In LA, a 63 (70!)-piece orchestra blends the styles of Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington with hip-hop, European classical music, and free jazz. Spend some time with the dAKAH Orchestra and it's founder Geoff "Double G" Gallegos.
posted on Apr 23, 2008 - View this thread

The SEO Rapper (a.k.a. The Poetic Prophet) spits rhymes on such topics as Design Coding, Link Building, Paid Search, and Conversion Closing for all your marketing campaign and web design needs.
posted on Mar 27, 2008 - View this thread

Go way back into time with a deliciously analog collection of mastermixes from 1980s-era soul radio from London.
posted on Feb 29, 2008 - View this thread

...Japanese hip hop has become a significant national, cultural, and business genre since the late twentieth century, and this phenomenon has been applied and has succeeded by using almost the same ideology that was historically used by other Japanese industries like automobile manufacturing. The pioneers in the Japanese hip hop industry like Buddha Brand learned their skills in the U.S. and have successfully been influencing the contemporary Japanese music scene. As a result, the imported hip hop has become a ''Japanized'' products. Many hip hop industries in Japan have modified the American hip hop into Japanese ways, and their businesses, like the hip hop dance schools, have succeeded.

The Japanese Hip Hop Movement: Its Cultural and Economic Impact
posted on Jan 19, 2008 - View this thread

Stop Snitchin' may be the hidden link between hip hop and the 1980s alternative rock group, House of Freaks. According to the New York Post, journalist Ethan Brown has accomplished "making the Stop Snitching movement seem reasonable" in his new book Snitch: Informants, Cooperators, and the Corruption of Justice. Brown argues that harsh mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses have created a "cottage industry of cooperators" and informants who fabricate evidence, because Provision 5K1.1 of federal sentencing guidelines gives leniency in exchange for "substantial assistance to authorities." According to Brown, two of these criminal cooperators included Ray Dandridge and Ricky Gray, the perpetrators of the Richmond spree murders that ended the life of Brian Harvey of House of Freaks, his wife, and his two children. On the other hand, Mark Kleiman argues that the Stop Snitchin' movement has driven homicide clearance rates so low that, in some cities, "you have a better than even chance of literally getting away with murder."
posted on Dec 11, 2007 - View this thread

Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
posted on Dec 5, 2007 - View this thread

BBC Introducing is an excellent way to keep tabs on what's fresh in the British popular music scene without having to live in a rainsoaked armpit. There are four podcasts for you to download, the flagship Best of Unsigned Podcast, Homegrown Mix with Ras Kwame, Scotland Introducing and BBC Radio Northampton's Weekender. All feature bands that are either unsigned or just recently signed and the music ranges from hip hop to punk rock to what sounds awfully like the soundtrack for a NES game with half-hearted chanting over it. This is an excellent resource whether you're casual searcher for new songs or the kind of anorak who knows which British indie band was first to use an 808.
posted on Nov 5, 2007 - View this thread

umeancompetitor.blogspot.com or How to make "giffords" yourself: part one & part two.
posted on Nov 2, 2007 - View this thread

Roxanne Shanté may be the only person whose Wikipedia entry lists her occupation, truthfully, as "rapper, psychologist." In the credits for the Beef 3 DVD she explains how her record contract's throwaway education clause paid for her to get her PhD. She also shares the backstory of Roxanne's Revenge. Some more classic Shanté: with a skinny Biz Markie in 1986, BDP vs. Juice Crew, an old Wack It video. [via]
posted on Oct 22, 2007 - View this thread

2007 is the year of Weezy. In just 10 months, Lil Wayne has recorded more tracks than many artists will in a lifetime; beat Radiohead to the punch by giving away not only the best rap album of the year, but some runners up as well; found a spot on MTV's "Hottest Rappers" list and become the darling of street-heads, hipster fanboys and even highbrow cultural pundits across the nation.
posted on Oct 19, 2007 - View this thread

4 Brothers Beats. This is a tribute to all the original music that built hip-hop – the best beats in soul, funk & jazz collected by four brothers. An amazing collection of out-of-print releases from the 70s and 80s.
posted on Sep 20, 2007 - View this thread

"Hello Youtubes, have you heard my SICK beats?" Ronald Jenkees started a youtube channel over a year ago where you can find him clucking about his roommate, giving tips for the unwashed masses, and producing some incredibly awesome beats. The internet agrees, his debut album is genius.
posted on Aug 28, 2007 - View this thread

Natasja Saad, born to a Danish mother and a Sudanese father was a Danish rapper and reggae singer, about to achieve international break through. She died last week in a car accident near Kingston, Jamaica
posted on Aug 3, 2007 - View this thread

On July 4, Funkmaster Flex of New York's Hot '97 played a five hour marathon set of classic 90s hip-hop. Listen to or download the set commercial free in four parts here. XXL mag coverage and video here.
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - View this thread

VDoubleOrapsreallyquickly. Geezah!
posted on Jun 19, 2007 - View this thread

Hip hop history— It's the Rub! Along with a handful of other shows, Brooklyn hip hop lovers The Rub compile a history of hip hop. Eleven parts through 1989.
posted on Apr 28, 2007 - View this thread

Mahavishnu Orchestra - One Word
Weather Report - Seventh Arrow/Umbrellas
Squarepusher's 8-track [1] [2 + Buddy Rich]
Jaco Pastorius - Portrait of Tracy
Cannibal Ox - Pigeon
posted on Feb 13, 2007 - View this thread

Talib Kweli and Madlib have released a free album (zip). It fucking rocks.
posted on Jan 6, 2007 - View this thread

Kill Dash Nine by Monzy, the next big thing in Nerdcore. Wired interviews some of the figures, including the better known MC Plus+ (previously). Monzy's latest clever, well-informed lyrics stand in stark contrast to Weird Al's latest proof that he wouldn't know a geek if he bit one's head off.^[1]
posted on Dec 14, 2006 - View this thread

WaxDJ.com - an excellent source for free downloads and streams of original electronic music mixes of all sorts, from seasoned pros to beginning bedroom amatuers, all told numbering in the hundreds or thousands. My current brand new favorite is the very diverse and well-versed Detriot/Chicago techno stylings of DJ Rubsilent. Recomended mix: Future Funk 23: (Direct MP3 link) (Streaming mp3 link) But don't let me divert you - search for your favorite local DJ or browse for new ones.
posted on Oct 11, 2006 - View this thread

MC Plus+ [superclass subgenre]
posted on Sep 11, 2006 - View this thread

10 greatest beat-making videos ever* "*Or, you know, today." A Music thing thing.
posted on Aug 23, 2006 - View this thread

Then, as he escorted me to the elevator, he said, “New Yorker? How many people see that shits?” He reflected a moment. “Damn. Who needs Hot 97? I got New Yorker and MySpace.”
posted on Jul 10, 2006 - View this thread

Danger Doom "The Occult Hymn" EP available free from Adultswim.com [More Inside] but that is pretty much it.
posted on Jun 9, 2006 - View this thread

Rap Producer J-Dilla Dies; Kidney Failure Suspected J-Dilla, born James Yancy, was a member of Slum Village and worked with various Hip-Hop artists including Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest and Common's Grammy-nominated album, BE.
posted on Feb 10, 2006 - View this thread

A little known white guy made at least $6.4m out of hip-hop last year [NYTimes]. Scott Storch has produced 50 Cent, Beyonce and Lil Kim; in fact he made eighty tracks in 2005 and is working on Paris Hilton's new album. He thinks it's because of his low profile that he didn't get a grammy nomination and he's upset.
posted on Feb 9, 2006 - View this thread

Everybody knows that gangsta rap promotes sexism, homophobia... and fascism. Take Bushido, for instance - the Berlin rapper of Tunisian descent that all the neo-Nazis love. Confused? (nyt) Well, so are the Germans. And then we're not even talking about Fler, whose "This is black-red-gold, hard and proud!" nationalist lyrics never fail to piss off the German papers (in German), and who likes to pose in his videos with a nice symbolic eagle. (Then again, Helmut Kohl didn't mind.) Still, Fler's flag-waving, eagle-loving rhymes are no match for Bushido's "Salute, stand to attention, I am the leader like 'A'". The A stands for Adolf, you know.
posted on Jan 12, 2006 - View this thread

Werner Von Wallenrod's Fun Page of Novelty Rap Records [Warning: animated jellybeans & embedded audio] • Includes reviews of albums by: Joe Piscopo, Rich Little, Rappin' Granny, Rappin' Principal, Rappin' Rambo, Joe Pesci, 2 Live Jews, Rodney Dangerfield, Arsenio Hall aka 'Chunky A', The '85 Chicago Bears, Mel Brooks, Elvira & more.
posted on Oct 19, 2005 - View this thread

WeFunkRadio.com has 390 full shows available for download featuring the funk, underground hip-hop, and rare grooves that are so hard to find. BitTorrents are available for the two most recent shows and there's always the audio stream and podcasts coming at you fresh from Montréal's CKUT radio.
posted on Sep 16, 2005 - View this thread

DJ Shadow likes high school bands.
High school bands like DJ Shadow. (2nd link requires Windows Media Player, via Soul Sides)
posted on Sep 15, 2005 - View this thread

Witness the Whiteness as borderline-albino Canadian nerdcore MCs kick it Konami-school [Windows Media/Quicktime; more]
posted on Aug 16, 2005 - View this thread

Hip-Hop Legends Digable Planets Reunite! Word, and they're touring.
posted on May 25, 2005 - View this thread

Matisyahu Revisited: While he's been mentioned here before, a new AP profile on Matisyahu finds Brooklyn's reggae Hasid still hard at work. Catch his performance on Jimmy Kimmel, then give a listen to his amazing new live album from Jewish-oriented JDub Records — currently streaming its *entirety* on Heavy Radio.
posted on Apr 22, 2005 - View this thread

Galang-alang-alang-a. (insane, 18MB QuickTime music video)
[MusicFilter] Cranking out music somewhere between hip-hop, electronica, Nintendo cartridges, and reggae, 27-year-old Maya Arulpragasam is getting a lot of attention for the results of tinkering with one box. M.I.A. (her stage name) dresses in garish flourescents like it's 1983, dances like no one's watching, and is making waves all around the critic-o-sphere. [RS|NYT|Eye|pm|pfm|New Yorker|CBC] Want a sample? The video for "Galang" takes her grattifi-esque art, animates it, and mashes it all together with her, um, unusual style of dance, for a music+video experience that is hard to forget. Is M.I.A. redefining the world of 21st century global pop... or is it just crap?   (via WG)
posted on Mar 12, 2005 - View this thread

Big Fun in the Big Town Incredible German-produced documentary on hip hop and NY street culture from 1986. Features interviews and performances from Grandmaster Flash, Doug E Fresh, Run DMC, Roxanne Shante & Biz Markie, Schoolly D, and more.
posted on Feb 26, 2005 - View this thread

Roots Manuva's "Ventriloshiznit Machine" Recombine rhymes as you please and hear them spit back via Mr. Manuva with this flash toy/promotional item for his new single "Colossal Insight." Helpful for the flow-impaired or those who would like those magnetic poetry things more if they were recited to them by a bobble-head MC. [Flash + Audio]
posted on Jan 12, 2005 - View this thread

The best essay on hip-hop I've read...
posted on Dec 3, 2004 - View this thread

Seamus Heaney's Top Hip Hop Picks. Sort of. (You know: Seamus Heaney.)
posted on Apr 19, 2004 - View this thread

Bedroom Music for Bedroom People A veritable treasure trove of hours and hours of mixes of fine abstract headphone-fodder of varying flavours, be it compelling hiphop or weirdo IDM or just etcetera. A fine way to pass a lazy Sunday away ...
posted on Apr 18, 2004 - View this thread

Make this year's xmas a special one by buying the Flavor Flav Talking Alarm Clock with five alarm phrases "Bass In Your Face, Get Up Get Down, Yo G Yo, Yeaa Boy." Have you seen any other similarly bizarre gifts on sale this holiday season?
posted on Nov 26, 2003 - View this thread

Is hip-hop holding back white youths? (wmv)
posted on Aug 8, 2003 - View this thread

How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back As a white guy with a young kid, I worry about how the often gleefully violent, misogynist rap music he may choose to listen to could affect him. Maybe that's a racist thing for a white boy to say, but when a black scholar like John H. McWhorter says it, maybe it's worth considering.
posted on Aug 6, 2003 - View this thread

Fix Up, Look Sharp With stateside hip hop in an unprecedented doldrum, the torch has been snatched up on this side of the Atlantic by 18-year-old Eastender Dizzee Rascal. He's recovering from a stabbing carried out rival fans of a rival garage collective in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. The attack took place a few days before being nominated for the Mercury Music prize. Guaranteed not to be everybody's cup of tea, but he's an interesting character and challenging music make it, and his album, worth a look.
posted on Jul 29, 2003 - View this thread

A hip hop geek's wet dream... I don't know about you, but to find this site made my day. Dozens and dozens of full length songs that your favorite hip hop producers have sampled. If you can convert streaming audio to mp3, the songs are yours!
posted on Jun 9, 2003 - View this thread

"The roots of Hip Hop Culture will no longer be ignored. Hip Hop's pioneer MC's, DJ's, B-boys and Graffiti Artists finally get to tell their stories.  Travel with the real Hip Hop historians (Ralph McDaniels, DJ Red Alert, Grandmaster Caz, Kool Herc) through their old stomping grounds and listen to them reminisce as we drive down memory lane.  Hush Tours takes you to all the hot spots Uptown (Harlem and the Bronx) giving Hip Hop Culture more than a venue... also a voice."
posted on May 29, 2003 - View this thread

Footage of a young Jay-Z freestyling. You gotta start somewhere (From trickology.com if you care).
posted on May 23, 2003 - View this thread

Fuck Hip Hop. Title of a block-rockin' essay by dj, filmmaker and cultural activist Pierre Bennu.

I think the time has come to bid a farewell to the last black arts movement. It’s had a good run but it no longer serves the community that spawned it. Innovation has been replaced with mediocrity and originality replaced with recycled nostalgia for the ghost of hip hop past, leaving nothing to look forward to. Honestly when was the last time you heard something (mainstream) that made you want to run around in circles and write down every word. When was the last time you didn’t feel guilty nodding your head to a song that had a ‘hot beat’ after realizing the lyrical content made you cringe.

Tough questions, Pierre. And the whole piece is even tougher. Here's a few responses from Nettime.
posted on Jan 7, 2003 - View this thread

Sup, G? The Five Percent Nation: A splinter group from the Nation of Islam, they have contributed quite a bit to the hip-hop scene -- and to the English language. Phrases like "Break it down", "word", and even "peace" (as a form of salutation) can be traced back to their teachings. The Wu-tang Clan and Digable Planets are among the artists greatly influenced by the unique, sometimes inspiring, and often unsettling, worldview of this religion. It ain't all smiles und sunshine, but whatever you think of it, one thing's for sure: This is one fit and fecund memeplex.
posted on Nov 2, 2002 - View this thread

First there was L. L. Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee and the Bridge Wars. Then came Biggie and Tupac with the west coast, east coast rivalry. Now rap battles have transcended mediums, I give you Ludacris vs. Bill O'Reilly. Word.
posted on Sep 27, 2002 - View this thread

Snoop Dogg kicks the chronic, gin and juice.

Will sobriety spoil Calvin Broadus?
posted on Sep 10, 2002 - View this thread

Who Killed Tupac Shakur? More importantly, does the L.A. Times run the risk of re-igniting an east-coast/west-coast rap "war" by implicating a certain notorious indivdual in a feud that was virtually nonexistent until the media hyped it up the first time around?
posted on Sep 6, 2002 - View this thread

Ever wondered what happens to kids who takes those "So you want to be a rockstar..." books seriously? Kcool 2002 - Move over Lil' Bow Wow, this 10 year old 'multi instrumental' musician is set to take over. He has the skills, the 'tude, and the um... songwriting abilities (scroll down) to take the world by storm.
posted on Apr 7, 2002 - View this thread

Interview with an Ol Dirty Bastard. This is the first interview with ODB I have seen since he was thrown in the slammer. ODB's first two releases were crazy brilliant and full of life. Now he sits in one of the worst prisons around, depressed and unmedicated, for parole violation. Reading this, do you think the court succeeded in breaking his spirit? Is he doomed to flame out when he gets out? Is it wrong that his new cd seems made without his input, and is weak compared to his amazing first two? Would you want to get out of prison and find someone made a book out of your throw off writings? Finally, do you like ODB?
posted on Mar 28, 2002 - View this thread

KinderZimmer - Wir Sind Da Wo Oben Ist. Mix it up in in your own sort of du hast dream. I'm sure this amuses me a lot more simply because I have no clue what the majority of the words mean. Fun though. Enjoy.
posted on Feb 27, 2002 - View this thread

Farrakhan to Hip-Hoppers: Know Your Roles, Educate. From the West Coast Hip Hop Summit.
posted on Feb 15, 2002 - View this thread

White Rap Revisited: Following up on last month's discussion, here's the reader blowback from "N. Bedford Crouch's" article, featuring confirmation of the put-on and a tip of the pen to Metafilter.
posted on Dec 17, 2001 - View this thread

Fighting Words on White Rap: but not what you'd expect, especially from the Village Voice:

Our children—are in crisis, trapped in the grip of a culture that glorifies drug use and debauchery, slovenly dress, and lack of respect for authority. A culture whose worship of antisocial behavior and debasement is rivaled only by its amoral concessions to the dictates of mammon.

This can largely be attributed to the unfortunate dominance of black popular culture, and—more specifically—hip-hop. In the past, mainstream culture refined raw black cultural materials, resulting in musical zeniths such as the recent neo-swing movement, which briefly presented a viable outlet for young dancers unwilling to subject themselves to the degrading influence of rap and rave music. This has got to be a put-on . . .
posted on Nov 29, 2001 - View this thread

Native American hip-hop runs the gamut from the prolific pioneer and activist Litefoot to the thuggish Natay. Most of it's more about liberation than bling-bling, and although it doesn't get much mainstream media attention yet, there's lots of artist's sites and music online. Be sure to learn about the gangs and check out the gear, too.
posted on Nov 27, 2001 - View this thread

Eminem's mom just wants a relationship with her son... you know, so that she can sell more CD's. "An Open Letter To My Son" retails for about $6.95. Maybe she, and Nancy Aniston can start a little club - "Riding On The Coattails Of My Child's Fame."
posted on Dec 14, 2000 - View this thread

Canada Denies Eminem Entrance. I'm sorry if it's already been posted, i've been out of the loop.
posted on Oct 26, 2000 - View this thread

LA Cop shot Notorious B.I.G.?! While I hope justice will be served, I can only pray that this does not come to be the case. LA is already spooked about the police force. This could start another riot.

Just another day in Southern California. Sigh.
posted on Oct 16, 2000 - View this thread

Where are they now? Don't front like you weren't pumping Arrested Development back in junior high. Yeah, we now know their whole Afrocentrism schtick was a record company ploy, and I'm sure this new album will be nothing to write home about. But man, I still know all the words to "Mr. Wendal" and "Tennesee" by heart. Sounds like time for a Napster run...
posted on Jun 20, 2000 - View this thread

Chuck D vs. Lars Ulrich, tonight on PBS' Charlie Rose Show. I can't wait.
posted on May 12, 2000 - View this thread

Thong-Th-Thong-Thong-Thong-Thong Love it? Hate it?
posted on Mar 22, 2000 - View this thread