This month, Nas and producer Hit-Boy released King's Disease III. The Mass Appeal Records album finds the MC and producer alone, showing new range and depth within one of Hip-Hop's most respected catalogs. In one song, the Queens, New York-inspired “Thun,” Nas quips, “No beef or rivals, they playin’ ‘Ether’... Read more

Ten days after KOD released, J. Cole topped the charts as many fans anticipated. The lead marks Cole's fifth consecutive album to reach #1. For the third straight time, the Dreamville Records founder and Roc Nation MC/produced achieved this feat without any guests on his album. KOD, an acronym for Kids... Read more

Master recordings are coveted in the music industry. In the 1980s and 1990s, many Hip-Hop artists signed contracts that gave away ownership of master recordings to record labels. With resources, relationships, and infrastructure, they would generate songs that would hopefully turn to hits, and the artist's star would rise. That... Read more

UPDATE: Following reports late last week that JAY-Z's 4:44 Tour appeared off to a slow start based on low prices for some tickets and venues with attendance that was far under capacity, new information emerges. Live Nation, who is responsible for the tour, now tells Billboard that Jay's latest campaign... Read more

From fashion to language, Hip-Hop culture has left its imprint on far more than just music. What was once shrugged off as a fad is now the globe's dominant cultural force, with more and more reports being published to offer up statistical proof. In 2015, Hip-Hop was crowned as the... Read more

Last week, Kendrick Lamar did his DAMN. thing, literally. Including last year's untitled unmastered. compilation, this is the Compton, California MC's fourth major label title, and apparent fourth album in a run that began with 2011's Section.80. According to Billboard, it also appears that the Top Dawg Entertainment flagship artist... Read more

At the time of its release, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive was an outlier to a trend in Hip-Hop. The late 2014 Roc Nation/Columbia Records release contained 13 tracks and no feature verses of any kind. At the time of release, the North Carolina MC/producer earned his third consecutive... Read more

This week, the 2016 NFL season will officially begin. According to reports, one of the league's biggest stars of the moment will likely not play for some time—in part due to injury. San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick wears the most-sold NFL jersey entering the season, according to the NFL.... Read more

Two Thursdays ago (May 12), Chance The Rapper released his third official mixtape, Coloring Book. Featuring Kanye West, Jay Electronica, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Justin Bieber, and a host of others, the project was not available for sale. Instead, it was licensed to Apple Music for streaming, with promises for... Read more

One of Hip-Hop's more interview-reclusive stars is Missy Elliott. While the last decade has afforded little new music from the Portsmouth, Virginia MC/producer, understanding why is even harder to gather, with the Atlantic Records artist shunning most press, despite her supremely approachable (miss)demeanor. Deeply connected to Heather B, as well... Read more

During Katy Perry's Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, the Pop princess notably did not include Juicy J or Snoop Dogg (who was at the championship game) for her medley of hits. However, the EMI/Capitol Records multi-platinum mainstay did turn the microphone over to an unlikely guest from the Hip-Hop genre:... Read more