News Archives

Ever Hear Dr. Dre’s Lost Song “My Life” From ’95? It’s One Of His Best (Audio)

Twenty years ago, Dr. Dre was gathering his things as he prepared to exit Death Row Records. As the legend has it, the label co-founder would relinquish his master recordings, and his stake in the multi-platinum dynasty. At the time, the label was overseen by Marion "Suge" Knight—Dre's manager and... Read more

February 21, 2016 Throwback

George Clinton Pulls In Ice Cube For A Funky Remix With Kendrick Lamar (Audio)

Last year, George Clinton and Kendrick Lamar made some of the funkiest music in years together. When Kendrick decided to root his album, To Pimp A Butterfly, in the music that influenced Dr. Dre, Warren G, DJ Quik and other West Coast MCs before him, he went straight to the... Read more

February 21, 2016 Audio

Rick Rubin Shares Memories Of His First Time Ever Recording With LL Cool J

LL Cool J's career is greatly owed to Rick Rubin, at least his discovery. And perhaps Rick Rubin's own success is largely owed to the gravitas of LL Cool J. The breakthrough Def Jam Records artist would be one of the earliest label acts, on the fledgling imprint launched by... Read more

February 20, 2016 Throwback

Dee-1 Achieved The New American Dream. He Paid Sallie Mae Back…(Video)

Hip-Hop is at its best when it carries a message of authenticity that is relatable to the masses. And, while some might enjoy flying in private jets and owning multiple time pieces, many more are struggling to make ends meet. Ironically, one of the greatest contributors to financial woes is... Read more

February 20, 2016 Video

Anderson .Paak & TOKiMONSTA Make A Jam For All The Day One Supporters (Video)

Anderson .Paak is getting a lot of attention in the last several months. However, the Oxnard, California MC/singer/drummer/producer has been doing his thing since his days as Breezy Lovejoy. In that lens, a "day one" supporter may mean so much more—at a time when he's not got Dr. Dre, Rapsody,... Read more

February 20, 2016 Video

Lauryn Hill & the Weeknd Light Up the Stage with Special “In the Night” Duet (Video)

One of the many rumors surrounding last week's Grammys telecast was that the Weeknd - whose Beauty Behind the Madness was nominated for Album of the Year - would be performing a duet with Ms. Lauryn Hill, a match-up sure to delight both younger and older fans of contemporary Soul... Read more

February 20, 2016 Video

See The Side Of Compton That Makes Kendrick Lamar’s “Keisha’s Song” A Reality (Video)

Following the captivating first part of Noisey mini-documentary Bompton, viewers got an inside look at the city of Compton. Kendrick Lamar and 20-year best friend Lil L are among the hosts in a voyeuristic ride through the gang-controlled streets that have affected Rap music for the last 30 years. While... Read more

February 20, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Game & Lloyd Banks End Their Beef. 50 Cent Has Questions

This week, two critical members of the early 2000s G-Unit group reunited. Game and Lloyd Banks were photographed together in Dubai—with Game's caption "still." Lloyd, who is still in the group alongside 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, and Kidd Kidd, had reportedly not been photographed with his former band-mate... Read more

February 19, 2016 Fresh

Yelawolf & Travis Barker Deliver an Unflinching Look at the Good & Bad of American Life (Video)

After debuting the audio for their latest collaboration on Sway in the Morning last week, Yelawolf and Travis Barker have re-emerged with a phantasmagorical video for "Out of Control." The Alabama MC has never shied away from the controversial and Barker's career trajectory as the drummer for Blink 182 and... Read more

February 19, 2016 Video

DJ Premier Does For Yuna What He Did For D’Angelo. Made A Soul Classic (Audio)

Yuna has enjoyed an extensive career over the last decade, crossing over from Malaysian Pop into a flagship artist at the storied Verve Records imprint. She has worked with The Neptunes (both Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, individually), and Sa-Ra Creative Partners' Om'Mas Keith. On her new single "Places To... Read more

February 19, 2016 Audio

Pusha T Responds to Internet Trolls Clowning His Hair & Illuminati Membership (Video)

In the Vice series "The People Vs.," artists are asked to respond to comments left on their music, such as on YouTube threads. In the past, folks like Migos, NWA, and Action Bronson have taken part in the segment and each time there takes place a uniquely millennial interaction between... Read more

February 19, 2016 Video

Blackalicious Mix Political Commentary With Fiery Flows (Video)

Although Blackalicious always keeps it musical first and foremost, the Sacramento, California veteran duo regularly injects substance into their art. "On Fire Tonight" is the latest example of this skill. The Imani, Vol. 1 single "On Fire Tonight" could easily mean Gift Of Gab's fast and furious flow. However, the... Read more

February 19, 2016 Video

Killer Mike Is Taking The Fight To The Supreme Court To Protect Freedom Of Speech In Rap Music

In late 2015, Hip-Hop made its way to the steps of the Supreme Court when Killer Mike and others threw their support behind a teenager whose decision to pen a Rap song about goings-on at his high school got him suspended, permanently staining his academic record. Taylor Bell, a Mississippi student... Read more

February 19, 2016 Lifestyle

A$AP Mob Say They Are The New Black Panthers & “Lords Never Worry” (Audio)

Since Beyonce's Super Bowl halftime show, The Black Panthers have once again become a household name. The superstar singer made reference to the organization, with her dancers sporting their trademark afros and adorned in their signature black berets, in a year that brings the 50th anniversaries of both the Big... Read more

February 18, 2016 Audio

Cypress Hill’s B-Real Gets Put On The Hot Seat By 2 Kids & It’s Uncomfortable (Video)

Cypress Hill's B-Real is known for a number of things: his nasal Rap flow, rhymes about killing men, being insane in the membrane, and a fondness for inhaling the aroma of certain flowers. One thing he is not typically associated with is having conversations with kids...until now. The California MC... Read more

February 18, 2016 Video

J Dilla’s Last Rap Album “The Diary” Is Coming. Here’s The First Single & Tracklist (Audio)

On the heels of J Dilla Weekend in Miami, the 10th anniversary of his passing, and the ongoing events in his honor taking place in Canada and elsewhere, J Dilla's name continues to reverberate on and off the MPC. The Detroit heavyweight producer and part-time MC has no doubt established... Read more

February 18, 2016 Audio

Macklemore Releases “Buckshot” With KRS-One & DJ Premier. Is That “Real Hip-Hop” Enough? (Audio)

Ever since the blockbuster success of their album The Heist, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have been scapegoated as the poster children for the appropriation of Hip-Hop. To some, their catchy hooks and pop-influenced productions are anathema to the culture. The hate for the group was compounded by their win for... Read more

February 18, 2016 Audio

A Documentary on the Black Panthers Depicts Events That Are Still Happening Today (Video)

Last year, a documentary film on the earliest days of the Black Panther Party hit select theatres across the country. Directed by Stanley Nelson, the celebrated filmmaker behind such powerful social examinations as Freedom Riders and The Murder of Emmett Till, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is an... Read more

February 18, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Listen To The History Of Black Moon In 3 Minutes (Audio)

When the trio of Buckshot, 5ft and Evil Dee, otherwise known as Black Moon, hit the Hip-Hop scene, they brought a sound that fused dark Jazz chords and boom bap drums with gritty Brooklyn flows. The group is the latest subject of Ed Lover's "Behind The Hip-Hop" segment, which takes... Read more

February 18, 2016 Audio

The FBI Needs Apple’s Help Fighting Terrorism. Should the Tech Giant Give In?

It's no secret that Apple's iPhone has become the default choice in smartphone technology for the majority of the world's mobile-carrying population. As it becomes more and more commonplace, the phone's role in everyday life will continue to permeate much more than conversations about its effectiveness in helping us complete... Read more

February 18, 2016 Lifestyle

Spotlight: Los Angeles Underground Veteran MC Nocando May Be The Next To Blow Up (Video)

For many years, Los Angeles, California has served as a bastion of a diverse, eclectic, and consistently inspiring underground music scene. Much of the city's extensive history of being a center for African-American arts and music dates back to the 1930s and '40s, when Central Avenue was not only a... Read more

February 18, 2016 Video

MC Eiht Reveals Some Unbelievable Secrets About The Casting of Menace II Society (Video)

In the early and mid-90s, MC Eiht was riding high as one of the most talented of the many noteworthy MCs from Compton. His work with Compton's Most Wanted earned him a reputation as a skillful story teller who narrated the treacherous streets of Hub City with ice cold blood... Read more

February 17, 2016 Video

Ghostface Killah & Killah Priest Bring Soul to a Smoker’s Anthem (Video)

Since launching his line of concentrated marijuana - Wu-Goo - Ghostface Killah has added cannabis entrepreneur to his ever-growing resume. The Wu-Tang Clan MC has not stopped delivering smokin' hot raps, however, and along with longtime collaborator and Brooklyn spitter Killah Priest, Tony Starks has released new music to promote... Read more

February 17, 2016 Video

LL Cool J & Puff Daddy Learn About Their Complex Family Trees & Are Deeply Humbled (Video)

Having launched in 2012, the PBS television series Finding Your Roots merges genealogy and celebrity in a reality show which documents notable people tracing their ancestral heritage. Hosted by well-known public intellectual Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the show provides its guests with research-based documentation about where their respective families originated... Read more

February 17, 2016 TV/Film

Kanye West Explains Why He Blew Up On Sway & Just How Deep The Question “HOW SWAY??” Was

Throughout the last dozen years, Kanye West lyrics have dealt a lot with wealth and finances. On The Life Of Pablo, "No More Parties In L.A." is a series of verses: "A 38-year-old eight-year-old with rich nigga problems / Tell my wife that I hate the Rolls so I don't... Read more

February 17, 2016 Food for Thought

Prodigy Returns With A New Sound And A Heady New Message on “Tyranny” (Audio)

For more than 2 decades, Prodigy and his Mobb Deep partner Havoc have been associated with grimy tales from the streets of New York. From Juvenile Hell to The Infamous Mobb Deep, Havoc has flipped dark samples while Prodigy laid verses about survival in the hood and fallen comrades. As... Read more

February 17, 2016 Audio

Snow Tha Product Joins Joell Ortiz and Token In Lyrically Killing The Competition (Audio)

Joell Ortiz is readying a new project called That's Hip-Hop. Rather than gathering a host of big name MCs as guests on the album, he has assembled a collection of young and hungry lyrical killers. Last week, he released "Kill At Will," featuring Salem, MA upstart, Token. Now, Ortiz rolls... Read more

February 17, 2016 Audio

Krayzie Bone’s Top 3 MCs Defy The Typical “Best Rapper” List (Video)

Krayzie Bone has been a professional Hip-Hop artist for nearly 25 years. The Cleveland, Ohio native and founding member of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony recently did an interview with longtime group manager Steve Lobel for his new web series. Within, the multi-platinum MC broke down a few of his favorites, from songs... Read more

February 16, 2016 Video

It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop: Remy Ma & Papoose Are Celebrating Universal Love Through Fashion

For Remy Ma & Papoose, it's bigger than Love & Hip-Hop. The two fearsome MCs are one of Hip-Hop's true Bonnie and Clyde couples, having married nearly eight years ago and embodying the phrase "for better or for worse," after weathering Remy's stint in prison, in the beginning of their... Read more

February 16, 2016 News

Xzibit Swings Hard, In Support Of Bishop Lamont In This Combative Collabo (Audio)

Just days after a standout feature for Koache, Xzibit does it again. The platinum MC gets down with Bishop Lamont, who is a fellow Dr. Dre affiliate of the mid-2000s. "Back Up Off Me" is a single from Lamont's perceived 2016 debut, The Reformation. As the title suggests, the record—featuring... Read more

February 16, 2016 Audio

Vh1’s The Breaks Will Expand Into Full Series

Last month (January 4), Vh1 premiered a made-for-TV movie The Breaks. Partially based on Dan Charnas' book, The Big Payback, the series starred Hip-Hop artists ranging from Method Man to Phonte, Torae to Prince Paul, among others. The leading roles belonged to R&B sensation Mack Wilds, as well as Afton... Read more

February 16, 2016 News, TV/Film

Take A Look At Kendrick Lamar & High-Stakes Compton From The Inside (Video)

Last night (February 15), Kendrick Lamar closed his Grammy performance with an image of the Africa continent with the words "Compton" upon it. The parallels between the Motherland and Hub City may be strong to the 28 year-old. Both are complicated places built around Black (and Brown) Pride, cultural diversity,... Read more

February 16, 2016 Video

Scarface Returns To Seduction Storytelling On An All-New Single (Audio)

In his nearly 30 year career, Scarface and the Geto Boys have told a lot of stories. Moreover, the Houston, Texas MC has made quite a few songs about interpersonal relations and bedroom maneuvers. From a certain My Homies hit single to the expanded metaphor of "Mary Jane," 'Face is... Read more

February 16, 2016 Audio

Casual & Saafir Go From Legendary Battle Opponents To Key Collaborators (Audio Premiere)

Almost 22 years ago, Casual and Saafir went off the rails (and reels) in a 1994 Wake Up Show (Sway & King Tech) syndicated radio battle. At the time, Casual had just released his Jive Records debut, Fear Itself, which featured "the Saucee Nomad" on one particular track. Saafir, who had... Read more

February 16, 2016 Audio, Exclusive

Kanye West Claims The Life Of Pablo Will Never Be Available For Sale

Released Saturday (February 13), Kanye West's seventh solo album may have a quality different than his other six, as well as the Cruel Summer and Watch The Throne collaborative projects. The album, which features Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, and Young Thug, may not be available for purchase of any... Read more

February 16, 2016 News

Black Thought, Del, Murs & Fashawn Make An All-Star Collabo About The Fight Within (Video)

One of 2016's most exciting collaborations crosses the coastline. The Roots' Black Thought, Hieroglyphics' Del The Funky Homosapien, Felt's Murs, and Fashawn all come together for "Rise Up." The song is for Street Fighter V, the game, but it is by no means a simple marketing ploy. Instead, this visual—which... Read more

February 16, 2016 Video

Jay Rock Seriously Injured In Motorcycle Accident

The same night Kendrick Lamar won big at the 2016 Grammy Awards (February 15), his mentor, and label-mate has suffered a serious injury. According to Top Dawg Entertainment's founder, Top Dawg, Jay Rock was hurt badly in a motorcycle accident. Pray 4 @jayrock he had a bad accident on his... Read more

February 15, 2016 News

Kendrick Lamar Takes Home 5 Grammys & Debuts New Music (Video)

In music's biggest night, Hip-Hop came out as one of the big winners at this year's Grammy Awards ceremony, thanks to the rousing success of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly. Only two years after what many considered a snub - when his good kid m.A.A.d. city lost the "Best... Read more

February 15, 2016 News, Video

D’Angelo & Common Add Grammy Awards To Their Trophy Cases

After a 15 year break, D'Angelo won two Grammy awards tonight (February 15). The RCA Records artist (and his band, The Vanguard) took home the honors in response to 2014's Black Messiah album. The awards included "Best R&B Album" and "Best R&B Song." The latter trophy belonged to the album's... Read more

February 15, 2016 News

Jay Electronica Aims To Crash The Grammy Party With This Controversial Song (Audio)

Jay Electronica is not among the artists up for a Grammy nomination tonight (February 15). However, the Roc Nation MC seemingly aimed to crash the party with his latest song, "Curse Of Mayweather." In a track that references A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?" and Jay Z's "Streets... Read more

February 15, 2016 Audio

Fugees Producer Salaam Remi Explains How They Went From Underground MCs To Global Superstars

Twenty years ago, The Fugees released The Score. The February 13, 1996 album transformed the trio of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras from New Jersey Underground Hip-Hop hopefuls to cultural icons. The RuffHouse/Sony Records album would go six-times platinum in the United States alone, and eventually pivot to everything... Read more

February 15, 2016 Food for Thought, Throwback

A.G. Goes 16 & Out Over A Monster Lord Finesse Beat (Audio)

Lord Finesse has produced songs for The Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and much of Big L's discography. However, the Bronx, New York triple threat (MC/DJ/producer) is known for quality over quantity. "The Underboss" has been laying low behind the boards in 2016, but just opened the door to some Funk... Read more

February 15, 2016 Audio

Kanye West Introduces ‘The Life of Pablo’ As a Living, Breathing Visual Experience (Videos)

With the weeks-long rollout for his recently released The Life of Pablo, Kanye West elicited plenty of attention for his eighth studio album. But, in typical Yeezy fashion, a new album was just the beginning. The Chicagoan took over New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden to debut the third... Read more

February 15, 2016 Video

With an Unexpected Vacancy in the Supreme Court, Obama is Preparing for an All-Out Battle (Audio)

After news broke that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away over the weekend (February 13), social media exploded as debates about who should take the long-sitting conservative judge's place raged. The 79-year-old joined the highest court in the land back in 1986 when he was appointed by then-President Ronald... Read more

February 15, 2016 Lifestyle

Xzibit Moves Forward With Bars That Will Take Yiu Back (Audio)

Xzibit and Nottz go back. On the acclaimed 2000 LP Restless, the Virginia producer/MC shared a track with Dr. Dre in "U Know." Z-to-the-Z and Nottz Raw would work again on the first Serial Killers project a couple years ago. This time, the V-A to C-A link surrounds Los Angles,... Read more

February 14, 2016 Audio

Vic Mensa Gets Everything Off Of His Chest On A Charged Track (Audio)

Vic Mensa does not ever go quietly. The Roc Nation MC premiered "Danger" during the Madison Square Garden Yeezy Season 3 showcase on Thursday (February 11). The song has a chip on its shoulder that explains why Mensa and Kanye West works so well together. On a jarring creation by... Read more

February 14, 2016 Audio

Curren$y & Alchemist Re-Up On A New Mixtape Featuring Action Bronson & Styles P

Less than one month after Curren$y released The Owners Manual free EP project with Cool & Dre, the Jetlife pilot touches down again. The Carrollton Heist returns to a celebrated collaborative catalog with Alchemist. Just under five years ago, the former Young Money standout and the Gangrene co-founder released Covert... Read more

February 14, 2016 Mixes

Why Tupac’s “All Eyez On Me” Remains The First & Last Flawed Classic Album

Twenty years ago today (February 13, 1996), Tupac Shakur released what many would come to consider his magnum opus in All Eyez On Me. A Death Row Records double-album, the lone project 'Pac released at the label before his death is a sprawling ensemble of a man on a vendetta.... Read more

February 13, 2016 Food for Thought

The “Roots” Reboot Trailer Proves Alex Haley’s Story Is Another Must-Watch Event (Video)

Last summer, it was revealed that A&E Studios was remaking Roots. Alex Haley's 1976 novel was famously filmed for television, premiering on PBS in 1977. Almost 40 years later, the gripping slavery narrative returns—with a host of stars (Forest Whitaker, Lawrence Fishburne, Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni Rose,... Read more

February 13, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Ghostface Killah Rips Apart A Slick Rick Break Like It’s A Park Jam (Audio)

Most songs that are less than 100 seconds long just aren't worth the attention. However, when it's Ghostface Killah lyrically going for broke on a 1970s breakbeat it changes things. On "Disco Airlines," Tony Starks makes the style of music that Heads can imagine he was making in Stapleton Houses... Read more

February 13, 2016 Audio