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Joey Bada$$ Fans Should Not Be Devastated. He Didn’t Sell Out… (Video)

Earlier this week (August 10), Joey Bada$$ released the self-directed video to "Devastated." Dropped in May as a standalone official single, the song is a departure from the sounds of last year's Top 5 charting debut, B4.Da.$$ and previous mixtape work. "Devastated" features a Pop-tinged chorus and an uptempo beat.... Read more

A3C Honors 1996 With Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Redman, Too Short & Bun B

This year’s upcoming A3C Festival in Atlanta, Georgia will look back on the year 1996. The five-day event, beginning October 5 on over 75 stages in the city’s Old 4th Ward and surrounding areas, will feature headlining performances by some of the top acts from 20 years ago — all... Read more

Another Scarface Remake Is Planned For The Near Future

February 1, 2017 UPDATE: Approaching six months after Antoine Fuqua was first attached to the latest remake of the film Scarface, the director has stepped away from the project. Variety reports that the director of Training Day and Brooklyn's Finest disassociated himself from the film, which is still in pre-production,... Read more

Method Man, O.D.B., & RZA Proved That In ’97, Wu-Tang Could Freestyle Forever (Audio)

In June of 1997, Wu-Tang Clan kicked the summer off at the top of the Hip-Hop class. Whereas 1993's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) just missed the Top 40 (to eventually reach platinum), its follow-up Wu-Tang Forever would debut at #1. A double album, the Loud/RCA Records release of the... Read more

50 Cent & Cam’ron Squash Their Beef After Nearly A Decade

Last week, it appears that 50 Cent and Game put aside more than 11 years of bad blood. The head of G-Unit and his onetime multi-platinum protege met in a Los Angeles, California club briefly—in an amicable exchange caught on camera. The terms and status of that bond will be... Read more

Killer Mike Argues Not Much Has Changed For Blacks Since The Death Of Emmett Till (Audio)

Killer Mike is working to bring real change to a system that may be against him. The co-founder of Run The Jewels is leading a successful, nationwide charge to urge dissatisfied humans of all races to pull their money out of financial institutions that don't value them back. In his... Read more

One Of Phife Dawg’s Final Recordings Releases & It’s Trademark Malik (Audio)

At the close of the '90s, A Tribe Called Quest would go on an extensive recording hiatus. Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad would all pursue solo and side interests. For Phife, that was Ventilation: Da LP. Released on Groove Attack Records in 2000, "the 5 Foot Assassin" would... Read more

Redman Discusses His Battle Rap Days Spent Rolling With Biz Markie (Video)

To the Hip-Hop record-buying community, Redman's career would largely take shape in 1990, care of EPMD's Business As Usual album. On a Top 40 LP (Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith's first with Def Jam Records), Reggie Noble appeared twice, including single "Hardcore." However, that is not where the Newark, New Jersey... Read more

Ghostface Killah, Twista & Cassidy Smash A Cypher Like Legends (Video)

Ghostface Killah, Twista, and Cassidy represent three vastly differently Hip-Hop stories. However, they prove they can perform together with finesse. In the early 1990s, G.F.K. and Tung Twista each burst onto the scene with unconventional, highly-gravitational deliveries. While the Speedknot Mobstaz O.G. spit his bars with AK-47 precision and nimble... Read more

On The Anniversary Of His Death, Sean Price Is Remembered In A Collaboration With Ras Kass & Steele (Video)

One year ago today (August 8), Sean Price passed away. Two of his collaborators have not forgotten the Brooklyn, New Yorker's incredible impact on Hip-Hop, especially in the modern era. From Ras Kass' upcoming Intellectual Property: S.O.I.2 album (September 9), the West Coast veteran releases the video to single "Paypal... Read more

Ready Or Not, Here Is One Of Lauryn Hill’s Best Performances In Years (Video)

Lauryn Hill stepped into the mainstream spotlight 20 years ago with The Fugees and a game-changing, commercially-explosive juggernaut of an album known as The Score. In most of the time since, Ms. Hill has been solo, but she still performs some of the records that transformed her career. One hit... Read more

Consequence Freestyles With Punchlines Like They’re Inconsequential (Video)

This past weekend (July 30), A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes & Life turned 20 years old. In addition to what that platinum #1 Jive Records LP meant for Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed, it was paramount to some fresh faces—including J Dilla (as The Ummah's Jay Dee) as... Read more

This Unreleased ’95 Red & Meth Freestyle Shows How High They Truly Fly (Audio)

In the summer of 1995, Def Jam Records dropped The Show soundtrack. The Top 5 charting work featuring music by Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., and A Tribe Called Quest introduced a duo that was still years away from fully forming. On the song "How High," Def Squad's Redman and Wu-Tang... Read more

The Roots Quench Fans’ Thirst For New Music With A Release That’s Bittersweet (Audio)

It's been more than two years since The Roots released a new album. Though they blessed fans with "Champion" for the NBA Finals, fans are still thirsty for new music from Hip-Hop's premier band. Today (8/3), Black Thought, Questlove, Captain Kirk, Tuba Gooding, Kamal, and the rest of the gang... Read more

The LOX Turn The Table On Police Brutality With An Important Question (Audio)

The LOX are known for straight to the jugular hardcore Hip-Hop for the last 20-plus years. However, Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch have always seemingly known when to set aside the bully-raps for important, insightful messages. Songs like "Why?" and "The Life" showed depth to these MCs, who could... Read more

This Is How We Do: 50 Cent & The Game End Their Beef (Video)

One of the longest standing feuds in Hip-Hop has been between 50 Cent and The Game. The onetime mentor and protege team (along with Dr. Dre) responsible for the success of The Documentary has been at odds for the nearly a dozen years since. In late February of 2005, tensions... Read more

Taylor Bennett’s Song Highlights How Chance The Rapper Really Is His Brother’s Keeper

Last week, Taylor Bennett made Hip-Hop history as the first MC to double up on Sway In The Morning's "5 Fingers Of Death" freestyle challenge. "10 Fingers Of Death" definitely requires two hands, especially to clap it up for the unsigned Chicago, Illinois MC—who happens to be the younger brother... Read more

Nick Grant Has Bars Like Nobody’s Business On A New Biggie Tribute (Audio)

Nick Grant has become one of the most exciting new MCs as of late. The Atlanta, Georgia native's music is stylish and substantial, but has that vibe to blend in with music and artist that may not be as dense. While 88 continues to burn in rotation, Grant pays homage... Read more

Pras Reveals How A Big Bet The Fugees Placed On Themselves Led To The Ultimate Score (Video)

Twenty years ago, The Fugees released their sophomore album The Score. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras would make one of the biggest career turnarounds in Hip-Hop history. While their 1994 debut Blunted On Reality was considered a commercial disappointment (and did not appear on the Top 200), Pras claims... Read more

Phife Dawg Will Be Immortalized As A King With A Street In Queens

The same day (July 30) that A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes & Life celebrates its 20th birthday, there is some important news surrounding the late Phife Dawg. The MC/producer born Malik Taylor will reportedly be immortalized by an official New York City-sanctioned street re-naming in Queens, New York. Okayplayer... Read more

This Is NOT Supposed to Be Drake Dissing Joe Budden. What Do You Think? (Video)

The biggest Rap beef of 2016 has been fairly one-sided to date. Joe Budden has launched a handful of attacks in onetime friend Drake's direction, due to a diss he believed was coming his way from Drake on French Montana's song "No Shopping." The entire feud has been recounted several... Read more

Kanye West & Vic Mensa Use The Emotion On Their Faces To Keep Wolves Away (Video)

Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo is an album driven by ego, alienation, and an eerie survivalist's mentality. One of the songs that is a cornerstone of this theme is "Wolves." Assisted by Roc Nation's Vic Mensa (who had been pushing his demo tapes to Kanye since he was an... Read more

Nas’ Album Is Done & Khaled Has The Single To Prove It (Audio)

Yesterday (July 27), DJ Khaled confirmed that Miss Lauryn Hill helped clear a Fugees sample for his upcoming Major Key album (July 29). In that interview, Khaled said that the "Fu-Gee-La" riff would be woven into Nas' appearance on the star-studded Epic Records compilation. One day later, "Nas Album Done"... Read more

Pusha T Does A 180 & Makes Some Truly Feel-G.O.O.D. Music (Audio)

Whether with the Clipse, Re-Up Gang, or solo, Pusha T is known for making sinister street music. The President of G.O.O.D. Music regularly provides chilly accounts hustling, loveless intimacy, and the cold ambition that has driven him to the top of the MC pack. Whether Pharrell, Kanye West, or Nottz... Read more

k-os’ “Superstarr Pt. Zero” Declared The Jiggy Era Dead & Restored Order To Hip-Hop (Video)

MC/singer k-os was not the first Canadian Hip-Hop artist to gain international mainstream attention, and he clearly is not the last. However, in 2002, at a time when the genre was well aware of its own geographic expansion, this Toronto, Ontario native proved regardless of where he or she was... Read more

DJ Khaled May Be The Key Reason Big Pun & Fat Joe’s Twinz (Deep Cover 98) Became A Hit (Video)

In 2004, the Terror Squad released #1 single "Lean Back." With verses by Fat Joe and Remy Ma, T.S. shouted out DJ Khaled. Outside of Miami, Florida, the DJ, radio personality, and producer (of the alias "Beat Novacane") was not a known name in the mainstream. In 2016, Khaled Mohamed... Read more

Joe Budden Found The Drake Fans That Were Harassing Him & Went To Their Home (Video)

Last weekend, a video of several teenage boys trespassing in Joe Budden's driveway went viral. Apparently motivated by the ongoing beef the Slaughterhouse MC has with Drake, these teens swiftly approached Joe while in a car in his driveway—calling the Shady Records artist a litany of profane insults. When the... Read more

Nas & His Poetic Roots Shine Alongside Erykah Badu In A Song Of Survival (Audio)

In the course of his extensive career, Nas has sometimes decided to strip away all of the traditional Hip-Hop production to present himself (as he said on "Nas Is Like") as a "thug poet." In turn, records like smash hit "One Mic," or pivotal moments including "Queens Get The Money"... Read more

Nelly’s Country Grammar Is The 9th Rap Album To Be Certified Diamond

Sixteen years and one month ago, St. Louis, Missouri MC Nelly released his debut album, Country Grammar. Backed by a string of hits beginning with a title single, the melodic Fo' Reel Records flagship artist (and St. Lunatics founder) created a style that arguably paved the way for Kanye West,... Read more

Even With All His Wealth, Dr. Dre Still Gets A Bad Beat From The Police

The 2015 film Straight Outta Compton depicted some of Dr. Dre's past troubles with the law. It was last in 1994, while wrapping the Murder Was The Case film and soundtrack that Compton, California's Andre Young was fined and placed on eight months of police-ordered house arrest for a reckless, drunk-driving... Read more

Raekwon & RZA Cleared Of All Suspicion Surrounding 1999 Murders

In 2015, things appeared very good for the individual members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck all were involved in feature releases, while the Clan also auctioned off a master copy to Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, which was previously recorded in Morocco. As the... Read more

One Of The Songs That Reinvented DOOM’s Career Gets A Cosigned Video

DOOM (a/k/a MF DOOM) is one of Hip-Hop's truest comeback stories. In the early 1990s, the British-born, Long Island, New York-raised MC/producer was signed to Elektra Records with his group, K.M.D. There, DOOM (as Zev Love X) joined brother Subroc and Onyx the Birthstone Kid to release 1991's Mr. Hood.... Read more

The All-Star Cast For Black Panther Is Bigger Than Life (Video)

Like many forms of escapism entertainment, comic books (and other comic-inspired media) often mirror the realities from which they are intended to distract. When justice, honor, and overall heroism appear lacking in the real world, fictional characters can give the people hope, inspiration, and belief in the fact that good... Read more

The Main Sources Of Sounds Behind “Breaking Atoms” Get BBQ’d (Mix)

Today (July 23) marks the 25th anniversary of Main Source's Breaking Atoms. The only album recorded the trio's lineup as Large Professor, K-Cut, and Sir Scratch remains a colorful cult classic in the Hip-Hop space. The Wild Pitch Records release would be an awakening to Large Pro's multi-talents, as well... Read more

Ty Dolla $ign & His Incarcerated Brother Reach Through Walls For Justice (Audio)

Ty Dolla $ign named his debut album Free TC. The title of that Atlantic Record/Taylor Gang Top 20 album from last year is a dedication to Ty's younger brother. A singer and songwriter in a deeply-musical family, Big TC was  featured on the LP (see: "Miracle/Whatever"). The Los Angeles, California... Read more

Dave East’s Latest Freestyle Emphatically States His Place In The Game (Video)

Dave East links with Funkmaster Flex for a video freestyle. There, the Harlem, New Yorker locks in for an extended series of bars that combines his hunger for more, with his formative past. In his zone, the Nas co-signed MC is clearly influenced by the mid-2000s mixtape wave of emphatic... Read more

Yasiin Bey Uses His Mighty Voice In Support Of Indigenous Cultures (Audio)

While it has been more than seven years since Yasiin Bey released an album (The Ecstatic, as "Mos Def"), the Brooklyn, New Yorker has been busy in 2016. Often times when there is a cause or a message close to him, the Black Star veteran comes out of an apparent... Read more

KRS-One Says Anyone Who Has A Problem With Afrika Bambaataa Should Quit Hip-Hop (Video)

KRS-One recently appeared in Birmingham, England, speaking before a live audience. In a video published July 15, the Boogie Down Productions co-founder and MC legend spoke about allegations of sexual abuse made against one of Hip-Hop's pioneers, Afrika Bambaataa. The longtime friend and collaborator of Bam' argued that major agencies... Read more

Big Sean, Chance The Rapper & Jeremih Channel-Surf Into Living Single (Audio)

In the last 24 hours, Jeremih released his Late Nights: Europe mixtape. An extension of 2015's Late Nights album, the freebie was reportedly supposed to feature "Living Single," featuring Big Sean and Chance The Rapper. In the end, that not happen—allegedly due to clearance issues surrounding Sean (though both are... Read more

Jadakiss & Beanie Sigel Root Out The Necessary Evil Of Money (Audio)

The onetime beef between Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss may as well be an afterthought in 2016. The early 2000s tensions between State Property and The LOX are long over, and Jada' is now notably a Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records artist, years after he challenged the reigning squad. After Sigel's late 2014... Read more

A Lighter Shade Of Brown’s DTTX Passes Away

Updated Report: Today (July 18), it was confirmed that DTTX (Don't Try To Xerox) a/k/a Bobby Ramirez has died in a Las Vegas, Nevada hospital. Yesterday, DTTX's medical condition was listed as "grave" from reports of the co-founder of A Lighter Shade Of Brown. He was taken off of life... Read more

Nipsey Hussle & Dave East Go Back To Their Rugged Roots, With Clarity (Audio)

Nipsey Hussle's Marathon Mondays push on—with no finish line in sight. The Los Angeles, California veteran joins another highly-prolific MC in Dave East for "Clarity." This song finds these two street-wise men (along with Bino Rideaux) going back to the tense, high-stakes environments that raised them. For Nip', those were... Read more

Prodigy & Alchemist Unlock Mystical Jewels For Those Who Can Crack The Code (Audio)

In April, Prodigy & Alchemist gave away their 2013 album Albert Einstein, for free. The Mobb Deep co-founder and the group's longtime affiliate producer have a ton of history together—spanning back to the 1990s. In 2016, even with giveaways, P and ALC are still putting in work, and advancing their... Read more

Joe Budden Immediately Responds To Drake And Uses His Own Words Against Him (Audio)

The same day (July 16) Drake responded to two previous diss records by Joe Budden, Joe Budden promptly replied. As he vowed on his podcast, the Slaughterhouse MC was more than ready. "Afraid" closely followed French Montana and Drake's "No Shopping," with the Jersey City, New Jersey MC veteran addressing... Read more

Drake Responds To Joe Budden & Pumps Up The Beef (Audio)

It has taken more than two weeks since Joe Budden launched a diss campaign against Drake with the release of "Making A Murderer (Part 1)," for the Toronto MC to respond. A Rap battle that started in late June is now officially two-sided. On Drake's OVO Radio Show on Beats... Read more

GZA Shows The Skill Of His Stylez With A New Rap Caper (Audio)

The Wu-Tang Clan has created a true umbrella of artists. From Cappadonna to La The Darkman, Killarmy to American Cream Team, there have been legions of MCs, producers, and non-musical personalities attached to the original nine-member New York City collective. Even when the Clan has not been working in formation,... Read more

Lil’ Kim Explains In Detail What Led Up To Rich Homie Quan Forgetting Biggie’s Lyrics

On Monday night (July 11) Lil' Kim was among those celebrated at the return of Hip-Hop Honors. For more than 20 years, the Brooklyn, New York representative has amassed a platinum solo career, along with acclaimed work with Junior M.A.F.I.A. The onetime protege of The Notorious B.I.G. would win Grammy... Read more

Ab-Soul Reminds All That He’s A Lyrical Sharp-Shooter On A Bas Remix (Audio)

Dreamville artist Bas made one of 2016's strongest Hip-Hop works care of March's Too High To Riot. A Top 50 charting LP, the Interscope Records-distributed project features mentor J. Cole, along with Cozz and The Hics. Individually, several of Fiend Bassy's cuts have eclipsed the million-mark on streaming platforms. Even... Read more

Ice Cube Asked A Question In 1992 That Still Demands Answers (Audio)

In late 1992, Ice Cube would release his third solo album, The Predator. The Priority Records release would become Cube's first (and lone) #1 LP, yielding his highest-charting solo hit, "It Was A Good Day." Keeping the corps of Sir Jinx and DJ Pooh in tact, Cube would also call... Read more

ScHoolboy Q Discusses His Historically Unique Feature Choices (Video)

Less than one week ago, ScHoolboy Q released his fourth album, Blank Face LP. The TDE/Interscope Records effort features appearances by Tha Dogg Pound, E-40, and Jadakiss, among others. Speaking with DJ Whoo Kid this week on The Whoolywood Shuffle Shade 45 radio show, Groovy Q explained his feature choices,... Read more