During my editorial stint at the hip-hop website TheBoombox.com, I compiled a top 20 list of the Greatest Jazz Rap Albums of the 1990s. It’s not a thorough list by any means (I only had 20 slots to fill), so I missed a few albums. But I have most of the celebrated jazz/hop-hop albums of that era.

One of the many artists featured on the list was a little unknown band called Justice System. They were an eclectic live band out of New York who made a name for themselves by performing energetic live shows throughout NYC. The group was eventually signed to MCA Records and released their debut album Rooftop Soundcheck in 1994.

The project was a great collection of jazz and rap-infused sounds that celebrated hip-hop culture. The LP was a toast to New York with standout tracks like “Trouble on My Mind" (with its hat-tip to Public Enemy's Chuck D) and “Santana,” which paid homage to legendary guitarist Carlos Santana.

Twenty-four years after the release of their debut album, Justice System is back with a new track called “Bronxian Bauxite.” Produced by Jason Famous Beats, the song is a salute to the birthplace of hip-hop (Bronx, New York) and the five elements from the culture.

Listen to Justice System's "Bronxian Bauxite"

There's plenty of old-school phrasings and deft rapping from the two MCs who are spitting lyrics over a melodic piano groove and a classic boom-bap beat. Lyrics consists of reflective rhymes like this:

"Seminole headstrap my rap is inspired by the "Big Payback" and Uptown brainiacs / They were sonic archeologists, non-apologists, obvious ominous in the invisible metropolis / Minding for gold with no handhold / Records untold, they were buying by the billfold / And when a new break was found...it was like, get down-get down."

You can cop/stream Justice System's "Bronxian Bauxite" at all digital stores including at Spotify and Apple Music.

If you are unfamiliar with the Justice System's 1994 album Rooftop Soundcheck, I added two of my favorite songs from the project for your listening pleasure. Hit the flip below.

Back in June, Black Thought released arguably one of the best rap albums of 2018 with Streams of Thought, Vol. 1. Produced entirely by 9th Wonder, the EP featured the Roots MC delivers tough-as-nails bars over premium boom-bap beats.

After the release, fans were yearning for more Black Thought. And guess what...?

The Illadelph MC will deliver part two of his lyrical series next week. The Streams of Thought, Vol. 2: Traxploitation EP will arrive in digital stores on Monday (Nov. 26). The project will feature production done entirely by Salaam Remi.

Remi is one of the best producers in hip-hop and R&B. The 46-year-old hitmaker is mostly known for his work with Nas - particularly on his two classic albums: Stillmatic and God's Son. But Remi has produced songs for the late Amy Winehouse, the Fugees, Jazmine Sullivan, Mack Wilds, and many others.

The set's first single is "Conception," a Marvin Gaye-esque rap ballad with Thought rapping and singing (under his alias Reek Ruffin). On the song, Thought delivers ruminations about fame and living the life of the everyday guy.

With the soulful grooves of "Conception" ringing in my head, I can only assume that Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 is Thought's more soulful venture with more R&B in the mix than on Streams of Thought, Vol. 1. This is the more grown and sexy Tariq Trotter.

Speaking of which, one of my favorite song on Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 is "Making a Murderer." You can listen to that track on the flip.

Back in June, Nas released his 11th album NASIR, which was produced entirely by Kanye West. There were no visuals accompanying the release, until now.

The good folks at Mass Appeal (of which Nas is a creative partner) and Def Jam dropped a new short film featuring the hip-hop icon performing all of the seven tracks from the album.

Directed by Rohan Blair-Mangat, the 16-minute-long film also features a cameo from Slick Rick who Nas sampled on his anti-police brutality track “Cops Shot the Kid.”

There are a lot of great moments in the film including the “White Label” segment with Nas donning old-school Gucci gear and spitting his bars in front of a vintage Mercedes Benz. The “Adam and Eve” segment gets a spiritual theme with Nas rapping in a church. The Queensbridge neighborhood (Nas’s native hometown) is also the star of this enthralling film as well.

Watch Nas' "NASIR - The Film"

**BONUS**: VLADTV recently talked with veteran rapper MC Serch who helped Nas secure his deal with Columbia Records. In the clip, he maintains that he never owned Nas' publishing because he never wanted to be looked at as the Jew who profited off a black artist’s success ( **I'm paraphrasing here** ).

MC Serch’s interview with VLADTV is after the flip (click the link).

R&B songbird Jill Scott was trending on Twitter today (Nov. 13) after a video surfaced of her simulating oral sex with a microphone during her concert performance.

In the clip, Jilly from Philly is caressing the microphone oh-so gently before showing the audience “what that mouf do.” As fans cheered on, Scott gives visual details of how she performs fellatio on a man, including rubbing the testicles.

The video instantly went viral as fans expressed shock over Scott’s performance. Some people posted hilarious memes and GIFs to express their reactions to the clip, while others joked about holding a personal meet-and-greet with the singer.

But true fans of Jill Scott (like myself) know that Scott has always expressed  her sensuality on the stage and in her music. Hot and steamy songs like "Cross My Mind," "All I" and "Crown Royal" are just a few songs that feature Scott (Ms. Jill Scott if you are nasty) detailing how gets down in the bedroom.

Scott went on her Twitter account to inform her uninitiated followers that this type of performance happens all the time at her shows with proven results. She tweeted:

Hi. I sing/act out all kinds of stories. You should cum to my shows. After a Jill Scott show, most people get splendidly laid by whoever they came with😁👍🏽🎶🤪🎉 #iftheydontFitup #stopfrontinusuckdicktoo
They also usually go on 2happier, more productive, focused, wealthy lives.

— ⭐Jill Scott⭐ (@missjillscott) November 13, 2018

Scott's fellatio skills aside, I wanted to share my brief encounter with the lovely Jill Scott. I wrote about it on this very blog -- 11 years ago. In June 2007, I bumped into Ms. Scott while food shopping at a supermarket in Philadelphia.

In my blog post "Cross My Mind," I recounted my story of spotting Scott in the frozen food section at the supermarket.

"As I was putting frozen pizzas in my food cart, I looked up and saw the one and only Jill Scott. She was alone -- no bodyguard, no husband, no publicist, just her and a shopping cart. I thought to myself, "what the hell is she doing at the supermarket?"

I stalked watched her as she was looking at various frozen Lean Cuisine dinners. I wanted to give her a big hug and a kiss. Her music has been such an inspiration to me through the years. But I decided not to bother her for an autograph.

Aww, who am I kidding . . . I chickened out.

Yup, I had a chance to say "Hi" to Jill Scott and I got scared. At the time, she was going through a divorce with her first husband, Lyzel Williams. So I could have hollered at her. But instead I kept it moving and didn't bother the gorgeous singer.

In any case, Ms. Jill Scott if you are reading this.

Hi, Jill! 👋🏾👋🏾

If you want to watch Jill Scott's sensual microphone performance, click the link below. I also included some of Scott's sex-influenced ballads like "Crown Royal" and "All I" as well -- just for reference.

French Montana, who is Global Citizen's first rap ambassador, graces three separate covers for GQ magazine's (Middle East Edition) November 2018 issue.

The Morocco native-Bronx-raised rapper was photographed in three different middle eastern cities -- Dubai, Beirut, and Casablanca (French's native hometown). The covers are a celebration of Middle Eastern heritage, multiculturalism, as well the power, perseverance, and strength of immigrants.

Inside the magazine, the "No Stylist" rhymer proclaimed his support for immigration, which has become a polarizing topic in the United States. "Immigration means everything to me," he told GQ. "It means hope, it means faith, it means a voice for the people that come from different places and build a country - that someone can come from nothing and be something."

French was born in Casablanca, Morocco and immigrated to the U.S. when he was a young teen. The 34-year-old artist learned how to speak English through rap music.

“I didn’t know English until I was 14, 15," he explained. "In Morocco, I was just singing: I didn’t even know what the words were. Whether it was Tupac, Wu-Tang, Bob Marley. It shows how powerful music is - it’s the only language that people speak worldwide.”

“I got the privilege to be part of both worlds, even though I was born in Morocco,” he adds. “I gained my conscience and my hustle when I touched down in the States. I probably got the best of both worlds, if you were to ask me. I got to where I needed to be and then came right back." You can read French Montana's full GQ magazine (Middle East) cover story HERE.