The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2002
September 7, 2023
While Missy Elliott and the Neptunes dominated 2002, the rise of 50 Cent, Dipset, and Southern rap promised to transform the culture.
ALL: Hip-Hop 2000s
The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2001
August 6, 2023
While 9/11 and Jay-Z vs. Nas defined the year, global forces began disrupting the cloistered rap industry, whether it was ready or not.
The 125 Best Rap Singles of 2000
June 24, 2023
In the first year of the 21st century, hip-hop mutated in unusual ways, and a canyon grew between the haves and the have-nots.
Twenty Years of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”
November 4, 2022
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.”
On Quasimoto’s The Unseen
June 13, 2020
Twenty years ago today, Madlib released The Unseen as Quasimoto. This San Francisco Bay Guardian essay was published at its initial release.