Clarence Avant, one of the most influential and respected figures in Black Music's history, has died at age 92. The famed executive "passed away gently at home" yesterday (August 13), according to a family statement given to The Los Angeles Times. "Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as 'The... Read more

The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has confirmed its 2022 class. Eminem will be inducted into the Cleveland, Ohio hall as a first-time ballot nominee. Marshall Mathers joins a performer category class that includes Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton, The Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, and Carly Simon. Jimmy Jam... Read more

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony dominated the mid-1990s with a unique style of Rap music. Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Wish Bone, Bizzy Bone, and Flesh-N-Bone put Ohio on the global Rap map with a harmonic sound that pulled from the church and the street alike. While 1994's Creepin' On Ah Come Up achieved gold-certification... Read more

Hip-Hop Heads learned about Common’s newest venture, a genre-defying collaboration with pianist/producer Robert Glasper and drummer/producer Karriem Riggins as the group, August Greene. The news came late last month with the drop of their single, "Optimistic" featuring Brandy. The record covers the Twin Cities’ R&B/Gospel group Sounds Of Blackness’ 1991 original... Read more

Common is taking his inherently collaborative spirit onto its next journey. The Chicago MC, along with pianist/producer Robert Glasper and drummer/producer Karriem Riggins have formed a new group, August Greene. Wasting no time, the group announced that they will drop their first, self-titled album on March 9, via Amazon. The... Read more

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are my favorite producers of all-time. That's saying a lot for a person who lives and breathes Hip-Hop and was a big enough Prince fan to believe it had to be him or them, given their well-documented music rivalry. Ironically, it was both Hip-Hop and Prince... Read more

It has been less than one week since Prince Rogers Nelson died (April 21). As information releases about Prince's cause of death and last days, fans and historians are trying to understand the life—often private—of the 57-year old pop icon. One of the biggest questions lingering is what will happen... Read more

In the seven years since Janet Jackson had released new music, J. Cole had transcended from a hopeful MC/producer in North Carolina to one of the genre's biggest stars overall. Part of what delivered Jermaine Cole to the mainstream was his knack for working with singers, showcasing versatility on nearly... Read more

Last month, Janet Jackson revealed her first single in years, "No Sleeep" (don't slumber on that third 'E'). Miss Jackson's awakening, came courtesy of a reunion with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, producers regularly associated with her greatest successes. Following a late June BET Icon Award reception, Janet moves forward... Read more

It has been seven years since Janet Jackson released a solo album. So much has happened since then. Ms. Jackson lost her brother, Michael. She got married, again. She launched her own Rhythm Nation Records. So at last, Janet is back with new music. After going in a different direction... Read more