Last year,
Nas suddenly found himself back at the center of the hip-hop world, thanks to a hotly argued claim: the genre itself was dead. Know this: if it's alive after all, the veteran means to stay relevant. New cut "Hero" shows a dreamy grit that recalls--but modernizes--early Queensbridge.
Self-proclaimed "baddest bitch"
Trina is a Miami-based rapper whose path to R&B/hip-hop fame came via
Trick Daddy in the late '90s. But now Trina's on her own and championing a sound that--especially with
Keiysha Cole on her new single--reminds us of late-'90s urban slow-jams like
702's "Steelo" and
KP & Envi's "Shorty Swing My Way."