In just its first quarter, 2014 has witnessed its share of high profile releases. ScHoolboy Q unleashed his major label debut, OXYMORON, while Rick Ross’ continued his growth with concept and cohesion in Mastermind. Kid Cudi surprised everybody with a sneak-attack release, while Kid Ink, The Stepbrothers, and Isaiah Rashad... Read more

The day after the Grammy Awards, the conversation about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ win for Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (G.K.M.C) grew from a buzz to a roar. Social media platforms and the web, generally, were on fire. The frenzy was fueled in part by... Read more

If the Hip-Hop media trailblazers at ego trip sleep on something, the rest of us may be in R.E.M. too. This week, Ted Bawno's crew pointed out a 2013 podcast/mix from DJ Moneyshot that had been overlooked by many (including us). The mix celebrates 25 years of the massively-acclaimed Solid... Read more

Published By: Bandini Long before Hip-Hop was ever reported dead, I was once of the belief that Master P was trying to kill it. No Limit Records sprouted into mainstream success in the closing credits of the Death Row dynasty, and anyone who loved the chicken seemingly scoffed at the... Read more

Rumors have been swirling about an OutKast reunion for years, but the volume and intensity has grown louder in the last several months. In November, word broke that the duo might be reuniting at Coachella and then, a photo of the 2 together in December set the Web ablaze. Now,... Read more

2013 was a stellar year for mixtapes. In fact, with strong releases from Big K.R.I.T., Pusha T, Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Rapsody, Raekwon, Slum Village, Curren$y, Cam'ron, Lloyd Banks, Pete Rock & Camp Lo, Problem, Nipsey Hussle, Action Bronson, Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes and more, it can be argued... Read more

2013 was a different kind of year in music. Not only did Rick Rubin return to crafting Hip-Hop albums, but he had a hand in three of the genre's biggest releases from top artists like Jay Z, Eminem, and Kanye West. Meanwhile, as has been the case over the last... Read more

Childish Gambino was never really in a box. However, whatever confines we placed his music in up until 2013 have been greatly challenged by moods and 'tudes met with warm audience response. "Melrose" is no exception, with dream, forlorn singing, that would get Heather Locklear or Courtney Thorne-Smith knockin' on... Read more

Kendrick Lamar and Big K.R.I.T. After the late 2000s breakthrough of Blu, Thurz, Fashawn and Torae, it is these two men that truly opened me up to what I considered the youthful unknown in Hip-Hop. In 2010, I was very much the anti-new-rapper’s fan, convinced that labels (large and small)... Read more

There's nothing better than introducing fresh, innovative breath into the beauty that we all love, Hip Hop. Check out the tale of the 16 year old Canadian based producer, Ebony Oshunrinde and her spot amongst Legends on  the summers most anticipated project, Magna Carta Holy Grail. Related: Dame Dash Reacts To Jay-Z’s... Read more

Here's a new mixtape from J. Period that features new music from Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Common, Blu and more, as well as remixes of joints by Nas, Styles P, Biggie, Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest and more. You can check out the track list and listen to the... Read more

Why so serious? As I've listened to Licensed to Ill over the last 24 hours, it reminded me how much the subject matter of rap music has changed. Back in the day of The Beastie Boys, even the most serious rappers still had a sense of humor. In the spirit... Read more

Top 5 Cee Lo Rap Verses By J. Locke From the 2011 BET Awards to the 2011 New Year’s Eve Countdown, and, most recently, at the Super Bowl halftime show, Cee Lo increasingly has been getting his Liberace on (and he's about to make it official). His sequin moo moo... Read more

Check out how he was when he was 17 from the latest episode of MTV's When I was 17.... Read more