Contributor

4 items by Cheo H. Coker

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  Me Against The World | ALBUM REVIEW

  Among movie roles, music-video cameos and court appearances, Tupac Shakur remains a frustrating yet fascinating character because it's obvious that the 23-year-old rapper has decided to make his journey for self-discovery open to the world. His personality...

  February 2, 1998 12:00 AM ET
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  Mr. Smith | ALBUM REVIEW

  Bold and vainglorious, 16-year-old James Todd Smith was a one-man Run-DMC when he exploded onto the scene as LL Cool J in 1985. He was a cartoon character with ironclad lyrical muscles, venomous enough in spirit to...

  February 8, 1996 12:00 AM ET
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  KRS-One | ALBUM REVIEW

  The Wu-Tang clan and their offshoots have returned an elevating spirit to the New York hip-hop scene in a way that hasn't been experienced there since the mid-'80s, when rivals KRS-One and MC Shan traded lyrical barbs...

  November 16, 1995 12:00 AM ET
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  Brown Sugar | ALBUM REVIEW

  D'Angelo is cut from a heavier cloth than the majority of his New Jack brethren: He's a singer/songwriter with a mellifluous, sturdy voice that can coo and growl with equal conviction. He's no trailblazer — Stevie Wonder,...

  September 7, 1995 12:00 AM ET