Various – The Big Break Rapper Party (1980) Sugarhill Gang – Sugarhill Gang (1980) Kurtis Blow – Kurtis Blow (1980) Various – The Great Rap…
View More Early Rap Full-Lengths (1980-1982)Category: Scenes Lists & Things
Ten Great Rap Album Openers
Nas, “N.Y. State of Mind” (from Illmatic) Meek Mill, “Dreams and Nightmares” (from Dreams and Nightmares) Lil B, “B.O.R. (Birth of Rap)” (from 6 Kiss)…
View More Ten Great Rap Album OpenersTop 10 Wu-Tang Albums: Second Wave (1997-2000)
Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele Ol’ Dirty Bastard, N***a Please Wu-Tang Clan, The W The RZA as Bobby Digital, In Stereo Method Man & Redman, Blackout!…
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Anti-Crack Raps
This chapter from a 2014-2015 series on early rap music focuses on how artists responded to the crack plague of the mid-to-late 1980s. It’s an example of how the culture has always illustrated current events throughout its history.
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2020 Protest Raps: Music for the American Spring
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.
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