The start of June brought a new groundswell of songs generated by widespread protest against police brutality and racist violence. It fulfills a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of recorded rap: when a crisis hits the black community, the musicians shift to address it.
View More 2020 Protest Raps: Music for the American Spring
In a 2002 URB interview, the producer talks about the business of making beats, his relationship with Mobb Deep, and the “We Gonna Make It” controversy.
View More Strictly Business: The Alchemist
As the world adapts to life under a global pandemic, the album art of several recent rap releases is having a noticeable impact.
View More Rap Art in the Coronavirus Era
In 2012, Boom Clap Bachelors’ “Tiden Flyver” was used on one of Kendrick Lamar’s biggest hits. This brief history tells the story of the enigmatic Danish collective.
View More Focus On: Boom Clap Bachelors
Born in the 1980s, hip-house was a shotgun marriage between two hot springs of black innovation. Its reputation lies somewhere between unalloyed club bliss and pop kitsch.
View More First Wave Hip-House: 1988-1990