hip-hop
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Eric B. Is President, but He Wants Miranda From Sex and the City to Be New York’s Next Governor
There are a few things that I have come to expect when going to an old-school hip-hop concert. Lots and lots of weed, drunk gentrifiers unironically wearing throwback Kangols and Adidas tracksuits, and most importantly—no matter what time is posted on the ticket—the show starting almost two hours late. These three experiences pretty much encapsulate…
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With Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B Crafted the Perfect Thot Bop Album
In a since-deleted post on Instagram, Azealia Banks, the poster child for self-destruction, launched another attack on hip-hop’s newest female superstar, Cardi B. News about Banks trolling a peer on social media in itself is as mundane as word about the color of the sky, but part of her critique—“Scary ass, ghost written, sucking and…
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With ‘Nice for What,’ Drake Celebrates Some of Our Faves and Shows Us Why He Keeps Winning
I read somewhere that Drake had a song releasing on Friday night. We all know Friday as Cardi B Invasion of Privacy day, so it almost seemed rude for Drake to drop a song, but it’s Drake. After he just gave away almost a milli in the video for “God’s Plan,” I’m willing to give…
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A Cardi B Invasion of Privacy Think Piece Because We’re All Waiting for One
I like Cardi B a lot. Who doesn’t? It’s almost impossible not to enjoy her brand of in-your-face in-your-faceism. She keeps it real, and that authenticity has endeared her to folks near and far. When “Bodak Yellow” dropped and broke records and wormholed its way into your subconscious—I actually can’t just say “moves” anymore without…
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Watch: Roxanne Shanté Explains How She Created Hip-Hop Diss Records
Lolita Shanté Gooden, aka Roxanne Shanté, is a hip-hip icon, a living legend, if you will. Netflix has released Roxanne Roxanne, a biopic that chronicles Shanté’s humble beginnings in Queens, N.Y., in the ’80s. Shanté was a solidified rap staple from the Queensbridge Houses. She could rap circles around anybody and quickly became the go-to…
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Snoop Dogg’s Gospel Album, Bible of Love, Is All Right With Me. Praise the Lord
On Friday, March 16, 2018, the good Lord saw fit to release music for the homies through his shepherd, Snoop Dogg. Pun intended. Because shepherd … and dog. You get it? Right. Snoop Dogg, aka the artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, aka Snoop Lion, aka Calvin Broadus of Doggystyle, Murder Was the Case…
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We Need a New Category for Today’s Rap Music Because This Shit Ain’t Hip-Hop
Eleven years ago this month, I made the decision to get my first tattoo below my elbow—a piece covering my entire forearm that could never be hidden without clothing. I wanted the tattoo to be meaningful, so it only made sense to dedicate it to one of my favorite things ever: hip-hop. The piece is…
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Is It Just Me, or Is BuzzFeed’s Headline About Big Lez Mad Disrespectful?
I was perusing the internet streets like I always do looking for what’s good in the hood when I came across an article from BuzzFeed that made me clutch my pearls, then touch my chest and say, “Why, I never!” The headline? “We Found the Girl Who Danced to Living Single’s Theme Song and Sis…
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Even 21 Years Later, the Notorious B.I.G. Is Still the MC Who Impresses Me Most
“The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.” —Canibus, “Second Round K.O.” Every year, March 9 rolls around, and we celebrate through music and reflection the life of Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, aka Biggie, aka the only Christopher we acknowledge, who was gunned down in Los Angeles on…
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Common Has Secured the Bag and Now He Just Makes Dad Rap
Common is killing the game; or, in today’s parlance, Common has secured the bag. I’m almost 40 years old, which means that I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s listening to Common (née Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.) when he was rapping about watermelons and communism and asking to borrow a dollar. I still own…