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Dr. Dre Has Broken Pop Culture Barriers Once Again

Last week, it was revealed that Dr. Dre will be headlining the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. In doing so, Dre becomes the first Hip-Hop artist to headline, after nearly 25 years of various MCs appearing in the feature role. Dre will share the stage with some of his superstar... Read more

Rap City Is Back For One Night Only…For Now

BET's Rap City was a staple of Hip-Hop culture for nearly 20 years. The show evolved with Rap culture over a series of hosts, studios, and themes. Through it all, BET found a vehicle that was a rival to Yo! MTV Raps as a vessel of the music on television. From 1989 to late 2008,... Read more

Joey Bada$$ Brings Back Rap City’s Booth With Beast Coast & Big Tigger (Video)

At just 24 years old, Joey Bada$$ has been a purveyor of 1990s and 2000s Rap styles throughout the last decade—even if he was not around to firsthand witness all of it. The Pro Era front-man often represents a Brooklyn not unlike crews such as the Boot Camp Clik and... Read more

GZA Once Sliced Apart A Dre Beat Using His Verbal Liquid Swords (Video)

In 2002, GZA was fast at work on his fourth solo album (the third since the '93 sonic-boom of the Wu-Tang Clan). At the time, 1995's Liquid Swords was well on its way to eventual platinum status, while 1999's Beneath The Surface was his second consecutive Top 10 release, grabbing... 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

This Oral History of ‘Rap City’ Follows The Show From The Basement To The Top Floor

For nearly 20 years, Rap City brought Hip-Hop in its various forms into the lives of millions, helping elevate the once-fledgling culture into the mainstream. Easily the longest-running Hip-Hop show in television history, it lived on BET from 1989 to 2008 and showcased music videos Rap fans couldn't see anywhere... Read more

Ghostface Killah’s Ironman Showcased A Rap Superhero & The Man Behind The Mask (Video)

Twenty years ago tomorrow (October 29, 1996), Ghostface Killah released a seminal solo debut album in the form of Ironman. To that point, four Wu-Tang Clansmen (GZA, Method Man, O.D.B., and Raekwon) had all stepped to the front with solo efforts, spreading their creative darts across Rap's board. As the... Read more

Step Back In Time With This Rugged MC Lyte Freestyle (Video)

Sometimes Hip-Hop is at its best when in its purest form. Few things are more satisfying than hearing a top notch MC shred a verse over nothing but a beat. Here's a look back at a vintage moment from Rap City: Tha Basement where MC Lyte crushes a freestyle over... Read more

The Very First Time Jay Z Performed On TV, They Didn’t Even Say His Name (Video)

Before 1990, Jay Z was not on too many radars. The guest on The Jaz' "Hawaiian Sophie" was in the place that a lot of hopeful artists can relate to. He had a moment in the sun (of a whimsical EMI Records single of his then-rhyme mentor), and was trying... Read more