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Lil Wayne Joins Roc Nation. The “Best Rapper Alive” May Soon Get His Cash Money.

Lil Wayne has been symbolically estranged from Cash Money Records for more than two years. While Weezy F. Baby has since been photographed with onetime adoptive guardian Birdman (the label's co-founder) during his $51 million lawsuit, the New Orleans, Louisiana MC has been unable to release projects, namely the long-awaited... Read more

Talib Kweli’s 10 Favorite Albums Are An Eternal Reflection Of Great Music

Last month, Raekwon raised some eyebrows and even more discussion when he listed his Top 10 albums. While his own acclaimed purple tape and Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele were on the list, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) missed the cut. That prompted some discourse from fans, surrounding the classic LP upon... Read more

Kxng Crooked Freestyles On Jeru The Damaja’s “Come Clean” And Does It Dirty (Video)

Kxng Crooked is a monster. There's no other way to say it. For more than 20 years, the MC formerly known as Crooked I has done things that are absolutely grisly to microphones. Whether as a Death Row records artist who never had the opportunity to release a project or... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s Throwback Video Teaches That Scared Money Never Gets Paid In Full

In 2016, Anderson .Paak started the year in truly incredible form thanks to Malibu. However, the Southern California MC/singer/drummer/producer was far from done. Amidst an Aftermath Entertainment signing and a clamor of strong features alongside everybody from Mac Miller to ScHoolboy Q, A Tribe Called Quest to Rapsody, .Paak and... Read more

Nas Dusts Off A Gil Scott-Heron Sample For A Nasty Look At Addiction (Audio)

Nas is an executive producer (and rhyme-writer) on the series, The Get Down. Set in the 1970s Bronx, the show looks at the earliest days of Hip-Hop music and culture, and the circumstances around its creation. While DJ'ing, MC'ing, breakin', and graffiti are colorful forms of expression, crime, drugs, and... Read more

Want That Raw Rap? Torae Delivers The “Ugly Face Bars” You’ve Been Waiting For (Audio)

For his first solo work of the year, Torae delivers the aptly titled "Still Waiting," an aggressive record with punishing production and lyrics to match. Though the Coney Island, New York MC keeps one of the busiest performance and recording schedules in Hip-Hop, he hasn't released a project of his... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Releases The Title, Artwork & Tracklist For His New Album

For the last several weeks, Kendrick Lamar has apparently dropped cryptic social media posts and lyrics surrounding his next album. Initially, his March social media posts with "IV" had many fans believing K-Dot may be using a numeral title for what would be his fourth major label release. That week,... Read more

Footage Appears To Show 50 Cent Punching An Overzealous Female Fan At A Show (Video)

On Saturday night (April 8), 50 Cent joined The LOX onstage as a surprise guest during their stop at Baltimore Soundstage, for their Filthy America tour. 50 appears to be in good spirits, as he walks the stage, however, as he reaches down to extend his hand to a fan,... Read more

Lupe Fiasco Is Sick Of Hearing Wack Rappers Over Trap Beats. He Shows Them How To Do It (Video)

In February, Lupe Fiasco released DROGAS Light, his first album since 2015's Tetsuo & Youth. Despite talk of his retiring from Rap (including statements he made himself), it appears the Chicago, Illinois rapper has no such plans, at least in the immediate future. Shortly after the LP's release, Lupe performed the single... Read more

Ludacris Is Independent Now But He Still Knows How To Make A Def Jam (Video)

Going into 2017, Ludacris appeared to be the most tenured act on Def Jam Records. Signed to Def Jam South back in 2000 when Scarface ran the short-lived label offshoot, Luda' since released eight albums and two compilations with the label, dating back to Y2K's Back For The First Time.... Read more

Ludacris Teaches Bill O’Reilly How To Have Class, In A New Interview (Video)

Earlier this month, the New York Times ran an explosive front-page story on Bill O'Reilly, the conservative news pundit famous for his FOX News program, The O'Reilly Factor. According to the newspaper, O'Reilly and the network he serves have paid over $13 million to women who have accused him of sexual harassment... Read more

DOOM & Black Thought Have Released A Track Showcasing How Mad Nice They Are (Audio)

In the mid-2000s, MF DOOM was on a run as prolific as any in Hip-Hop. Between 2003 and 2005, the Metal Face villain released at least eight projects, not including a live LP and a compilation of Special Blends. That run began with off-shoot group Monsta Island Czars' 2003 Rhymesayers... Read more

A Breakdown Of What Makes Big Daddy Kane A Superior MC (Video)

Big Daddy Kane has not released a solo album in nearly 20 years. However, when Antonio Hardy said "Nobody's Equal" in spelling out the acronym of K.A.N.E., the statement was (and remains) irrefutable to many. Big Daddy Kane is one of the greatest MCs to ever touch the microphone, and... Read more

30 Years Ago, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Rocked The House Like No One Else (Video)

On April 7, 1987, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released their debut album, Rock The House. While certain elements of the album had been showcased by other artists in the past--storytelling (Run-D.M.C., Whodini), humor (Beastie Boys), beatboxing (The Fat Boys) and more--Jeff and his partner Will Smith were... Read more

Treach, Snoop & T.I. Bring Tupac Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame In Style (Video)

Friday night (April 7) at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center, Tupac Shakur was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. More than 20 years after the legendary rapper, actor, and revolutionary was killed in Las Vegas, Nevada, his name and music will live on forever, positioned alongside The... Read more

Kendrick Lamar’s Album Isn’t Here Yet, But Joey Bada$$’s Is & It’s Amazing (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So...let us fight through it for you and only supply you with the good stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it's ever been before. Not only are we able to go... Read more

Marcel P. Black Is Using His Voice To Help His People Cry Freedom (Video)

Baton Rouge, Louisiana made headlines last summer for a tragedy far too common in the United States. On July 5, Alton Sterling was killed by police. He was unarmed, and his death only reinvigorated the energies of those fighting for meaningful, permanent changes to the way the United States views... Read more

Artifacts Stay On The Wrong Side Of Da Tracks, But They’re Back With The Right Video

Twenty years ago this month (April 15, 1997), The Artifacts released their sophomore album, That's Them. El Da Sensei and Tame One (as well as DJ Kaos) followed the success of "Wrong Side Of da Tracks" and Between A Rock And A Hard Place with an album that paved the... Read more

Drug Addicts Today Are Getting More Love & Compassion, Especially If They’re White

With the so-called "War On Drugs" so clearly a political and moral failure, Americans suffering from addiction today live in a more compassionate climate. More and more, drug addicts are seen as struggling with a public health issue, rather than one based on notions of crime and moral ineptitude. As... Read more

AZ, Raekwon & Prodigy Are Out To Carry On Tradition For Hip-Hop, Doe Or Die (Audio)

Hip-Hop Heads knew that April 7, 2017 was going to be a big day for the music. However, few could have expected that three supreme lyricists from the 1993-1994 class of New York City Rap would come together to do microphone damage to make today all the more special. Marching... Read more

Pusha T Puts Aside The D-Boy Raps & Gives Gorillaz A Powerful Conscious Verse (Audio)

Over the years, Gorillaz, the virtual band created by the UK’s Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, have pushed the boundaries of creativity. Conceptually and visually, the group is comprised of four members, who exist solely in animated form-- 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs--and belong to an entirely fictional... Read more

Teasers For The Tupac Movie Have Been Really Good. The Official Trailer Is GREAT (Video)

Tupac Shakur's life story is coming to theaters in less than 10 weeks. The film, All Eyez On Me will chronicle the rise and fall of one of Hip-Hop's immortal voices. The movie traces a timeline from 'Pac's impressionable childhood to his sudden, tragic death. Following several teasers, the June... Read more

Kris Kasanova Is Out To Prove His Bars Will Always Come With A Little Something Extra (Video)

Music has been, and continues to be, a staple in Kris Kasanova's life. Learning and studying the art of Hip-Hop since his years on this Earth crossed into the double digits, the Red Hook, Brooklyn native watched his stepfather Don, who piqued his interests into the game, enter the booth... Read more

Maino Breathes Life Into Pain As The Ghost Of Kalief Browder (Audio)

Kalief Browder's name is becoming more well known each day, though most would argue it's too little, too late. Spending more than 1,000 days at Rikers Island prison for a crime he didn't commit, Browder was a young man of color who suffered excruciating injustice at the hands of this country's... Read more

Stetsasonic’s Bobby Simmons Argues They Are The Only Hip-Hop Band (Audio)

Author and filmmaker Bonz Malone previously published a coffee-table book, Hip Hop Immortals. Inside the 2002 text, there is a historic, panoramic photo of Stetsasonic and The Roots in a line with their hands up. Together, these two Northeast acts (one famous since the mid-1980s, and the other from the... Read more

Raekwon Details Wu-Tang Clan’s Response To U-God’s $2.5 Million Lawsuit

Last November, Wu-Tang Clan member U-God slapped his band-mates with a reported $2.5 million lawsuit. The Staten Island, New York veteran named RZA and brother, manager Mitchell "Divine" Diggs in the lawsuit, and alleged that he had not been paid for any group work since 2013. That period includes a... Read more

Troy Ave Defends His Attacks On Capital STEEZ & Details His Shooting (Video)

Troy Ave's career has massively changed since his 2015 album, Major Without A Deal. The Brooklyn, New York MC independently rose through the ranks to reach the Top 200 charts, with an LP that included appearances by 50 Cent, Puff Daddy, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Ma$e, and Fabolous. At least... Read more

Mic Capes Is Breaking Through Life’s Chains To Help Others Get Free (Video)

Portland, Oregon's Mic Capes has begun to garner notoriety in his homestate for his visceral lyricism, illustrative story-telling, and stirring content. Since releasing his debut album, Rise & Grind, in 2012, the rapper born Michael Caples has expanded his fan base far beyond his St. Johns neighborhood, even earning the... Read more

Page Kennedy’s Latest Freestyle Leaves Weak Rappers In The Weeds (Video)

Page Kennedy is promoting his recently-released Torn Pages album the best way that he possibly can. The veteran actor from Blue Mountain State ("Radon Randell") and Weeds ("U-Turn") isn't using his Hollywood resumé to pump the LP, he's relying on his exceptional freestyles. It is hard to find a more... Read more

Evidence Returns With One Of His Best Songs In Years. He Reigns On An Alchemist Beat.

It has been nearly six years since Evidence released a solo album. For many fans, 2011's Cats & Dogs reached a new zenith for the Dilated Peoples and Stepbrothers veteran. Still running with Rhymesayers, the 20-year veteran is in even stronger form on new video single, "Throw It All Away."... Read more

Respect The DJ: Ice Cube Refuses To Replace The Late DJ Crazy Toones On Stage (Video)

The January loss of Crazy Toones, remembered most for his work as a member of WC and The Maad Circle, left a gaping hole in the hearts of many. Celebrated as a producer and DJ, the man born Lamar Dupré Calhoun was the biological brother of rapper WC and appeared... Read more

Talib Kweli Drops a 64-Bar Video With The Kind Of Wordplay That Made Him A Star.

Talib Kweli is fast at work on his collaborative album with The LOX's Styles P. However, in the meantime, Kweli offers up a fresh batch of 64 bars built around everything that's made this Brooklyn, New Yorker so great for 20 years and counting. Just as Talib did on his... Read more

Joey Bada$$ & J. Cole Release A Legendary Collabo About Empowering Ourselves & Others (Audio)

Three days away from the release of All Amerikkkan Bada$$, his first album since 2015's B4.DA.$$, and Joey Bada$$ is having a busy week. A performance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has been followed swiftly by the apparent leak of what is likely the most anticipated collaboration on his new album: "Legendary,"... Read more

Drag-On Releases His 1st Project In 10 Years, As The Ruff Ryders Reunite (Audio)

Later this month (April 21), the Ruff Ryders are reuniting in their native of New York City. While DMX, Swizz Beatz, Eve, and The LOX have always been the flagship artists within the R.R. management and label, the Ryders have long boasted a deep roster of talent. At times, names... Read more

Nice & Smooth’s Smooth B Returns With A New Song That Shows He’s Still A Sure Shot (Audio)

Nice & Smooth have officially been a group for 30 years. The Bronx, New York collective "has come back with more and more hits" in the 1980s and 1990s. Now in the 2010s, the clique is highly active still. Last month Greg Nice partnered with Positive K (of "I Got... Read more

Saint Joe Louis Spar With JR & PH7’s Beat & A Rugged Rah Digga Guest Verse (Video)

JR & PH7 and St. Joe Louis have crossed oceans to collaborate, and anchored a strong feature to boot. "Duck Duck Goose" links the German production duo (Phonte, Oddisee, Saigon, Freeway, etc.) with trio of Michael Cardigan, Tommie Chase, and Elete Wright. St. Joe Louis represents the same New Jersey.... Read more

Joey Bada$$’ Performance Is A Powerful Reminder That This Is OUR America (Video)

On Friday (April 7), Joey Bada$$ will release what is shaping up to be his most brazen work to date: All Amerikkkan Bada$$. The Brooklyn, New York MC has always had a political bent to his work, but it seems in recent months he has taken advantage of every opportunity to... Read more

DMX Gon’ Give It To Ya…But He Now Wants Trap Beats To Do It

For more than one year, DMX has reportedly been preparing his eighth album. In May of 2016, Swizz Beatz, one of X's longest collaborators, confirmed his deep involvement, as well as potential tracks from Dr. Dre and Kanye West. While Dre and X have never released work together, a pre-College... Read more

In 1991, Ice Cube Spoke With Angela Davis About Using Rap To Wake Up The People (Video)

In 1991, the Hip-Hop world awaited Ice Cube's follow-up to his 1990 solo debut, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. The former N.W.A. member had taken a bold step in pursuing a career of his own, and even more so by enlisting the help of definitively East Coast-sounding production crew, Bomb Squad, to... Read more

Killer Mike Casts A Different Perspective On Kanye’s Meeting With Trump (Video)

Killer Mike and Kanye West are two early 2000s Hip-Hop contemporaries. While Mike came up under Outkast and the famed Dungeon Family in Atlanta, 'Ye was attached to Jay Z and the Roc-A-Fella Records boom. Both artists were introduced as different kinds of Rap stars as they transitioned from memorable... Read more

I Get The Job Done: Technology Is Putting Us Out Of Work

One of the central talking points in Donald Trump's presidential campaign was his vow to bring back American jobs. The longtime entrepreneur and businessman touted his boardroom and negotiation skills as major benefits of a Trump presidency, arguing that he alone could convince businesses who have outsourced American jobs to... Read more

Some Classic Rap-A-Lot Records Artwork & Logos Are Making One Supreme Comeback

Houston, Texas' Rap-A-Lot Records is one of Rap music's greatest anomalies. The label founded more than 30 years by James "Lil J" Prince has been largely responsible for the careers of Scarface, Devin The Dude, Z-Ro, and others. Despite its portfolio of platinum and gold albums, the label often keeps... Read more

Lupe Raps That Kendrick, K.R.I.T. & More Embody Hip-Hop. But He’s Still The Heart (Audio)

On Thursday (March 30), Kendrick Lamar released "HUMBLE." The video single arrived just over one week before Dot's upcoming album, confirmed one week prior. In the song, the Compton, California MC spit "I'm so f***in' sick and tired of the Photoshop / Show me somethin' natural, like afro on Richard... Read more

Rikers Island Jail May Be Closing. Jay Z Supports The Plan.

For 85 years, New York City's Rikers Island jail complex has been one of the most notorious prisons on the planet. Lodged on an island in the East River, between Queens and The Bronx, the facility is often home to as many as 10,000 inmates and another 9,000 officers. It... Read more

Thirty Years Ago Prince Made A Love Song That Is Still Adored Today (Audio)

Thirty years ago this week, Prince released Sign 'O' The Times, one of his most ambitious and acclaimed works in a catalog that is unrivaled. The double album was years in the making, having evolved from various other unreleased projects, such as Dream Factory and Crystal Ball. The double album... Read more

Why LL Cool J Is The Original GOAT (Video)

Like Will Smith, Ice-T, and Queen Latifah, it may be easier to name an LL Cool J role in the last decade, than a song. However, James Todd Smith continues to make time for Hip-Hop (right now, with Dr. Dre), and when he's right, he's really sharp. Aside from that,... Read more

Raekwon Salutes Marvin Gaye With Some Musical Healing On The Anniversary Of His Death (Audio)

One week ago, Raekwon released his seventh album, The Wild. The ICE H20 Records release features rhyme commentary on the state of Hip-Hop and relationship break-ups, as well as some classic Shallah Raekwon slick talk. Additionally, there is a tribute to Marvin Gaye, simply titled "Marvin." The Wu-Tang Clan swordsman... Read more

Das EFX Celebrate 25 Years Of Dead Serious Rhymes With Reunion Concert

Twenty five years ago next week (April 7), Das EFX released their debut album, Dead Serious. The duo of Dray and Skoob took a giant leap from under EPMD's Hit Squad umbrella when they released their first LP on EastWest Records. Produced almost entirely by Solid Scheme, this was a... Read more

Mary J. Blige Is As Real As She’s Ever Been In Discussing Her Divorce (Video)

Celebrated world over for her deeply personal approach to music, Mary J. Blige has never held back from admitting her weaknesses and pain. In fact, she has time and time again channeled it all into her work, which continues to resonate with her fans 25 years after she made her... Read more

Dave East & Beanie Sigel Say They Stand For Real Raps In An Era Of Fakery (Video)

Dave East's Kairi Chanel album features a number of veteran supporters. Cam'ron, Fabolous, and 2 Chainz all believe in the East Harlem MC, and want to make music with him. Another artist is Beanie Sigel. Heard on "The Real Is Back," Beans cosigns Dave. Like Sigel during his late '90s,... Read more