“One Mic, One Gun”
As a response to 21 Savage’s comments about Nas’ relevance, “One Mic, One Gun” is a pleasant surprise that works best as a statement of unity.
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Mapping the Hip-Hop Nation in the 1990s
By 1990, hip-hop culture had inspired regional scenes across the United States. A series of maps attempted to mark the changes.
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BLU Magazine
Freedom Archives, an online database focused on progressive and radical historical movements, has documentation on BLU magazine, which was published between 1998 and 2001. While most press at the time limited their coverage of politically minded rap to dead prez and Black Star, the New York magazine threaded between overlapping scenes like spoken word and
Tame One and “Haagen-Dazs”
“Haagen-Dazs,” a track Tame One and El Da Sensei recorded with The Boulevard Connection, captures the essence of an era.
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Hurricane G’s “Milky”
“Milky” is a testament to Hurricane G’s sharp Nuyorican voice, and a flow that swayed on and off beat with rope-a-dope grace.
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Twenty Years of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”
I recently spoke with The Ringer for a story about the 20th anniversary of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” which has become a pop landmark and perennial “jock jam.”
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To Sleep with Anger
The Charles Burnett film To Sleep with Anger has recently re-emerged this month via prominent samples in two songs.
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Here Come the Big Steppers
Memorably deployed by Kendrick Lamar, the phrase “big stepper” usually means what it suggests. But it has also led to some surprising interpretations.
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Who’s Afraid of Youngboy NBA?
A recent Hits graphic omitted Youngboy Never Broke Again, the second-highest streaming artist of the year.
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Rap Slips to 28%
Two recent stories on the decline of rap music’s overall market share have generated some concern in industry circles.
Surviving L.A.
An L.A. Times feature gathers opinions on a bleak trend that has claimed the lives of PnB Rock, Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, and many others.
