Fresh Archives

Da Beatminerz Show How They Made Those Thunderous Boot Camp Clik Beats (Video)

DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt are one of the most successful brotherly groups in Hip-Hop. As Da Beatminerz, the Brooklyn, New York record clerks-turned-DJ/producers have laced ageless knocking beats for Smif-n-Wessun, The Roots, Mos Def, and of course Black Moon (which Evil is one-third of). From Academy Records to... Read more

May 27, 2016 Video

Chance, Wayne & 2 Chainz Make A Video That Even Skeptics Will Have No Problem Liking

Chance The Rapper has changed his career's scenery quite a bit in the years between Acid Rap and this month's Coloring Book. The Chicago, Illinois MC's first single "Angels" stresses that he is still rolling with the same people he always was, but for fans of the fully-independent MC it... Read more

May 27, 2016 Video

Joey Bada$$ Revamps His Sound For Some Motivational Music (Audio)

For more than five years, Brooklyn, New York's Joey Bada$$ has been credited with taking elements of his city's (and greater New York City) 1990s sound and tweaking it for a resonating update. The formula has worked, as Joey and Pro Era have challenged the charts and become a popular... Read more

May 27, 2016 Audio

T.W.D.Y. Unified The Bay Area To Make For A True Holiday Celebration (Video)

In early 1999, commercial Rap music was evolving. The Bounce music sound of No Limit and now Cash Money Records had greatly influenced what was being played on the coasts. Dr. Dre had yet to release 2001; Suge Knight was incarcerated. Meanwhile DMX, Jay Z, Rakim and Puff Daddy were... Read more

May 26, 2016 Video

Maxwell Pours His All Into Lake By The Ocean (Video)

Maxwell's return-from-hiatus single "Lake By The Ocean" is worth the seven-year wait. Ever the charmer, the veteran vocalist uses a simple theme for the single's visual. Going to a faraway place where water is at a premium, Max' plays his song—just as he has on recent TV performances—and nourishes one... Read more

May 26, 2016 Video

ScHoolboy Q & Curren$y Join Mistah F.A.B. For Cold Bars On A Chilly Loop (Audio)

Just hours after he unleashed his Sway In The Morning "5 Fingers Of Death" Golden State Warriors edition freestyle, Mistah F.A.B. promotes his next album in a more old fashioned way. Tomorrow (May 27), the Oakland, California veteran MC will release Son Of A Pimp 2. The star-studded, autobiographical album... Read more

May 26, 2016 Audio

This Artist’s Vision Merges Hip-Hop’s Epic Past With the Future

Based in the United Kingdom, artist Dan Lish is a stellar example of just how influential Hip-Hop has become, not just to music fans around the world, but to those who are gifted with the visual aesthetic. Lish has amassed an awe-inspiring collection of more than 100 illustrations portraying some... Read more

May 26, 2016 Fresh

Mistah F.A.B. Slam Dunks His 5 Fingers Of Death Freestyle Like A Warrior (Video)

Tonight (May 26), the Golden State Warriors aim to strike back against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 at home. The 9:00pm EST match-up prompted Bay area native Sway Calloway to bring some home-team turf talk into Sway In The Morning. Mistah F.A.B., who also has an album dropping... Read more

May 26, 2016 Video

How Token Overcame A Language Disability To Become A Gifted Lyricist (Video)

At 17-years-old, Token has already embarked on a successful journey as an MC, working with Joell Ortiz and Snow that Product in addition to one of the most memorable appearances by any emergent rapper ever on "Sway in the Morning." A chance encounter with T-Pain by way of a Twitter... Read more

May 26, 2016 Video

Anderson .Paak & T.I. Elevate “Come Down” Through A Dazzling Performance (Video)

Anderson .Paak's Malibu has many charms. "Come Down," produced by Reflection Eternal's Hi-Tek is just one. As the California singer, MC, and drummer continues to take his independent Empire release and garner acclaim, attention, and legions of new fans, the rest of the Hip-Hop space wants in. Now signed to... Read more

May 26, 2016 Video

Chuuwee Returns to Remind Us It Isn’t All About the Benjamins (Video)

Sacramento, California's Chuuwee is an MC whose stylistic flavor belies the places he's been. His sound is deftly delivered in the lane of his now-native NorCal, but the 25-year-old spent considerable time in Texas, where he was born and lived the first third of his life. Having also lived in Oakland, he has... Read more

May 26, 2016 Video

Craig Mack Releases A Video & New Song Explaining Why He’s Not A Bad Boy

Last weekend, Bad Boy Entertainment hosted an epic reunion weekend at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Virtually every major artist in the record labels' 20+ year history was in attendance, including Ma$e, The LOX, Total, Faith Evans, 112, Carl Thomas, Black Rob and French Montana. Several Bad Boy/Puff Daddy affiliates such as... Read more

May 25, 2016 Video

Ghostface Killah & Raekwon Announce Summer 2016 Tour Dates

Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah and Raekwon have released a number of albums together. In 2010, the pair joined Method Man for a 2010 Wu Massacre Def Jam Records trio project. Each also "co-hosted" one another's debut works, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... and Ironman. Twenty years since the later, the... Read more

May 25, 2016 Fresh

Killer Mike Explains Why The Trap Does Not Make Dollars Or Sense (Video)

One of the pivotal records of Killer Mike's career was his appearance on Outkast's "Snappin' & Trappin'." Right as the mainstream erupted around 2000's Stankonia release, Mike came in with a song that celebrated the street-life of Atlanta, Georgia and its surrounding hoods. Sixteen years later, Killer Mike's personality has... Read more

May 25, 2016 Video

A 3D Printer Made This Building. Is Your Crib Next? (Video)

If you’ve got room for a warehouse-sized printer and around $140,000 to spare, you very well could be in the running to print out your next home. That’s because some innovative minds in Dubai have just taken the architectural, technological, and manufacturing worlds by storm when they unveiled what is... Read more

May 25, 2016 Lifestyle

Muslim Women Are Poplocking in Hijabs to Help Eradicate Stereotypes (Video)

Muslim communities around the world today are facing persecution and worse, and rhetoric in the media often contributes to the spread of stereotypes. In the United States, presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made waves for his views on banning Muslims from entering the country, while across the pond... Read more

May 25, 2016 Video

Invisibl Skratch Piklz Are Releasing Their First Studio Album Ever (Video)

For more than 25 years, Northern California has been an epicenter for turntablism long before the term even existed. Labels like Bomb Hip-Hop put out compilations that celebrated scratching, mixing, and juggling in ways that took the DJ from a featured player in 1980s and 1990s commercial Rap music, and... Read more

May 25, 2016 Video

Jay Z Addresses Lemonade While Smashing The “All The Way Up” Remix (Audio)

One of the hottest records of the year just got a whole lot hotter. After ruling the radio and clubs for the last couple of months, Fat Joe & Remy Ma's "All The Way Up" has been officially remix and it features new verses from Remy and Joe, as well... Read more

May 24, 2016 Audio

Imagine Beat Street & Wild Style Embodied In One Man (Video)

The name Jorge "Popmaster Fabel" Pabon, may not be widely-known, but his pioneering work in Hip-Hop has been experienced worldwide since 1982. The acclaimed B-Boy was featured in the 1984 film Beat Street, is a longstanding member of the Rock Steady Crew, co-directed and co-choreographed the first two Hip-Hop musicals,... Read more

May 24, 2016 Video

Run-DMC & Aerosmith Reveal Why They Didn’t Want To “Walk This Way”

Thirty years ago this month, Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith teamed for "Walk This Way." Eleven years after the Boston, Massachusetts band recorded the initial version of their single, its creators—Steven Tyler and Joe Perry would learn that the drums (courtesy of Joey Kramer) had been re-appropriated by the Hip-Hop community. As... Read more

May 24, 2016 Throwback

A Breast Cancer Survivor is Walking Topless to the White House to Raise Awareness (Video)

Awareness of breast cancer may be at an all-time high, at least in the United States. Organizations like the Susan G. Komen for the Cure have made the ubiquitous pink ribbon the de-facto symbol for the disease, while celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Christina Applegate have taken very public preventative... Read more

May 24, 2016 Lifestyle

The Mystery of Madlib Revealed In His Most In-Depth Video Interview

Certain Hip-Hop artists go to an extreme to avoid the media. Dr. Dre and Eminem are two of the more selective artists, who often shun easily-available press, even during album cycles. Kanye West, Drake, and even DOOM will do interviews more regularly, albeit when convenient for themselves. One artist, who... Read more

May 23, 2016 Video

Nipsey Hussle Lives Up To His Name With Powerful Words Of Motivation (Audio)

There's a reason why Nipsey Hussle sold 1,000 copies of a mixtape priced at $100, which was simultaneously released for free. Since he began his career over a decade ago, the Crenshaw MC has strived to live up to his name, often making motivational songs that are inspirational to himself... Read more

May 23, 2016 Audio

The Roots Are Chosen For The NBA Finals Theme Song & Do It Like Champions (Audio)

Earlier in the year, PRhyme, the duo of DJ Premier & Royce 5'9", were commissioned to create the theme song for ESPN's NBA Countdown. "Rockin' With The Best" was one minute of pure boom bap Hip-Hop, accompanied by a video featuring footage of the league's biggest and brightest stars intercut... Read more

May 23, 2016 Audio

Easy Mo Bee Confirms Tupac Was Trying To End The East/West Beef

Easy Mo Bee is one of the artists who worked with Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. the closest, during the mid-1990s. While acts like Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Method Man, and Buckshot would record with both MCs, the Brooklyn, New York producer was deeply responsible for the soundscapes of Biggie Smalls'... Read more

May 23, 2016 Throwback

This Is Your Brain On Technology…How You’re Getting Jacked

Technology and its relationship to ways of thinking about the world are commonplace and as societies continue to develop newer, stronger, and more effective tools for living, philosophical conversations are never far behind. With things like computers and robots, we worry about the downfall of the sentient being and the... Read more

May 23, 2016 Lifestyle

Kanye West’s 1997 Beat Tape Travels To The Past In A “Spaceship” (Audio)

In 1998, Kanye West the producer broke through in a major way. The hungry artist from Chicago, Illinois landed on two big albums, care of joints on Foxy Brown's platinum #1, Chyna Doll (see: "My Life") and Jermaine Dupri's star-studded solo debut, Life In 1472 (see: the Nas-assisted "Intro [Turn It... Read more

May 23, 2016 Throwback

The Game & Dave East Venture Into a World Where Bad Boy Is On Death Row (Audio)

2016 is proving to be Dave East's best year of his career - by leaps and bounds. The New York City MC who was signed by Nas has been a prominent fixture on the mixtape circuit since 2010, all of which have been lending some serious buzz regarding the arrival of a full-length studio... Read more

May 23, 2016 Audio

Mister Cee Celebrates Biggie’s B’day With A Mix Of Rarities & Deep Cuts

This past weekend, the world celebrated the life of Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. Puff Daddy reunited much of the Bad Boy Records family (and friends) with jaw-dropping Friday night show (May 20) at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center. Meanwhile, that same borough honored Biggie Smalls with... Read more

May 23, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

Nas Performs At The Bad Boy Reunion & Stunts On EVERYBODY (Video)

"Escobar Season has returned." With those four words, Puff Daddy launched one of the most epic records in Nas' prized catalog. With a swelling, gothic arrangement, "Hate Me Now" was Nas' middle finger to the world. After taking lumps from certain hardcore Hip-Hop fans for they saw as his selling... Read more

May 21, 2016 Video

YG & Drake’s Chemistry Stays Strong With A Question For The Haters (Audio)

One of the centerpieces to YG's triumphant 2014 major label debut My Krazy Life was the breakthrough platinum single "Who Do You Love?" Drake lent his spotlight to the Compton, California spitter, who like Drizzy, came up through mixtapes and street records long before the big label machine. In 2016,... Read more

May 21, 2016 Audio

Yasiin Bey’s Mysterious New Music Shows His Many Sides (Audio)

For the second time this month, Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) emerges with a new song. Like the last (posted below), this is part of his Dec. 99th moniker. Today's (May 21) installment, "Dec. 99th - Tall Sleeves," finds the Brooklyn, New Yorker rhyming, singing, and speaking on a futuristic... Read more

May 21, 2016 Audio

Brooklyn Officially Declares May 21 “Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace Day” (Video)

After a star-studded reunion celebrating 20 years of Bad Boy Entertainment Friday night (May 20), which continued into the early morning (May 21), in order to honor The Notorious B.I.G.'s birthday, there is more to celebrate. The New York City borough of Brooklyn, the location of last night's extravaganza and... Read more

May 21, 2016 Video

Casey Veggies Returns With His Highest Profile Mixtape To Date (Audio)

Inglewood, CA MC, Casey Veggies has released the fourth mixtape from his "Greatly Customized" series. The Roc Nation signee has been percolating for years, having put out two albums and several mixtapes, and forging alliances with Dom Kennedy, Rockie Fresh and others. Although it is a free project, Greatly Customized... Read more

May 21, 2016 Mixes

Nas, Jay Z & More Help Celebrate 20-Years Of Bad Boy In Epic Fashion (Video)

Last month, Puff Daddy joined Hot 97's Ebro In The Morning show to announce that he was reuniting his Bad Boy Entertainment family to celebrate 20 years of the iconic label that dominated music in the mid to late 90s. At the time, the media mogul revealed that, in addition... Read more

May 21, 2016 Video

These Rarely Seen Snapshots Document Iconic Hip-Hop Looks & Candid Moments

Fans of Hip-Hop photography have had a lot to celebrate of late. In addition to the advent of Instagram, where iconic photographers like Jamel Shabazz, Joe Conzo, Chi Modu, and others share the snapshots they've taken of the culture's earliest days, museums and similar institutions have begun the process of... Read more

May 20, 2016 Fresh

Nutrition Facts Labels Are Getting Renovated to Reflect Growing Health Concerns

In 1994, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring companies to label packaged foods with the "Nutrition Facts" label, under the Nutrition Label and Education Act of 1990. Since then, the nutritional content of everything from chewing gum to gourmet jars of pesto became well known, thanks... Read more

May 20, 2016 Lifestyle

EPMD Has Upcoming Album Business. PMD Clarifies Production Roles (Audio)

This summer, EPMD is going on Ice-T's the Art Of Rhyme Tour. The Long Island, New York duo of Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith will join Public Enemy, Mobb Deep, Naughty By Nature, and others for eight dates across the United States. However, when the gold-certified union gets off the... Read more

May 20, 2016 Audio, News

The Flows of the Best MCs in the World Are Dissected…Brilliantly (Video)

What makes lyricists like Rakim, MF DOOM, Notorious B.I.G. and others stand out? For Heads, reasons can vary but it's a generally accepted tenet that what makes them and others so great at what they do is their ability to play with language - not just in terms of rhyming... Read more

May 20, 2016 Video

De La Soul’s Guest-Packed “And The Anonymous Nobody” Tracklist Is Revealed

One of 2016's most anticipated albums is De La Soul's And The Anonymous Nobody. The August 26 LP is the Long Island, New York trio's first proper studio work in more than 11 years. Further, this marks the first time in their 27-year history that Posdnuos, Dave, and Maseo are... Read more

May 20, 2016 Fresh

Z-Ro Puts Aside His 50 Cent Beef But Still Has Some Axes To Grind (Audio)

Upon 50 Cent's meteoric rise in Rap music during the early 2000s, he made a few enemies, quickly. Part of the G-Unit general's persona was how he spoke so freely, and unafraid about artists. At the time, the biggest foes to 50 Cent was Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, and their... Read more

May 19, 2016 Audio

Havoc & Alchemist’s Joint Album “The Silent Partner” Is Available For Full Stream (Audio)

Tomorrow (May 20), Havoc & Alchemist release their first joint album, The Silent Partner. Whereas Hav's other half in Mobb Deep, Prodigy, has released two full-length projects with ALC, this is a first for the MC often praised for his own production skills. The 11-track Babygrande Records effort includes appearances... Read more

May 19, 2016 Audio

Rakim Narrates & The Firm Appears In Documentary On AZ (Video)

In 2004, Nas famously made single "The Unauthorized Biography Of Rakim" for his Street's Disciple album. The Queensbridge MC paid homage to the lyrical half of Eric B. & Rakim through a compelling narrative. In 2016, Rakim emerges to help tell the story of one of Nas' band-mates in The... Read more

May 19, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Greg Nice Reveals Details About The East/West Peace Album Tupac Was Recording When He Died (Video)

In the month of May, the unreleased music of Tupac Shakur has been the topic of discussion. The reported 152 songs belonging to the estate of the slain Hip-Hop superstar are said to now be in the hands of the music executive who signed him to Interscope Records in the... Read more

May 19, 2016 Throwback, Video

A New Documentary On The Making Of J Dilla’s “The Diary” Features The Man, Himself (Video)

While not his first posthumous album, J Dilla's The Diary stands apart from those of the past. The Mass Appeal and PayJay collaboration on the sixth J Dilla album since his 2006 death is comprised entirely of unissued material but what makes it more unique is its inclusion of the late... Read more

May 19, 2016 Video

Unsettling Animal-Human Hybrids Are Being Proposed To Provide Cures for Common Disease (Audio)

The pursuit of wellness knows no bounds. Throughout history, human beings have relied on remarkably innovative (although perhaps not always effective) techniques to address illness - like the ancient Egyptian toothache cure made up of ground mice, the 18th-century treatment of stuttering through cutting off half the tongue, and the use of... Read more

May 19, 2016 Lifestyle

RZA & Ghostface Take Their Rhymes To A New Sonic Chamber (Audio)

Over the last 10 years, Wu-Tang Clan's sound has been challenged. Individually, members of the Shaolin collective have worked with Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello (GZA), James Blake (RZA), The Black Keys (Raekwon), and MSTRKRT (Ghostface Killah). This all happened, additional to the whole clique on System Of A... Read more

May 19, 2016 Audio

Kanye West Gets Passionate About Making People’s Lives Better (Video)

Daytime television interviews with Kanye West are nothing if not entertaining. The Hip-Hop icon whose influence has for years merged with the worlds of fashion, politics, and the media has never been a proponent of censorship, making him one of the more unpredictably exciting subjects in interviews like the many he's... Read more

May 19, 2016 Lifestyle

Michel’le’s Relationships With Dr. Dre & Suge Knight The Subject Of Lifetime Biopic

In 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the lives and careers of N.W.A. members were profiled to a box office record-breaking response. Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella's recording, touring, and the establishment of Ruthless Records made for much of the film's story. Michel'le was present for... Read more

May 19, 2016 News, TV/Film

DOOM Remixes Some Definitive Method Man With His Own Brand Of Herbs (Audio)

Renowned as an MC, DOOM (a/k/a MF DOOM) is a highly accomplished producer too. Even before his reinvention on Operation Doomsday, the K.M.D. front man was producing tracks for 3rd Bass' Pete Nice and others. In the last 10 years, the masked villain has laced songs for Ghostface Killah, Masta... Read more

May 19, 2016 Audio