Meet Ben Carson's Republican Christian Rapper Friend, Aspiring Mogul
Ben Carson’s new “urban” radio ad drops Friday in eight cities, including Miami, Atlanta, and Houston, with the goal of reaching out to young black voters who, the Carson campaign admits, are “a non-traditional voting market for Republicans.” Carson has already picked up one vote from that market, though, in Aspiring…
Money, Karma, Respect: A Hip-Hop Pioneer Peers Into the Future
The idea of a psychic/intuitive and reader of tarot cards and a certifiable hip-hop icon speaking on anything let alone karma and fate sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke. “So, a psychic and a rapper walk into a bar…” Certainly the whole concept of this recent talk at The Rubin Museum of Art fell under the…
“A rhythmic monologue to a musical accompaniment.” Ratter has a compilation of the ways in which baffled newspapers of the early 1980s described “rap music,” a hot new urban youth trend that was just beginning to gain national attention. Thirty years later, the New York Times has gotten just a little bit better at it.
“They told us in J-school, to make it is not common/ And if you do, get used to the taste of Top Ramen/ Go to the first place that likes your resume tape/ It’ll be a small town there the weather ain’t great.” Here is a rap track about being a TV reporter. [Previously; Previously] http://gawker.com/5831320/dont-m…
Brooklynites answer: What did Sean Price mean to you?
Here Is Marco Rubio Pretending to Know About Wu-Tang and Rap in General
Did you go to a fratty mid-Atlantic college in the late ’90s, have a Bob Marley blacklight poster, and squee to MTV Party to Go Platinum Remix while drinking Red Stripe at parties? Congratulations, Dawson! You know as much about rap as Marco Rubio, Fox News rap correspondent.
"A rapper known as Wais P the Pimp, who contributed to Jay-Z tracks in the 90s, was charged with promoting prostitution on Thursday, police said."
Tupac Is Alive (and Probably Living in Cuba): A Conspiracy, Explained
On Me Against the World, the 1995 album from Tupac Shakur, the prodigious rapper foretells his death. "I'm having visions of leaving here in a hearse/ God can ya feel me?/ Take me away from all the pressure/ and all the pain/ show me some happiness again," he raps on "So Many Tears." Eighteen months later, while…
Freedom Song: A Conversation About the State of Black Liberation Music
In the lyric pamphlet to Black Messiah, D'Angelo's third album after 14 years away from the spotlight, the soul-savant explains his reasoning behind its title and sudden release: "Some will jump to the conclusion that I am calling myself a Black Messiah," he begins. "For me the title is about all of us...It's about…
U.S. Covertly Infiltrated Cuba's Hip Hop Scene in Anti-Castro Operation
The United States Agency for International Development—the same government agency that funded "Cuban Twitter" and sent undercover youths to stoke civil unrest in the country—infiltrated Cuba's hip hop scene for two years with hopes of "[sparking] a youth movement against the government," according to an Associated…
There's a new unreleased track from Big Pun out today, which is 1000 times more exciting than a new unreleased track from Tupac.
Report: Someone Tried to Kill Freddie Gibbs in Brooklyn Last Night
Gary, Indiana's finest rapper, Freddie Gibbs, had a show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn last night. Someone reportedly started shooting at him, hitting two people in his entourage.
Poking Fun at Death: A Conversation with Flying Lotus
Music producer Steven Ellison, also known as Flying Lotus, has the kind of career that contemporary artists dream of. He's respected, acclaimed, constantly working, and seems to be having a great time. His wild fifth studio album, You're Dead!, explores the titular concept through boisterous jazz, leftfield hip-hop,…
Watch a 17-Year-Old Rapper Prove His Unreal Freestyles Are Legit
When 17-year-old L.A. rapper Jamal Gutierrez (a.k.a. A-F-R-O) released a controversial freestyle on R.A. the Rugged Man's YouTube channel last month, no one seemed to believe the kid's multisyllabic rhymes were spontaneous. "This shit is not only written but very well rehearsed," went the top YouTube comment.
OutKast, Contextually
The four rail lines that make up the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) meet at Five Points Station. The station, which was opened in 1979 and later added North-South lines in 1981, is located in the middle of downtown and serves as a transportation hub for the metro area’s five million residents.…

