hip-hop
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Sexual Assault Survivors Write Open Letter to Russell Simmons: 'We Will Not Be Intimidated'
For years, Russell Simmons was looked at as the “face of hip-hop.” A go-to promoter and manager of the emerging genre in the ’80s, Simmons eventually become one of the most powerful men in the music industry. The pioneering mogul founded Def Jam, launched the influential TV series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam, established…
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Nick Cannon, Eminem and Suge Knight Walk Into a Bar…
I mean, this has to be a joke, right? Apparently not, as Marshall “Eminem” Mathers sounded mighty angry in a guest verse on Fat Joe and Dre’s recent release, Family Ties, which isn’t a reliable barometer because Eminem always sounds angry. I digress. Anyway, as XXL mag reports, the rapper who originally referred to himself…
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Yasiin Bey Presenting His New Album Negus Exclusively in Museums Surrounded by Art Is What Happens When Musicians Get Bored
It’s not quite rocket-surgery or anything, but I definitely believe in the maxim that too much of anything can be bad. And when I say “anything” I mean literally anything, from obvious stuff like food or crime, to less obvious stuff like talent, Kenny G albums or Target runs. Put a pin in “talent.” That…
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Yeahhh, Lil Nas X Is Gonna Take His Historic 2019 CMA Award to the 'Old Town Road'
Lil Nas X is still riding the winning wave until he can’t no more. “Old Town Road (Remix)” scored the 2019 Country Music Association (CMA) Award for Musical Event of the Year, which means Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus both took home awards on Wednesday night. Producers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of…
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Scarface Says It’s Time for the Hood to Represent Houston’s 3rd Ward on City Council
HOUSTON—I had no idea what to expect when I agreed to interview hip-hop legend Scarface back in September. A child of the 1980s, I was a keen listener of the Geto Boys and their hood tales of trappin’ in Houston, getting women (to put it mildly) and pullin’ out the chrome on niggas who stepped…
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Props to the Old School: LL Cool J and DMX Reportedly Sign New Deals With Def Jam Records
Are they having some kind of old-timers’ reunion at Def Jam Records? LL Cool J and DMX—two of hip-hop’s biggest superstars—are reportedly returning the storied rap label, which is in the midst of celebrating its 35th anniversary. According to AllHipHop.com, two-time Grammy Award and NAACP Award winner LL Cool J has re-signed to the iconic…
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Rapsody's Upcoming Album, Eve, Pays Homage to Black Women; 1st Single 'Ibtihaj' Keeps It All the Way Live
Rapsody, the North Carolina lyricist known in hip-hop circles as a rapper’s rapper, has consistently delivered on both her individual releases and features. In 2017, Rapsody (born Marlanna Evans) dropped her critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album, Laila’s Wisdom (Jamla/RocNation). The first record on the album—the title track—has been in my personal rotation nonstop ever since and…
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Chance the Rapper Reveals Title, Release Date of Debut ‘Owbum’ on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
Despite mounds of evidence to the contrary, Chi-Town superhero Chance the Rapper refuses to call any of his previous releases “albums.” They’re mixtapes, dammit. He said what he said. I mean, sure. They’re all monetized, courtesy of their availability on streaming services, all have infiltrated the Billboard charts, and all feature original compositions, but were…
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‘I Am a Champion for My Brown, Dark Women’: Living Legend Missy Elliott Covers Marie Claire
Fun, fly fact: Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of Missy Elliott’s debut drop, Supa Dupa Fly. If that anniversary astounds you, it’s likely because aside from the fact that we don’t feel 22 years older (that was legit half my lifetime ago, at this point), the song, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” still slaps, proving…
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Press, Press, Press, Press, Press: Cardi’s New Music Video Is a Perfectly Timed Court Drama
The visual for “Press” is here! While I didn’t exactly bop with this song as I have her other hits, I do have to acknowledge the strategic timing of Cardi B’s video release for “Press,” which dropped one day after her arraignment hearing in connection with a 2018 strip club altercation. The 26-year-old rapper is…