Without Ahmad Jamal, One of Rap’s Greatest Hits Wouldn’t Exist
Nas’ “The World Is Yours” is considered one of rap’s greatest hits. An Ahmad Jamal sample is a crucial piece of why that is. What sets the tone for “The World Is Yours,” the second to last single Nas released from his debut album Illmatic, is that opening piano melody. Those six syncopated piano strikes,
Seven Self Help Books For Black Women By Black Women
These seven Black women self help books by Black authors offer different but supportive methods to bettering ourselves.
Without Wayne Shorter’s Weather Report, Jazz Rap Wouldn’t Be What It Is
Weather Report, the jazz fusion group co-founded by the brilliant Wayne Shorter, is integral to the rap subgenre known as jazz rap.
30 Years Later, the Full Story Behind the Forgotten First Song of G Funk
The story of how Above The Law’s 2Pac-featuring “Call It What U Want” created the defining sound of mid-‘90s West Coast rap — g funk.
How True Is ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’?
Wu-Tang: An American Saga is greatly inspired by the real-life experiences of the group. But not everything is true in the dramatized series.
How Seriously Should You Take the Rick Rubin Book?
Sorting through the floaty mysticism and metaphysical musings in the Rick Rubin book for tangible guidance on keeping your creative mind verdant.
For Freestyle Fellowship, Their Grammy Nomination Is “A Long Time Coming”
Freestyle Fellowship members Aceyalone and Self Jupiter spoke about the Grammy nomination, releasing old and new music, and more. After remastering their 1991 debut album, To Whom It May Concern, Freestyle Fellowship — the legendary rap crew from Los Angeles made up of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter — is being nominated for
Has the Rap Industry Reached its Come to Queerness Moment With Male Rappers?
With the rise of Black feminine gay rappers, male queerness in hip-hop has become less taboo than it’s been before.
Last May, Joe Budden and Isaiah Rashad sat down and had an open conversation centered around the topics of mental health and sexuality in hip-hop.
The conversation, which was spar
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