hip-hop
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Some Asshole Tried to Rewrite Hip-Hop History and Alleged That Outkast Was ‘Dressed So Fresh, So Clean’
Like many a southern rap fan, I grew up on André and Antwan, better known as André 3000 and Big Boi, and even better known as Outkast. When all the players came from far and wide, I too wanted to attend the “Player’s Ball.” What’s the funkiest kind of music for my soul? Southernplayalistickcadillackmuzik, of…
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So Black Thought, Phonte and Rhymefest Are Forming a SuperGroup. I Really Hope This Ends Up Dope
The rap world was enraptured for various reasons with the out-of-the-blue release of Eminem’s latest coaster, Kamikaze, for most of this past week. I gave it a few listens and deleted it from my phone library. Eminem is one of those rappers who on technical merits alone is one of the best, if not the…
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Childish Gambino Drops Animated Video for 'Feels Like Summer,' Featuring Our Hip-Hop Faves Hanging Out in the Coolest Neighborhood Ever
As we head towards Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer and cookout season, Childish Gambino has dropped an animated video for “Feels Like Summer,” featuring cameos from some of our hip-hop and R&B favorites. As Gambino casually strolls down the street in what has to be the coolest neighborhood ever, we catch a glimpse…
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Let's Talk About Lauryn Hill's Essay Where She Addresses Everything and Nothing at the Same Damn Time
Ms. Lauryn Hill decided to share some thoughts on all of the talk surrounding her late shows and many of the very pointed and incendiary comments and opinions shared by Robert Glasper earlier this month. Like most folks, I’m a fan of ’90s Lauryn, or Ms. Hill as she prefers to be called (more on…
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The Realness Podcast Tells the Story of Mobb Deep's Prodigy Through His Struggle With Sickle Cell Anemia and 'Keeps It Thoro'
If there’s a podcast out there with a hip-hop lean to it, there’s a better than 98 percent chance that I will give it a listen. Whether it’s an interview-centric show like Drink Champs or Questlove Supreme or a show that takes a look at the life of a person of interest in the hip-hop…
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To Queen Aretha, You Are Appreciated. Rest in Power
Like many people, hip-hop was my entryway to a lot of the music I know and love today. Through the use of samples, I made my way into various genres of music and discovered the lifeblood of artistry on several continents. Similarly, it enabled me to become more well-versed in American treasures. One such treasure…
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How the Book of Ryan Became My Therapy and Helped Me Understand Fatherhood
When I’m in the studio, I sometimes have these visions of conversations I’d like to have with my father. It leads me to think what it would be like if he and I could communicate on a higher level because there’s always been this barrier between us. Not even just us—everybody in our family. In…
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10 Thoughts About Drake, His Petty and His ‘Duppy Freestyle’ Directed at Pusha T
1. Drake might be THE most bored superrich entertainer of all time. Like, he must literally sit around WAITING for motivation to do something … anything. Only a bored rich person gets that amped up, that quickly, in that fashion. Drake was probably playing himself in chess when he heard “Infrared” and was like, “About…
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I Went Down a Hip-Hop Rabbit Hole and Ended Up at the Fu-Schnickens Like It Was 1992 All Over Again
As it did for so many folks I know, hip-hop changed my life. I don’t mean in the “It saved my life” way, but when I was introduced to hip-hop, I fell hook, line and sinker into the ocean and never came up for air. I was living in Germany in the late ’80s and…
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Snoop, Please Spare Us Your Rage About Trump, Mr. ‘Bitches Ain’t Shit’
Nigga, you? (In Nas’ “Ether” voice.) Ever since Snoop Dogg came forward with some very scathing public words for Kanye West, something has been stuck in my craw. Yes, it’s true, I’m a die-hard Kanye West fan, but this ain’t about him. Fuck him. Truth be told, I used to love Snoop with all my…