Best known for his breakout single "Braggin' Writes" and debut album The Best Part, New York's J-Live has been an underground fixture since the mid-‘90s, consistently putting out quality material yet never really finding a wider audience. After four full-lengths, three EPs, and numerous collaborations (with Handsome Boy Modeling School, Jazzy Jeff, Rob Swift, and Vakill among others), he returns with Undivided Attention, a six-track mini-album that finds him doing what he does best – dropping smart, real-life wordplay over loop-based beats. "Undivided Attention" calls out wannabe crack dealers and widespread buffoonery in the industry, while also touching on environmental issues and gay rights, "Fitness" is a rowdy, air-horn-enriched collabo with Homeboy Sandman, and "The Way That I Rhyme" is a slick party jam featuring Boog Brown. Though he may never dominate the radio, if you're on the lookout for solid, true-school hip-hop, J-Live deserves your attention.
- The Gift of Gab
- Various Artists
- Kev Brown
- Rashid Hadee, A + R & Analogic
- Floyd the Locsmif