Bonita

Erykah Badu’s New Mixtape Features A Duet With Andre 3000 (Mixtape)

At 12:00am today, Erykah Badu dropped But You Cain't Use My Phone, an 11-track mixtape featuring her ingenious remix to Drake's "Hotline Bling" (now called ("Cel U Lar Device") as well as its follow-up single, "Phone Down." The latest project centers on themes of communication, and while the literal references... Read more

November 27, 2015 Mixes

Eddie Murphy Received the Nation’s Highest Prize for Comedy & Proves Why He Deserves It (Video)

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is given annually to those who have contributed a body of work that has greatly influenced comedy, and is considered the U.S.' highest honor of its kind. Given out every year since 1998, past recipients include Richard Pryor (who was awarded the very... Read more

November 25, 2015 Lifestyle

Chuck D, Large Professor, & Nas Celebrate How Youth Have Shaped Music Throughout History (Video)

Revolt TV has launched a new series called "Breaking Genres," which aims to examine the divisions within music, particularly as it relates to the varying labels used to define genres and subgenres. The multi-installment program is delivered in documentary form, with each episode examining a different aspect of the music... Read more

November 25, 2015 Fresh

Dot Demo Gets Demonic to Remind Us We’re All Possessed (Video)

22 year-old Bronx MC Dot Demo has yet to release his debut album, but his creativity and fully polished work thus far have earned him considerable buzz. With Somewhere In Nirvana (notice the acronym) expected to arrive very soon, the young artist recently performed for Huffington Post's Freestyle Fridays series,... Read more

November 24, 2015 Video

Kickin’ It New School: U.S. Education Reform Is Causing Concern for Disadvantaged Students (Audio)

14 years ago, the United States Congress passed a measure that re-instituted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the most extensive federal legislation involving education in the country's history. Essentially, the Act covers the funding for primary (kindergarten through elementary) and secondary (middle and high school) education, and its original... Read more

November 24, 2015 Lifestyle

Killer Mike Endorses Bernie Sanders & Calls Him a Revolutionary (Video)

Last night, Hip-Hop and politics merged in what may be the most powerful way in a generation. Killer Mike hosted presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, where the two shared a meal, had a one-on-one discussion, and took the stage for a rally. Killer Mike (born... Read more

November 24, 2015 Lifestyle

Around the World, Street Art is Embracing Paris & Celebrating Its Resiliency

The recent terrorist attacks in Paris have dominated international headlines, and while certainly not the only incidents of tragedy happening in the world today, tributes to the city, its victims, and its spirit have loomed large. Since the November 13 events, millions across social media platforms voiced support, and now... Read more

November 23, 2015 Lifestyle

Talib Kweli Reveals What He Thinks Is Missing From Today’s Hip-Hop & Journalism

In a recent interview for Cultured Vultures, rapper Talib Kweli opened up to a young writer about the topical and philosophical, ranging from his thoughts on Indie 500, Hip-Hop's global appeal, the state of music journalism, and much more. Kweli's pedigrees as both an accomplished activist and writer are repeatedly... Read more

November 23, 2015 Fresh

MC Lyte Proclaims Fetty Wap as a Hip-Hop Feminist. Here’s Why. (Video)

This past weekend, the White House Council on Women & Girls delivered an all-day event which focused on the lives of American women and girls of color, with a special focus on improving the lives of those suffering from injustice and unequal access to things like quality education and healthcare.... Read more

November 23, 2015 Video

15 Years After Releasing “Mama’s Gun,” Erykah Badu Remains As Cleva As Ever (Editorial)

At the time of its release, Erykah Badu's sophomore album was often labeled as the sister album to D'Angelo's Voodoo, which had dropped 10 months earlier. Released on November 21, 2000, Badu's Mama's Gun was intimate, soul-baring, and one of the leaders of the Neo-Soul movement that presented an alternative... Read more

November 22, 2015 Food for Thought

60 Years Ago, Bo Diddley Popularized Something Your Favorite Rapper Does (Video)

On November 20, 1955, American television viewers were introduced to Bo Diddley, a Mississippi musician whose style would come to influence future generations in ways that are still felt powerfully today. What is now known as the "Bo Diddley Beat" may be his greatest legacy; the syncopated five-accent rhythm he... Read more

November 20, 2015 Throwback

De La Soul Announces Album Release Schedule & More in Special Message for Fans

Originally slated for a September 2015 release, De La Soul's forthcoming album ...And the Anonymous Nobody has been pushed back several months, but all for good measure. In a recently released video statement, the legendary Hip-Hop trio shares with fans the latest news about the album, which they recently celebrated... Read more

November 20, 2015 News

Sean Price’s Memory Continues to Inspire His Ruckdown Label Mates (Video)

Comprised of MCs P and Rim, Da Villins are members of the Ruckdown roster, the label imprint founded by the late Sean Price. Hailing from Brownsville, Brooklyn, Da Villins work extensively with producer PF Cuttin and are associates of sister label Duck Down, home to much of Sean Price's solo... Read more

November 20, 2015 Video

One Street Artist Takes Aim At Homophobia With Spray Paint & Murals

Once again, street art's potential for spreading awareness of social and political issues is being proven, this time in Copenhagen. The Danish capital is home to a vibrant arts scene, and its reputation for being the world's most livable city has led to an influx of tourists and international residents,... Read more

November 19, 2015 Lifestyle

The Decade Missy Elliott Waited to Release a New Album May Have Saved Her Career

It's been ten years since Missy Elliott released an album, and in the years since, many Heads have argued that her absence was noticeable. The endlessly creative MC, producer, and visual artist has always been the front-runner when it comes to game-changing music videos, and her unabashedly brave sense of... Read more

November 19, 2015 Fresh

Kanye Warned Us About Blood Diamonds, But What About Gold? (Video)

From 2005-2006, the issue of blood diamonds was popular in American culture, more so than it had been in recent memory. In '05, Kanye West dropped "Diamonds (from Sierra Leone)," a Grammy-winning number that was inspired by the conflicts faced in many African nations - particularly in the West -... Read more

November 18, 2015 Lifestyle

Celebrate 20 Years With the Pharcyde Through the Familiar & Unexpected (Mixtape)

Over the weekend, Heads celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Pharcyde's sophomore album, Labcabincalifornia. Released on November 14, 1995, it was the follow up to their hugely successful debut from three years earlier, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. Featuring the singles "Drop," "Runnin'," and "She Said," it was a more... Read more

November 18, 2015 Mixes

Spotlight: HANiF’s Anti-Hipster Rap Brings Boom-Bap Into 2015 & Beyond (Video)

HANiF is a New York City native whose February E.P. 12 Inch Vinyls is a 5-track snapshot of contemporary boom-bap, the sounds reminiscent of a previous era, but the content is unmistakably contemporary. On "Gentrify," the MC unpacks the socio-economic perils of gentrification in cities like the Big Apple, where... Read more

November 18, 2015 Video

Anonymous Has Placed ISIS In Its Crosshairs As Retribution for Paris Tragedy (Video)

The world's most infamous group of hackers, Anonymous, is once again using its skill set to bring down ISIS (Islamic State or Iraq & Syria), the group purported to be involved in the horrendous attacks in Paris on November 13. Anonymous, colloquially known as "hacktivists," have a pedigree that reads... Read more

November 17, 2015 Lifestyle

As Semi Hendrix, Ras Kass & Jack Splash Seek Answers From God & the Government (Video)

Last month, Semi Hendrix released its debut album, Breakfast at Banksy's, which signaled member Ras Kass' second collaborative album in one year. After releasing 2014's Blasphemy with Apollo Brown, he linked up with Grammy-winning artist and producer Jack Splash to form Semi Hendrix, whose new Mello Music Group LP features... Read more

November 17, 2015 Video

See Inside the Mind of the Man Who Made the “Rap Yearbook” (Video)

Last month, writer Shea Serrano released The Rap Yearbook, an illustrated guide to the best Hip-Hop songs of every year, beginning with 1979. In addition to the classic high-school yearbook format, the book also includes charts, illustrations, and extensive notes that explain the thinking process behind each song's being chosen... Read more

November 17, 2015 Video

23 Years Later, Spike Lee Finally Gets His Oscar & Uses It To Promote Diversity (Video)

It's hard to believe that Spike Lee, the director of such iconic films as Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X has never won an Academy Award for Best Director. The former received the nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1990 and eight years later, Lee was once again nominated,... Read more

November 17, 2015 TV/Film, Video

This 1984 Book Is One Of The First To Document Hip-Hop

The Rap Attack: African Jive to New York Hip-Hop by David Toop is a portal into another era, namely the era before Hip-Hop went mainstream, let alone the world's most influential culture. First published in Great Britain in 1984, the book contains more than 150 pages of history detailing the... Read more

November 16, 2015 Throwback

Cape Town’s Oldest Township Gets Adorned in Graffiti for a Good Cause (Video)

Established in 1927, Cape Town's Langa township carries with it decades of history. Before the apartheid era (which began around 1948), Langa was a site specifically designed for Black Africans, much like the formally segregated neighborhoods commonly found throughout the United States post-slavery through the mid-20th century. As the oldest... Read more

November 16, 2015 Lifestyle

Rain910’s Latest Project is a Lyrical Exercise in Carpe Diem (Mixtape)

Since turning heads as a return performer during the BET Awards' cyphers, Rain910 has been promoting his latest project, A Perfect Day to Die. The 14-track mixtape demonstrates the South Carolina's skills as an MC, but also as a producer and guest appearances from Cory Gunz and Paul Wall give... Read more

November 14, 2015 Audio

A Tribe Called Quest’s Jarobi Gives a Tour of the Group’s Historic Beginnings (Video)

It's been a big week for A Tribe Called Quest, whose 1990 debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm turns 25 this year. In celebration, a special anniversary deluxe edition has been released, featuring remixes of classic Tribe records from Pharrell, Cee Lo Green, and J.Cole. Over... Read more

November 14, 2015 Video

20 Years Later, The Pharcyde’s “Labcabincalifornia” Is Far Greater Than The Credit It Received (Editorial)

20 years ago today (November 14, 1995), The Pharcyde released its second album, Labcabincalifornia. Coming a full three years after their Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde debut, the LP was highly anticipated, but for many, it didn't live up to the expectations put forth by the group's first release. Home... Read more

November 14, 2015 Food for Thought

Pete Rock & Torae Are Here To Remind Us Who’s Been Putting In Work (Audio)

Coney Island, Brooklyn's Torae continues to prove himself as one of New York's most consistent MCs, releasing classic material with fellow underground heroes like DJ Spinna, Marco Polo, Pumpkin Head, Rapper Big Pooh, Shabaam Sadeeq, and Skyzoo during the more than ten years since releasing Make Room At The Top.... Read more

November 12, 2015 Audio

More Than Hardcore: Lil’ Kim’s Overlooked Feminist History In Hip-Hop

Feminista Jones - a prominent author, activist, and social media presence - has penned an article celebrating the contributions and legacy of Lil' Kim, an MC whose talent is doubted by few, but who suffers from the same condition as most women who pick up a mic. In describing the... Read more

November 12, 2015 Lifestyle

Missy Is Joined By Pharrell In Another Game-Changing Video

Missy Elliott's long-awaited return to her solo career has finally arrived, and immediately out of the gate, she is reminding Heads why she continues to be one of the most musically and visually stimulating artists in history. The songwriter, MC, and producer hasn't released an album since 2005's The Cookbook,... Read more

November 12, 2015 Video

Black Thought & Freddie Gibbs Rise Against Life’s Obstacles (Audio)

Freddie Gibbs has just unleashed the first taste of his upcoming Shadow of a Doubt, his first full-length project since last year's Madlib collaboration, Piñata. The Gary, Indiana MC has bestowed fans with a midweek double-whammy, dropping not one, but two new tracks and both showcase vastly different yet distinctly... Read more

November 11, 2015 Audio

One Of Big K.R.I.T.’s Jazziest Cuts Gets A Re-Boot From TUT (Audio)

Southern Hip-Hop artists have never shied away from originality, blending drawl with bounce in ways no other region can manage. Big K.R.I.T., the Meridian, Mississippi spitter has enjoyed tremendous accolade for his own musical stylings, celebrated as a Third Coast MC and producer whose lyrical content sets him apart from... Read more

November 11, 2015 Audio

RZA Found an Unheard O.D.B.Track & It’s Everything We Miss About Him (Video)

The idea of unexplored caches of unheard material from artists we've lost is a Hip-Hop Head's dream. To hear previously unreleased verses and beats created by musicians who are no longer with us gives them an ethereal quality, as if these stashes of music are purposely left behind as thank... Read more

November 11, 2015 Video

A New Report Details The Number of Platinum Hip-Hop Albums By City

As far as music is concerned, a musician's hometown can be as heavy an influence in the development of one's sound as is talent. In many respects, the world can be carved up into musical regions, with borders based on native sounds as distinctively clear as the geographic markers like... Read more

November 10, 2015 Lifestyle

Goodie Mob’s “Soul Food” Introduced the Dirty South. 20 Years Later, It’s Still Got the Recipe.

On November 7, 1995, Atlanta Hip-Hop group Goodie Mob released its debut album, Soul Food. Cee Lo Green, Big Gipp, Khujo, and T-Mo blended conscientious lyrics with Southern sensibilities, and many Heads claim the LP featured the first use of the term "Dirty South" in a Rap lyric. The album... Read more

November 10, 2015 Throwback

University of Missouri Students Fight the Power & Take Aim at the Media (Video)

Recent events that have transpired at the University of Missouri have turned the town of Columbia into a flashpoint of racial tension and political discourse surrounding what continues to become a standoff between school administrators and the student body. The university's football team made headlines when it walked away from... Read more

November 10, 2015 Lifestyle

Talib Kweli Says INDIE 500 Would Not Exist Without the Native Tongues

Talib Kweli has expanded his writing portfolio in recent years, taking to the web to publish thoughtful pieces on current events, particularly as they relate to things like culture, racism, and politics. In the past, he has written on topics ranging from fans' treatment of Lauryn Hill to the recent... Read more

November 9, 2015 Fresh

De La Soul Is Alive & Working On The Album Of Its Career (Interview)

This past weekend, New York was the site for a listening party for fans of De La Soul who contributed to the group's historic Kickstarter campaign. Their crowdfunding campaign for their forthcoming album, and the Anonymous Nobody, raised more than six hundred thousand dollars and as a thank you, Maseo, Posdnuos,... Read more

November 9, 2015 Exclusive

Spike Lee Says Don’t Get It Twisted. “Chi-Raq” Is NOT A Comedy. (Video)

Earlier this week, film director Spike Lee released the trailer for Chi-Raq, a film that takes a look at Chicago's seemingly incessant gun violence, which hasn't gotten so bad, the city has earned itself a moniker that draws parallels to war-torn Iraq. The trailer, which included several comedic moments, earned... Read more

November 6, 2015 TV/Film, Video

Business Owners Are Using Graffiti To Prevent Graffiti. A New Book Examines How.

As an art form, graffiti has certainly climbed the rungs of prestige since the days in the '70s when it was generally considered to be an eyesore and a form of vandalism, primarily by those who didn't live in the neighborhoods where tagging was born. And, while wall etchings and... Read more

November 6, 2015 Lifestyle

Noname Gypsy’s Latest Proves It’s All About Talent, Not Chance (Audio)

She may go by Noname, but Ms. Gypsy is far from unidentifiable. From her very raw, almost heartwrenching verse on Chance the Rapper's 2013 Acid Rap track "Lost" and her appearance alongside J. Cole on "Warm Enough" from Surf, the album Chance released as Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment,... Read more

November 6, 2015 Audio

Joell Ortiz Warns That Surviving Life in the Hood Isn’t Child’s Play (Audio)

Toronto, Ontario's MoSS is one of those longtime producers whose works are immediately known but not easily attributed to a name. With notches under his beatmaker belt that include Obie Trice's album Special Reserve, Ghostface Killah's "Kilos" from 2006's Fishscale, and Raekwon's "Have Mercy" off of Only Built 4 Cuban... Read more

November 5, 2015 Audio

The Poor Righteous Teachers’ Final Word Celebrated Earthly Life, Both Good & Bad (Video)

Hailing from Trenton, New Jersey, Poor Righteous Teachers belonged to a school of thought within Hip-Hop that drew heavy inspiration from spiritual and religious tenets. As self-proclaimed members of the Five-Percent Nation (also known as the Nation of Gods and Earths), PRT used much of their music to emphasize the... Read more

November 5, 2015 Do Remember

Vice’s New TV Channel Re-Invents the Way the World is Shared (Video)

Vice has unveiled a bold, ambitious new venture that aims to change the way stories about the world are shared on television. Viceland - a 24-hour cable channel - will piece together thousands of video packages covering a host of topics, all of which tell the stories, both big and... Read more

November 5, 2015 Lifestyle, TV/Film, Video

From ‘93 Til Infinity: Ludacris’ Acura Legend Is A Hip-Hop Museum On Wheels

The Acura Legend, alongside Beemers, Benz Wagons, Cadillac Escalades, Lincoln Navigators, and a host of other vehicles has been name-dropped throughout Hip-Hop's history, particularly during the 1990s through present day. From A Tribe Called Quest's 1991 "Jazz" ("Boomin' in ya Jeep or ya Honda or ya Beemer or ya Legend... Read more

November 4, 2015 Lifestyle

Eminem’s Lyrical “Genius” Only Grows With His Latest Partnership

For many years, Rap Genius was the go-to place for Heads looking to peep the lyrics to favorite songs, making the website one of the first to cater to the needs of a particular genre demographic. Now they're just Genius, and their user-submitted arsenal of song lyrics continue to be... Read more

November 4, 2015 News

A New Book Catalogs The History of Hip-Hop Through Hard To Find T-Shirts

Forever an influence on fashion, nostalgia for a certain era is prevalent in all elements of couture, from the high-brow clothing found on catwalks to the mass-produced tour tees sold at concert venues. It used to be that in order to purchase your favorite artist's merchandise, you had to attend... Read more

November 4, 2015 Lifestyle

Anonymous Released Names of Alleged KKK Members. Are They Right & Who Should Be Next? (Video)

Anonymous, by its very existence, is a paradox. Meaning, quite literally, "unknown" or "unnamed," Anonymous has made one of its main tenets the identification, by name, of those involved in illegal, elicit, or embarrassing activities. The decentralized, loosely organized team of activists and hactivists has risen to prominence over the... Read more

November 3, 2015 Lifestyle

Norman Lear’s TV Shows Inspired the Hip-Hop Generation, But It Wasn’t Always “Good Times” (Audio)

As television royalty goes, there are few whose pedigrees compare to that of Norman Lear. Quite literally a living piece of Americana, Lear is the 93-year-old creative zeitgeist whom we have to thank for All in the Family, Diff'rent Strokes, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford & Son. But that's... Read more

November 3, 2015 Audio

Thousands of Released Prisoners May Help Reform America’s Criminal Justice System (Video)

Criminal justice reform has been an agenda-topping issue for many Americans for decades, and it's only in recent months that its visibility has landed into the living rooms of mainstream American politics. Just this year, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit federal inmates, a touching exchange caught... Read more

November 3, 2015 Lifestyle