hip-hop
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Dear Miley Cyrus: Hip-Hop Culture Never Needed You and It Won’t Miss You
We often see celebrities evolve before our very eyes, for better or for worse, especially if we have been exposed to them since childhood. Beyoncé, for example, went from creating mainstream pop music to making music more reflective of black women’s lived experiences in her critically acclaimed Lemonade. Then there are celebrities like Miley Cyrus.…
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Let's All Remember The Time Bill O'Reilly Got His Ass Handed To Him By Cam'ron
As Bill O’Reilly’s televised reign of lies comes to an end, I cannot help but reflect upon the fact that, 14 years ago, he unwittingly set the stage for one of the greatest and Blackest moments in the history of cable news. The Set Up Cam’ron and Dame Dash were invited to be guests on The O’Reilly…
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10 Thoughts on Drake and His ‘Playlist,’ More Life
Disclaimer: I’m not sure I’m a Drake fan, but I’m not NOT a Drake fan, either. I listen to all the albums and have listened to Drake songs when washing dishes, changing diapers and eating brussels sprouts. I’m an informed listener, so I’m speaking on More Life as a music enthusiast and avid consumer who…
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Is Rick Ross A Good Rapper?
There are two ways to answer the question asked in the title. 1. He is a professional rapper, having been one for over a decade, and his professional rappings are quite proficient and popular. Compared to the average person — or, even better, compared to me when I attempt to rap (which often occurs when…
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It's A Low Down Dirty Shame What Remy Ma Did To That Nicki Girl From Queens
When I heard direct shots cast at Remy Ma on Gucci Mane & Nicki’s reconciliatory collab “Make Love”, three words immediately came to mind: are you dumb? Apparently Remy felt similarly – and on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 1:03 PM EST, one Onika Tanya Maraj got her entire life snatched in just under 7 minutes by…
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VH1’s The Breaks Holds Up a Mirror to the Early Days of Hip-Hop
In the late ’90s, I went to a meeting at one of the biggest record labels. I was scheduled to do a quick interview with the president. I knocked on his door and he waved me in. Then he sized me up and fixated on my navy-blue messenger bag with the Rawkus Records logo stitched…
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Ain’t It Funky? James Brown’s Most Sampled Drummer, Clyde Stubblefield, Dies at 73
Now, anyone who knows the genius of James Brown knows that that man kept “the pocket” thumping. Sadly, one of the drivers of Brown’s most iconic grooves—and one of hip-hop’s most sampled drummers—Clyde Stubblefield, has died. He was 73. Stubblefield died of kidney failure at a Madison, Wis., hospital Saturday, according to the Associated Press.…
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Killer Mike: Black People Are Like the ‘Neglected Wife’ of the Democratic Party
Since being launched into the hip-hop stratosphere by Outkast on their 2001 single “The Whole World,” Killer Mike has been a fixture on the Southern hip-hop landscape. However, during the presidential election, he became a national political presence after backing Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton. Mike’s fervent support of the white Jewish grandpa from Vermont…
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An Ode To David Axelrod, Who Changed The Way I Listened To Music
To say that hip-hop changed my life is an understatement. I feel blessed and highly favored to have grown up during what has long been considered the golden age of hip-hop, experiencing the anticipation for several classic albums at their time of release and the ensuing debates with friends in high school and college about…
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The South Got Something to Say: Professor Discusses Her Revolutionary Class on Outkast
Regina N. Bradley, Ph.D., wears many hats: assistant professor of African-American literature at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Ga.; alumna Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellow at Harvard University; Red Clay Scholar; and my sister SpottieOttieDopaliscious angel. Bradley has created a following outside the classroom with her Outkasted Conversations, a critically acclaimed dialogue series dedicated to thinking…