weekly, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, NPR Music, and the webzine Static Multimedia.
Everything Is Beautiful is the fourth studio album by American rapper Princess Nokia. It was released on February 26, 2020, on the same day as their third studio album, Everything Sucks. The album was meant to represent the "sensitive, feminine side of Princess Nokia" and was recorded mostly with live instrumentation. The album was preceded by the single, "Green Eggs & Ham". The album received positive reviews from critics.
Innocent Country 2 is the second collaborative album by American rapper Quelle Chris and record producer Chris Keys. It was released on April 24, 2020 via Mello Music Group, serving as a sequel to their 2015 album Innocent Country and the fourth in the Quelle's 2Dirt4TV series. It features guest appearances from Merrill Garbus, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Earl Sweatshirt, Homeboy Sandman, and comedians Josh Gondelman and James Acaster among others.
Resolution is the second studio album by American hip hop group The Perceptionists. It was released on Mello Music Group on July 28, 2017. Music videos were created for "Hose Down" and "Free at Last".
Deathfame is a studio album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It was released on May 13, 2022 via Mello Music Group. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Knxwledge, and Quelle Chris himself. It features guest appearances from Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, J Jig Cicero, MoRuf, Navy Blue and Pink Siifu.
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