Jake Paine

Scarface Rides Hard With The Outlawz In Search Of True Justice (Video)

Scarface and Tupac Shakur were close friends. The "Smile" collaborators are incredible artists, who climbed up the charts but took the ghetto with them. After Pac's 1996 death, 'Face showed tremendous loyalty to his people, including Death Row artists, Thug Life, The Outlawz Immortalz, and others. That is true through... Read more

September 13, 2017 Video

Big L’s First Verse On Wax Showed Heads That He Was A Rookie MVP (Audio)

Big L lived to see just one of his albums release. 1995's Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous has become something of a cult classic. The Columbia/Sony Records LP has early JAY-Z and Cam'ron appearances and lethal D.I.T.C. production from Lord Finesse, Showbiz, as well as Buckwild. However, all of... Read more

September 7, 2017 Do Remember

Oddisee Is Having The Best Year Of His Career & The Great Music Keeps Coming (Audio)

In February, Oddisee's The Iceberg (below) helped forecast a great year for Hip-Hop. One of Mello Music Group's flagship artists followed up the stellar 2015 effort The Good Fight with another conversation piece about self-care, race relations, and the modern American immigrant family experience. The 15-plus-year veteran multi-threat shows that... Read more

September 6, 2017 Audio

DOOM & Kool Keith Are Otherworldly MCs. Their Latest Collab Is On The Moon (Audio)

DOOM reconnects with the MC once known as "Dr. Dooom." Metal Face and Kool Keith make a fitting pair. These are two rhyme revolutionaries of New York City Hip-Hop. For Keith, that's true of more than 30 years. DOOM is not far behind him, with critical work dating back 25... Read more

September 5, 2017 Audio

Bobby Brown Claims He Taught Michael Jackson How To Moonwalk (Audio)

The moonwalk has become one of the most renowned dance moves of all-time. Its origins are debated by historians, with some tracing it back to Cab Calloway and the 1930s. However, on March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson skyrocketed the maneuver into pop culture consciousness with his televised Motown 25 performance... Read more

September 2, 2017 Audio

Jazzy Jeff Shows He’s Not Just A DJ. He’s A Master Producer Too (Video)

DJ Jazzy Jeff is not just one of Hip-Hop's most celebrated turntablists and party-rocking DJs, he's a highly accomplished producer. The West Philly force was behind the sounds on those acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning moments alongside The Fresh Prince. In the years since, Jeff has unleashed a series of celebrated albums,... Read more

August 23, 2017 Video

DJ Premier Says It’s Still Possible He Will Release The Final Gang Starr Album (Video)

In one of the busiest seasons in his career, DJ Premier appeared before a studio audience to discuss more than 30 years of music. Earlier this month, the member of Gang Starr, PRhyme, and The Badder Band sat with Genius' Rob Markman (and Letty Martinez) to discuss his truly marvelous... Read more

August 22, 2017 Video

DJ Quik & Scarface Confirm Upcoming Collaborative Project (Video)

DJ Quik and Scarface are two living legends of Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, and music, period. Together, the two artists jammed on stage in The Novo in Los Angeles, California last night (August 17). With that show currently on the road, the Geto Boys icon and the producer for Tupac, 2nd... Read more

August 18, 2017 News, Video

Grandmaster Flash Calls Out Kool Herc’s DJ Skills In A Push For Peace (Video)

One week ago today, Hip-Hop celebrated its 44th birthday. That day is associated with an August 11 Bronx, New York party where DJ Kool Herc (aka Clive Campbell) prolonged the dance section of a record by using two turntables with copies of the same disc. For the event, an incredible... Read more

August 18, 2017 News, Video

Biz Markie Details How He Made The Mazda MPV A Hip-Hop Symbol

Biz Markie sat down with Questlove for the most recent episode of Questlove Supreme. There, the acclaimed MC/DJ/producer and super-collector had a lengthy and lighthearted conversation about his 35-year-career. Throwback: Classic Audio of Rakim and Biz Markie Rhyming in High School (Audio) Quest', a fellow collector, presses Biz about his... Read more

August 16, 2017 Lifestyle, Throwback

DOOM Revives KMD With A Jay Electronica Collabo (Audio)

Long before MF DOOM was a name known and celebrated by Rap fans, there was a KMD. The Elektra Records trio consisted of Zev Love X (nka DOOM), brother DJ Subroc, and Onyx The Birthstone Kid. Formed in New York City during the late 1980s, the group would subsequently sign... Read more

August 16, 2017 Audio, News

This Ghostface Killah Verse Makes It Right For Halley Hiatt Alongside A RZA Beat (Audio)

Ghostface Killah has made pure unadulterated Hip-Hop for 24 years and counting. However, the Wu-Tang Clan MC has been highly successful bridging the gap when he works out of the genre. With Amy Winehouse, Ne-Yo, or Fort Minor, Starks Enterprises is steadily open for business and churning out supreme product.... Read more

August 15, 2017 Audio, Exclusive

DJ Premier’s Singer Torii Wolf Readies Her Album. Preemo Is Producing 9 Joints (Audio)

For the last year and a half, DJ Premier has devoted much of his attention to Torii Wolf. The Gang Starr producer has cemented a reputation for helping great MCs on their debut albums. Whether JAY-Z, Nas, Biggie, Prodigy, J-Live, Jeru The Damaja, or Non-Phixion, Preemo supplied the heat. Torii... Read more

August 12, 2017 Audio, Fresh

Bun B Previews The Vulnerability That Will Make His “Bernard” Album Truly Real (Video)

For 25 years plus, Bun B has made music that's been a reality check. Songs like "One Day" coped with short life expectancy and constant loss. "I Left It Wet For You" was a cruel account of creepin' on the low. "Pocket Full Of Stones" was not a story of... Read more

August 11, 2017 Lifestyle, Video

Google Is Throwing A Party For Hip-Hop’s Birthday And Billions Are Invited

Today (August 11), Google has unveiled its first ever Hip-Hop "Doodle." Perhaps better known as the dynamic logo at the top of the search engine, the doodle often changes to celebrate holidays, milestones, and cultural events. For 48 hours, the digital giant will pay homage to Hip-Hop's birthday. That date is celebrated on August 11... Read more

August 10, 2017 Fresh

Kurupt’s New Video Is Him, A Mic & One Nearly Breathless Barrage Of Bars

The last few years have been a relatively quiet period for Kurupt. While Young Gotti has toured and delved in side hustles, Tha Dogg Pound verbal assassin slowed his roll with the albums. "Inferno" shows that as anticipation has built for new music from the Philly to Cali MC, Kuruption... Read more

August 9, 2017 Video

The 1st Rhyme Masta Killa Ever Wrote Was For Wu-Tang Clan’s 36 Chambers (Video)

Masta Killa made a last minute debut on a Rap classic: Wu-Tang Clan's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). What Heads may not realize is that was the Brooklyn, New York MC's first rhyme and his first time in the studio. Having described himself as the "little brother" within the Clan,... Read more

August 8, 2017 Exclusive, Now You See Me, Video

Sean Price Passed Away 2 Years Ago Today. A New Video Shows His Legacy Lives On.

Two years ago today, the world lost a true one of a kind human being in Sean Price. To many, he was an elite lyricist first, but the Heltah Skeltah co-founder was also a loving husband, father, mentor, and a seemingly effortless comedian. P's career extended back more than 20... Read more

August 8, 2017 Video

Royce 5’9 & Tech N9ne Are Barely Human On A Song That Shows Their Elite Skills (Audio)

Six years ago this week, Royce 5'9 released a critical album in his catalog: Success Is Certain. The Bad Meets Evil MC was suddenly in a great place and needed to write a new chapter to follow the brooding Death Is Certain LP five years earlier. At the time, that... Read more

August 8, 2017 Audio

Diggin’ In The Crates Meets The Artifacts As A.G. & El Da Sensei Join Forces (Audio)

In the mid-1990s, two of the most exciting duos in East Coast Hip-Hop were Showbiz & A.G. and The Artifacts. In June, JAY-Z shouted out his former Payday Records label-mate Andre The Giant in some of the songwriters he most respects. Sadat X & El Da Sensei Form New Group.... Read more

August 3, 2017 Audio

The Blueprint: How 1 Kanye West Beat Tape Changed Roc-A-Fella Records Forever (Audio)

In September of 2001, JAY-Z released his sixth album. The Blueprint was wholeheartedly a pivot. To his fans, Shawn Carter had an incredible consistent streak of quality, authenticity, and event-worthy album-making. Five years removed from his debut album, S.Dot sought a new sound, and raised the stakes in every possible... Read more

August 2, 2017 Audio

9th Wonder Compares The Impact Of Kendrick’s DAMN To P.E.’s It Takes A Nation (Video)

9th Wonder's introduction to the Hip-Hop industry (by way of Little Brother's The Listening) is not even 15 years old. However, in that time, the producer/DJ/professor has become a powerful voice in the music and culture. Like his discography, 9th has been an advocate for the songs, albums, and musicians he... Read more

August 2, 2017 TV, TV/Film, Video

Tanya Morgan Literally Pushes Their New Album Out The Trunk (Video)

Cincinnati-meets-Brooklyn Hip-Hop group Tanya Morgan just released its fourth album, YGWY$4 (You Get What You Pay For). Von Pea and Donwill add to a celebrated independent catalog that began with critical cosigns from Questlove and Foreign Exchange features more than a dozen years ago. They've since appeared on albums by... Read more

August 1, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Black Thought & Questlove’s “Rap Yearbook” Documentary Will Discuss Key Rap Songs (Video)

Earlier this week, The Roots and fellow Soulquarians member Bilal reunited for "It Ain't Fair." The song is a focal point of the upcoming film Detroit, and while Black Thought raps, the sound and message applies to the real life events of 1967 as well as 2017. The Roots Release... Read more

July 30, 2017 News, TV, TV/Film, Video

The Roots Release A Song To Humanize The Pain, Confusion & Sadness Many Feel (Audio)

Six years ago, Bilal appeared on The Roots' 10th album, undun. That Philadelphia chemistry was also not done. In the time since 2011, Bilal has heavily contributed to important Hip-Hop albums from Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Common. Now, he re-crosses paths with The Roots for a precise take on... Read more

July 27, 2017 Audio

In 1995, Redman Reloaded Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?” With A Machine Gun Funk Freestyle (Audio)

At least once a week, heralded British DJ Tim Westwood opens up his vaults and shares goodies from his 30 years in the Hip-Hop game. Today's (July 27), it's a time travel back to 1995. The Notorious B.I.G. had just released "Who Shot Ya?" a B-side single that even apart... Read more

July 27, 2017 Throwback

DOOM, Method Man & Prodigy Appear On Sean Price’s Imperius Rex Tracklist

Sean Price's posthumous Imperius Rex album is nearly two weeks away. The August 8 Duck Down Music release is the project that the Heltah Skeltah co-founder and longstanding Boot Camp Clik MC was working on at the time of his death, two Augusts prior. Earlier this month, a video was... Read more

July 26, 2017 Fresh

Saukrates Is A Pioneering MC Who Has Worked With Nas & Redman. His Story Runs Deep (Video)

Saukrates has a decorated career that includes a position within Redman's Gilla House roster, production for Nas, and his cemented status as a Canadian Hip-Hop legend. He raps, he produces, he sings, and Amani Wailoo also plays multiple instruments. Those who have heard it, tend to agree that 1999's Underground... Read more

July 25, 2017 Exclusive, Now You See Me

Bun B Puts Big K.R.I.T. In The Musical Driver’s Seat For His Next Album (Video)

Earlier this month, UGK's Bun B showed that he had his game face ready when he released "Game Time." Once a very prolific MC, this is the first solo single from the Port Arthur, Texas O.G. in nearly four years. While he may be devoting much of his time to... Read more

July 20, 2017 Video

The D.O.C. Talks Accepting His Newfound Voice & Helping Others Find Theirs (Video)

The D.O.C. is one of the many Hip-Hop artists who appear in The Defiant Ones docu-series. From his days with the Fila Fresh Crew, the Dallas, Texas native MC is one of the few to have worked with Dr. Dre at Ruthless, at Death Row, and Aftermath. In the four-part... Read more

July 13, 2017 Video

2 Live Crew’s Fresh Kid Ice Has Died At Age 53

After more than 34 years in Hip-Hop, 2 Live Crew founding member and author Fresh Kid Ice died yesterday morning (July 12) in Miami, Florida. The MC and artist born Christopher Wong Won was 53 years old at the time of his death. TMZ confirmed the news after speaking with... Read more

July 13, 2017 News

Murs Revives Paid Dues. Raekwon, Ghostface, PRhyme & More To Perform

Starting in 2006, Murs created and curated the Paid Dues Music Festival in and around Los Angeles, California. The Living Legends MC made a stage for many of his independent peers, friends, and acts whose music he liked. By 2007, Paid Dues teamed with Guerilla Union to do a full-on... Read more

July 12, 2017 Fresh

Cold 187um Claims Dr. Dre Jacked His G-Funk & Names Songs To Prove It (Audio)

This week, The Defiant Ones docu-series is telling Dr. Dre's story. Twenty-five years ago, the N.W.A. co-founder released his solo debut, The Chronic. The first album on Death Row Records is credited for galvanizing G-Funk, a type of sample-based sound in Gangsta Rap that propelled the sub-genre into the MTV/Top... Read more

July 12, 2017 Audio, Throwback

Jimmy Iovine Reveals He Was Behind Suge Knight Bailing Tupac Out Of Jail

In October of 1995, Tupac Shakur signed with Death Row Records. Reportedly inking his deal on a napkin, Pac joined Dr. Dre and Suge Knight's reigning and equally notorious record label. In that transaction, Shakur was able to post bail and leave Clinton Correctional Facility. In a matter of days,... Read more

July 11, 2017 News, Throwback, TV, TV/Film

A New Mix Tells Rakim’s Story Through His Spoken Words & Music (Audio)

Friday (July 7) marked a major milestone for Hip-Hop. Eric B. & Rakim's debut album Paid In Full celebrated its 30th birthday. With the event, Eric and Rakim reunited at the Apollo Theater for their first concert together in approximately 25 years. In support of the anniversary, more than 20... Read more

July 10, 2017 Audio, Mixes, Throwback

Large Pro Details The Bobby Brown & Kool G Rap Album That Didn’t Happen & Why (Video)

In mid-1990, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo released their sophomore album, Wanted: Dead Or Alive. Heavily produced by Large Professor (then of Main Source), the LP is widely considered one of G Rap's best works. The Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records release spawned dynamic singles like "Streets Of New York"... Read more

July 10, 2017 Video

Apollo Brown’s Next Collabo Album Is With Planet Asia. Check The 1st Single (Audio)

Detroit, Michigan producer Apollo Brown has become a noteworthy crossroads for the MCs he meets in the studio. From O.C. to Ras Kass, Skyzoo to Guilty Simpson, Brown's grabbing Soul samples and hard drums bring something distinct out of MCs in their catalog. Like 9th Wonder was to Buckshot and... Read more

July 6, 2017 Audio

Bumpy Knuckles Once Overpowered KRS-One On His Own Song With A Ruff Verse (Audio)

The guest feature is a powerful position in Hip-Hop. From Nas to AZ, Snoop Dogg to Lupe Fiasco, lyrical legends have made key introductions through pivotal appearance on others' songs. One of the artists who put down key blocks of his legacy through features is Freddie Foxxx (later known as... Read more

July 6, 2017 Do Remember

Royce 5’9 & Kid Vishis Show Savage Lyricism Runs In The Family As They Go Off (Audio)

Pusha T and NoMalice. Kurupt and Scoe. Pete Rock and Grap Luva. E-40 and D-Shot. Dr. Dre and Warren G. Chance The Rapper and Taylor Bennet. Across the Hip-Hop landscape, there are many rapping brothers. Some have worked together in groups, like The Click or The Clipse. Others work together... Read more

July 6, 2017 Audio

DJ Jazzy Jeff & MICK’s Summertime 8 Mix Gets The Cookout Party Started (Audio)

2017 marks eight years since DJ Jazzy Jeff and MICK (fka Mick Boogie) started their Summertime series. From jump, these became some of the best things to look forward to in 2010s Hip-Hop. True to the sets of each acclaimed DJ, these mixes flex Hip-Hop, R&B, Rock, Funk, Jazz, and... Read more

July 4, 2017 Audio, Mixes

Dizzy Wright, Demrick & Euroz Combine High Times With Fly Rhymes (Audio)

The Still Movin label has been busy branding itself on a weekly basis. This week's Monday drop is hosted by Demrick (fka Young De). The Serial Killers member and his frequent collaborator Dizzy Wright unleash "Let It Burn." With an appreciation for mental elevation, the song is very much in... Read more

July 3, 2017 Audio

Snoop Dogg & Count Bass D Team To Relieve Stress In The Smoothest Way Possible (Audio)

In the mid-1990s, Count Bass D and Snoop Dogg were both piloting exciting careers in Hip-Hop that were built to last. While Snoop was a multi-platinum Dr. Dre-cosigned lyricist for Death Row Records, the Count was playing a multitude of instruments, fusing Jazz with Rap. By the 2000s, the traveling... Read more

July 3, 2017 Audio

This 6 Hour DJ Premier Tribute Takes All Other Mixes Out With The Fader (Audio)

DJ Premier has had a busy June. After years upon years in the making, he and Year Round Records released MC Eiht's Which Way Iz West album. Furthermore, Preemo, Brady Watt, and the rest of The Badder Band toured the States for the first time. With PRhyme 2 confirmed to... Read more

June 28, 2017 Audio, Mixes

GZA Once Sliced Apart A Dre Beat Using His Verbal Liquid Swords (Video)

In 2002, GZA was fast at work on his fourth solo album (the third since the '93 sonic-boom of the Wu-Tang Clan). At the time, 1995's Liquid Swords was well on its way to eventual platinum status, while 1999's Beneath The Surface was his second consecutive Top 10 release, grabbing... Read more

June 15, 2017 Do Remember

MC Eiht Takes It Straight To Compton Right When It’s Most Wanted (Video)

This month, MC Eiht is preparing to release a deeply important album in his career. For nearly 30 years, the Compton's Most Wanted front man has released a plethora of music chronicling life in the gang-ruled streets of Southern California. Whether on a major label or independently, Eiht hit fans... Read more

June 12, 2017 Video

One MC Seamlessly Flips 27 Different Rap Styles In 8 Minutes (Video)

Mac Lethal makes the art of rapping seem quite fun. A onetime Rhymesayers member, the Kansas City, Missouri lyricist has worked with Tech N9ne, Chamillionaire, Cunninlynguists and others throughout a career that's nearly 20 years deep. Quite often, Mac finds the humor and challenge in Rap, without compromising his supreme... Read more

June 11, 2017 Video

2 Years After PumpkinHead Passed, A New Video Highlights His Undying Wisdom

On June 9, 2015 Robert "PumpkinHead" Diaz died. The Brooklyn, New Yorker had risen the ranks as a battle MC and was well underway into a discography that showed personal depth and creativity. His Rawkus Records-involved Orange Moon Over Brooklyn album with producer Marco Polo was a tremendous late entry... Read more

June 10, 2017 Video

How Prison Transformed Tupac But Could Not Save Him From Death Row

On Valentines Day 1995, Tupac Amaru Shakur was processed into general population at Clinton Correctional Facility. Approximately eight months later, Pac left the maximum security prison in Dannemora, New York. And nothing was the same. From his cell, Tupac counted his time. Unless he had visitors, Pac was in isolation... Read more

June 10, 2017 Food for Thought

Nocando Goes On A Rap Rampage. He Honors A Freestyle Legend Along The Way (Video)

Throughout the 2010s, Nocando has been one of the most interesting MCs making noise in the West Coast independent Hip-Hop scene. Claiming to have won more than 100 battles, this MC was mentored by members of the Freestyle Fellowship and Project Blowed. However, the Los Angeles, California native is well... Read more

June 7, 2017 Video

Ice-T Spits Punchy Bars On A Completely Different 6 ‘N The Mornin’ (Audio)

Although there are certainly other contenders, perhaps the verse of Ice-T's career is "6 'N The Mornin'." Thirty-one years ago the O.G. waxed an incredible tale about how his day begins for Techno Hop Records. The Unknown DJ (later of Compton's Most Wanted) laid down a beat that knocked as... Read more

June 5, 2017 Audio, The Bridge