Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/GI What happens when you put the Kings of Hip-Hop on the world’s biggest stage with the Queen of Hip-Hop and Soul? You get one of the best half-time shows in the NFL’s history, and this certainly was the case when it came to this year’s show. Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige,… Read more
Photo Credit: Tyler, The Creator via YouTube Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known as Tyler, the Creator, is leagues ahead of the competition on the trap-influenced West Coast hip-hop scene of today. When he released Flower Boy back in 2017, it was the first sign that something big was in the making – a huge leap away from… Read more
#10. Lil Nas X – ‘Montero’ Lil Nas X is a one in a million kind of artist, in that he elevates the game for everyone whether you like him or not. Tracks like “Montero (Call Me By My Name” and “Scoop” featuring Ms. Doja Cat show us why Lil Nas X is here to… Read more
Photo Credit: Jack Bridgland With Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (Or SIMBI, for short), Britain’s Simbiatu Ajikawo – A.K.A. Little Simz – provided not just the best album of 2021, but also an instant hip-hop classic. One that deserves to hold the same prestige held by the likes of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly and Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation. Effortlessly blending together… Read more
Photo Credit: David LaChapelle Even in the age of virality – where the most unsuspecting of characters can be turned into worldwide celebrities overnight – Doja Cat still feels like an especially unlikely candidate for 2021’s biggest rapper. Yet, with nearly 60 million monthly Spotify listeners to her name, that’s exactly what she is. Having… Read more
Photo Credit: Nwaka Okparaeke When soul dominated the airwaves like in the days of Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, and when hip-hop intersected the genre is where we find Little Simz: A British-Nigerian born rapper with an ear for old soul, and the tongue of an experienced MC. She takes hip-hop to the heights of… Read more
Photo Credit: Charlotte Rutherford (Content Warning: this review – through exploration of the song “Sun Goes Down” – and briefly discusses themes of suicide.) After the record-breaking success of “Old Town Road”, Lil Nas X seemed destined to be a one-hit-wonder; the hip hop-country crossover felt unmistakably like a fluke; a gimmick. With each follow-up… Read more
Photo Credit: Collages via Billboard Most people will tell you that the only success that translates financially is “success.” In music, certainly, it’s thought to be almost entirely mathematical: the more records an artist has sold, the more “successful” they are (of course, in recent decades the number of downloads and streams would also have… Read more
It’s widely debated if – or at least to what degree – rap is rock ‘n’ roll. In New York City, where hip-hop originated, a few rock bands were among the first to recognize the significance of rap, as shown by the Tom Tom Club’s single “Wordy Rappinghood” and of course Blondie’s number one smash… Read more
Photo Credit: Olav Stubberud G-Eazy has surpassed the idea of being a “rising star” in hip-hop, to being a certified leader. His past collaborations with rap superstars like A$AP Rocky and Cardi B gave him the credibility along with his talent to cement him as a hip-hop heavyweight. Now with his latest album, These Things… Read more