Video Archives

DJ Paul Gives The Secret History To UGK & OutKast’s “Int’l Players Anthem”(Video)

"Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is one of the biggest Hip-Hop collaborations of the 2000s, and contends as one of the greatest Rap mergers of all-time. Featuring OutKast, UGK's record and thematic video became a jet-pack for Bun B and Pimp C's long-awaited fifth (and eponymous) album to reach... Read more

June 27, 2018 Throwback, Video

Donald Glover Explains How To Stay Woke At Work About Sexual Harassment (Video)

Actress Rashida Jones may walk with the Hollywood crowd by day, but her soul is deeply connected to music and empowering others. Her latest endeavor doesn’t really toe either line, however. Working with an organization that is finally addressing sexual assault and harassment, called Time’s Up, Jones directed a clever... Read more

June 26, 2018 Lifestyle, Video

DOOM, DJ Muggs & Freddie Gibbs Serve Eye For An Eye Justice To Real-Life Killers (Video)

Last week, DJ Muggs and DOOM announced plans for a fast-track collaborative project simply titled Muggs x DOOM due this Friday (June 29). With that word came first single "Death Wish," which features Freddie Gibbs (the same Friday that he released his self-titled album). Approaching release date, the trio unleashes... Read more

June 26, 2018 Video

Rakim Performs With A Live Band & It Sounds INCREDIBLE (Video)

Rakim's making his most recent return to Hip-Hop in a big way. The Long Island, New York legend's latest release was a song called "King's Paradise" which is being used for Marvel's Luke Cage Season 2 soundtrack. Now, the oft-praised God MC has decided to participate in NPR's "Tiny Desk... Read more

June 25, 2018 Video

Black Thought Explains Why He Believes He’s Never Been Better (Video)

Less than one month since it was released, Black Thought's "Dostoyevsky" shines as a brilliant 2018 Hip-Hop song and the latest great Tariq Trotter and Rapsody collaboration. From The Roots MC's Streams Of Thought, Vol. 1 EP with 9th Wonder and The Soul Council, the work is on Ambrosia For Heads'... Read more

June 25, 2018 Video

Tonedeff Never Got All Of His Props As An MC. Many Can Relate To His Powerful Story (Video)

The late 1990s Underground Hip-Hop movement produced would-be stars like Eminem, Yasiin Bey, El-P, and Aloe Blacc. However, for every one of those examples of the mainstream embracing a particular voice, style, or message, there are hundreds of artists who seemingly never got their just due. Tonedeff is one of... Read more

June 25, 2018 Exclusive, TV/Film, Video

Skillz Is Back And He’s Bringing Mad FUNK (Video)

It's been four years since Skillz (aka Mad Skillz) has dropped a project, but that doesn't mean that the renowned MC/DJ has not been active. Late last year, it was announced that he’d be an artist-in-residence at the University of Richmond (near where he grew up) starting this year. It's... Read more

June 25, 2018 Video

Anita Baker’s Lifetime Achievement Tribute Performance Brings Us All Joy (Video)

Last night (June 24), Anita Baker received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2018 BET Awards. The gesture places the iconic songstress in the company of Prince, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, and others. One of music's "quiet storms," Baker's career is profiled, from her real messages of love, loss, and... Read more

June 25, 2018 Video

Meek Mill Uses His Freedom To Deliver The Year’s Most Powerful Performance (Video)

Moments ago, Meek Mill took the stage at the 2018 BET Awards. Just several weeks since being released from prison, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC was introduced by Black Thought, Questlove, Kevin Hart, and Lil Uzi Vert (who calls the MC by his early hometown mixtape name "Meek Millz"), with statistics... Read more

June 24, 2018 Video

J. Cole’s Passionate Performance Calls For Meditation Instead Of Medication (Video)

Tonight (June 24), J. Cole performed at the 2018 BET Awards. Cole used the televised stage to lead with the introduction to April's K.O.D album. Wale was the first person that viewers saw, sitting on a stage chair, staring at a television. The moment comes a year and a half... Read more

June 24, 2018 Video

Jay Rock Opens The BET Awards & Takes A Victory Lap (Video)

Fresh on the heels of releasing his third album, Jay Rock was given center stage at the 2018 BET Awards. The Watts, California MC stood in no one's shadow as he performed "Win," the second single from Redemption. Awards host Jamie Foxx joined the Top Dawg Entertainment MC on stage... Read more

June 24, 2018 Video

Rakim Shows He’s Still A Super Hero On A New Song For Luke Cage (Video)

Season 2 of Luke Cage premiered yesterday (June 22) and, as with the first season, the show continues to be steeped in Hip-Hop. Written by journalist Cheo Hodari Coker, who cut his teeth writing for VIBE magazine where he did some of the definitive interviews of The Notorious B.I.G., the... Read more

June 23, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

Redman Releases A Song That Reminds Us Why We All Love Hip-Hop (Video)

Since the 1990s Redman has been able to remain one of the most consistent MCs. While many who hit their peak at a young age and understandably decline over the years, the New Jersey native's been able to remain a force to be reckoned with, both through his catalog and the... Read more

June 22, 2018 Audio, Video

Token’s New Video Looks At The Toll Social Media Has Taken On Our Self Esteem

Token is using the platform he's building to take on one of his generation's biggest internal battles: body image and social media's exploitation of it. Now, via his latest video, the Boston-based rapper uses his own experiences to relay the struggle kids face in school and on the Internet. Directed by... Read more

June 21, 2018 Video

Jay Rock & J. Cole Are A Deadly Combination Lyrically And In Their New Video

With June 15's Redemption, Jay Rock released his first album since suffering a nearly fatal dirt-bike accident in 2016. The album's title and much of its content deal with themes of triumph over adversity, including singles "King's Dead," "WIN" and "The Bloodiest." With his J. Cole collabo, "OSOM (Out Of Sight,... Read more

June 20, 2018 Video

Pusha-T’s Jarring Video Shows The Brutality & Force That Some Of Us Know Too Well

Pusha-T has released the full version of the "If You Know You Know" music video. The visual accompaniment to the opening Daytona track began as a series of vertical shorts on streaming platforms. Now fully-produced, the first full visual from the Kanye West-produced G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Records release raises the... Read more

June 20, 2018 Video

Chadwick Boseman Celebrates A Real Life Super Hero With His MTV Movie Award (Video)

Chadwick Boseman has become a real-life superhero to millions of people around the world, thanks to his role as the fictional superhero Black Panther. In that role, he represented ideals of pride, virtue, strength and triumph over adversity. The monumental success of Black Panther at box offices worldwide only amplified what... Read more

June 19, 2018 Lifestyle, TV/Film, Video

Dr. Dre’s Next Film Project Is Bringing Marvin Gaye’s Life To The Big Screen

Dr. Dre has a great history of mixing music and film, and he's using that experience in attempting to bring to life the story of Marvin Gaye on the big screen. Dre famously was a producer for the 2015 N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, and now he's reportedly in the... Read more

June 19, 2018 News, TV/Film

There’s A New Super Power In Hip-Hop & R&B And Her Name Is Tierra Whack (Video)

Tierra Whack has taken the traditional mode of the "concept album" to a different (and sometimes bizarre) place. The Philadelphia native began her career as a teenaged Dizzle Dizz, but even a name change has done little to sway the visionary from creating her brand of whack-o, thought-provoking and unorthodox... Read more

June 18, 2018 Video

Rhymefest Rates Kanye’s Rhymes & Identifies The Beginning Of His Downfall (Video)

Che "Rhymefest" Smith and Kanye West had a bit of a public falling out recently. Well, actually, it was more like the two longtime friends and collaborators ending up at odds, with Kim Kardashian West in the middle. For those that may have missed or not followed, 'Fest had publicly... Read more

June 18, 2018 Video

Big Daddy Kane Freestyles Raw, Uncut & With A Chip On His Legendary Shoulders (Video)

This Wednesday (June 20), Big Daddy Kane is performing a free concert in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. The living legend of the microphone is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Long Live The Kane. In an era when records are shorter and appear to be more... Read more

June 18, 2018 Video

Takeover: JAY-Z & Beyonce Just Released An Album. It’s Their World Now (Video)

Following two confessional albums that put some vulnerable moments of their relationship and marriage on public display, JAY-Z and Beyoncé unite for a collaborative album. Today (June 16), The Carters released their first ever joint project, a nine-track effort with no warning. The move comes as the superstar couple is... Read more

June 16, 2018 Audio, Video

Jay Rock’s Bloodiest Video Shows That Sometimes Nothing Is What It Seems

Jay Rock's just-released album, Redemption, has fans rejoicing. It's also a reminder why Top Dawg Entertainment built its foundation off his talents as an MC. The Watts, California native's latest LP has many real-life tales, but perhaps the grimiest and most vivid come from album opener, "The Bloodiest." Now, Heads... Read more

June 16, 2018 Video

Craig Mack Explains Why He Chose Redemption Over Revenge, In His Last Interview (Video)

Rapper Craig Mack passed away this March. The Long Island, New York native was deeply mourned in the Hip-Hop community at a time when he had recently reconnected with early mentor Erick Sermon (as well as Method Man and Mr. Cheeks on "Come Thru"), and was said to be working... Read more

June 15, 2018 Video

Jadakiss Explains Why With The LOX It’s Never Been All About The Benjamins (Video)

Twenty years ago, on DMX's "Blackout," Jadakiss spit, "You pay 30 for the 'Kiss, a 100 for The LOX / And if we cool, then I write a hook for a drop." In 1998, Jada' was quoting prices to artists looking for those features to do, as he rapped, "boost... Read more

June 14, 2018 Video

Murs Plays A Therapist In A Video Inspired By His Own Relationship Struggles

Murs' latest album, A Strange Journey Into The Unimaginable, is one of his rawest and realest to date. On it, he opens up about his life, which has somewhat recently been plagued by death, depression, and divorce. These elements give him the opportunity to be reflective and he does just that on his... Read more

June 14, 2018 Video

Lil’ Kim & Fabolous Are The Brooklyn Bonnie & Clyde (Video)

Two Brooklyn, New York MCs who have been able to adapt their sound to other styles and markets are Lil' Kim and Fabolous. Both of these spitters can rock over Southern beats, West Coast beats, and dabble into Pop, Reggae, and R&B. No matter the production, tempo, slang, or the... Read more

June 14, 2018 Video

GoldLink Is In “I Told You So” Mode. His Tiny Desk Concert Shows It. (Video)

GoldLink is seemingly playing it cool everywhere he goes. Since his breakout 2016 hit "Crew" was certified double-platinum (and notably, spawned a standout remix with Sly Glizzy and Gucci Mane that has more than 20-million YouTube plays), GoldLink has been enjoying a gleeful walk into stardom. Of course, a few meticulously placed... Read more

June 13, 2018 Video

Kooley High Keep Ascending & Will Never Come Down (Video Premiere)

From the hills of Raleigh, North Carolina, Kooley High have ascended with Never Come Down, a 14-track album with features from fellow Tar Heels Rapsody and Carlitta Durand and 9th Wonder as executive producer. The quintet made up of MCs Charlie Smarts and Tab-One; producers Foolery and The Sinopsis; and DJ... Read more

June 13, 2018 Exclusive, Video

Pusha-T Shows The Danger Of Driving While Black In His Latest Video

UPDATE: Pusha-T has released the full version of the "If You Know You Know" music video. The visual accompaniment to the opening Daytona track began as a series of vertical shorts on streaming platforms. Now fully-produced, the first full visual from the Kanye West-produced G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Records release raises... Read more

June 13, 2018 Video

Classified Personifies A Discman In The Digital Age In A Video About Changes In Rap

Classified has been making music for over two decades, and it's been a slow and steady grind to success. Hailing from Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada, the MC/producer founded Half Life Records in 1995, and would go almost ten albums deep before gaining national recognition. He first got a national distribution... Read more

June 12, 2018 Ready Or Not, Video

Jorja Smith Sings From The Soul About Love, Loss & Police Brutality (Video)

Just days after Toronto native Daniel Caesar delivered a brilliant, Gospel-driven set as a part of NPR's Tiny Desk series, enter 21-year-old English singer/songwriter Jorja Smith. Jorja has already received co-signs and work alongside the likes of Drake, Kali Uchis, and, most recently, Kendrick Lamar on this year's #1-charting Black... Read more

June 11, 2018 Video

Snoop Claims Biggie Tried To Have Him Shot & Explains How They Made Peace (Video)

While Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls had the most storied and ultimately tragic Rap beef in history, there were other moments that greatly defined a coastal conflict between the Death Row and Bad Boy labels. In 1995, there was a shooting in Red Hook, Brooklyn while Tha Dogg Pound and... Read more

June 11, 2018 Throwback, Video

Big Daddy Kane Details Recording This 1988 Mixtape Collabo With JAY-Z (Video)

Big Daddy Kane and DJ Mister Cee have been performing and recording together for more than 30 years. The two Brooklyn, New York natives appear together on Funkmaster Flex's I Got A Story To Tell series. For more than an hour, one of the greatest MCs of all time revisits... Read more

June 10, 2018 Throwback, Video

Phonte Starts His Day With Some Brutal Breakfast Bars (Video)

At the top of the year, Phonte released his superb solo sophomore album, No News Is Good News. The record serves as a vignette of 'Te's 39-year-old life – a life shrouded in anxiety of mortality, a growing disconnect with significantly younger industry peers, and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. But most... Read more

June 8, 2018 Video

A Comedian Explains Why He Feared For His Life After Prank Calling J. Prince (Video)

Comedian Roy Wood, Jr. is now a regular contributor to The Daily Show. Before the Birmingham, Alabama native appeared on Def Comedy Jam, Chelsea Lately, and Comic View, he made a name for himself prank-calling celebrities. Earlier this week, the 39-year-old shared a story online about botching a Comedy record... Read more

June 8, 2018 Fresh, Lifestyle, TV, TV/Film, Video

The Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Songs Titling Each Luke Cage Episode Are Revealed

In 15 days (June 22), Netflix will premiere its highly anticipated second season of Luke Cage, a Marvel series based off the Harlem bulletproof superhero of the same name. The show will see the return of Mike Colter as "Luke Cage," as well as Simone Missick as "Mercedes 'Misty' Knight,"... Read more

June 7, 2018 Fresh, TV, TV/Film

Digable Planets’ Unsung Episode Reveals Why A Great Group Only Made 2 Albums (Video)

The Digable Planets' story is told in an episode of Unsung. The two-men-and-a-lady trio from three different cities would stretch to achieve Grammy success and respect within the Hip-Hop community at the same time. However, the collective of Seattle, Washington's Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Silver Spring, Maryland's Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira,... Read more

June 7, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

NFL Player Malcolm Jenkins Uses Signs & Silence To Send A Very Clear Message (Video)

Throughout the 2017-2018 NFL season, NFL players took to the field to line up against their opponents, not necessarily those awaiting the first whistle in different colored jerseys on the other side, but in a fight in activism against a multitude of atrocities and oppressive acts committed against the greater... Read more

June 7, 2018 Lifestyle, Video

Will Smith Reminds Jaden Who The FIRST Icon In The Family Was With A New Freestyle (Video)

For the Smith family, entertainment is the trade. In the last year, Jaden Smith has made some impressive music, even winning over some skeptics of the celebrity son to Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Jaden is serious about his musical craft, evident on last year's SYRE. In two days (June 8),... Read more

June 6, 2018 Video

A$AP Rocky & Skepta Nod To DMX In An Ocean-Crossing Collabo (Video)

A$AP Rocky's new record Testing deserves recognition amidst almost two weeks worth of narratives driven by peers and their respective new and upcoming releases. Make no mistake that Lord Flacko packaged a few bangers into his latest solo effort. Rocky's hazy, sluggish team-up with Diddy on "Tony Tone" is one... Read more

June 5, 2018 Video

Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul Explain Jay Rock’s Importance To TDE (Video)

According to his latest video single, Jay Rock is winning. While the Watts, California MC is not one to take L's, his fans can agree that he is overdue. It was 11 years ago that the raspy-voiced MC with the pavement poetry was put on the front lines of a... Read more

June 5, 2018 Video

Black Milk Put Out One Of The Best Albums Of The Year. Here’s A Reminder (Video)

Black Milk is embarking on his Fever Tour and to keep the momentum going while he's out hyping up crowds, he released the video for "Could It Be" from his latest (and celebrated) album Fever. Directed by the Detroit native himself, with assistance from Gerard Victor, the visual portrays three... Read more

June 5, 2018 Video

Bas Uses His Near-Death Experiences To Come Back To Life (Video)

Dreamville's Bas is an artist whose visual content is given as much attention as the words he spits in the booth. Seventy-five percent of 2016's Too High to Riot was given visual treatments, with nine out of twelve tracks turned into inventive and arresting mini-films. In the past, the Paris-born MC has... Read more

June 5, 2018 Video

Michael B. Jordan Says He Only Wants The Roles Written For White Men

Michael B. Jordan has become one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. The 31-year-old Santa Ana, California native played "Kilmonger" in this year's Black Panther. He is reprising his role as "Adonis 'Donnie' Johnson Creed in the upcoming November Creed sequel. Five years ago, Jordan played the real-life Oscar... Read more

June 5, 2018 Lifestyle, TV, TV/Film, Video

The Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl Party Continues…But Not At The White House

Usually, when the NFL sees a Super Bowl champion, that winning team is invited to the White House. After the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win earlier this year, the White House continued its tradition of inviting national championship winners to celebrate at our nation's capital. However, the Eagles are the... Read more

June 4, 2018 Lifestyle, Video

J. Prince Says Drake Had A Diss Response That Would Have Ended Pusha-T’s Career (Video)

J. Prince has officially intervened in the ongoing beef between Pusha-T and Drake. The owner of Rap-A-Lot Records has served as an advisor to Drake for nearly a decade. As a multi-millionaire 30-year-exec with a reputation for no-nonsense "Geto Boy" tactics and street wisdom, the man also known as Lil... Read more

June 4, 2018 Fresh, News, Video

Daniel Caesar Has The Makings Of A Great Modern-Day Soul Singer. Just Watch (Video)

Daniel Caesar's Freudian has made him one of contemporary Soul's biggest names. Since releasing the album in August 2017, the Toronto singer-songwriter became a Grammy-nominated musician thanks to the success of singles like "Get You," featuring the inimitable Kali Uchis, and "We Find Love." At just 23, he's found tremendous success (he's got... Read more

June 4, 2018 Video

Black Thought Discusses His New Album, Epic Freestyle & Years Of Putting In Work (Video)

This past weekend (June 2), The Roots hosted their 11th annual picnic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sadly, just moments into their headlining jam session, hosted by Dave Chappelle, rain, flooding, and lightning storms halted a highly-anticipated affair. However, one day before (June 1), Black Thought showered Hip-Hop Heads with Streams Of... Read more

June 4, 2018 Video

Ice Cube Says He Is Finishing The Script To The Final Friday Movie

This weekend, Ice Cube answered a few questions from fans and dropped some surprising news for those who love the artist's music and film output. Online, a fan asked the legendary West Coast MC when fans can expect a new Ice Cube album. The rapper simply responded "This fall." This... Read more

June 3, 2018 News, TV/Film