Nasir Jones is a storyteller. He makes that clear on “Illmatic,” an introspective and poetic album that set the foundation for rap music. With a smooth flow and contemplative lyrics over jazz-heavy ...

As the year comes to an end, we are wading deep into list season. Now that we’ve talked about the best albums, songs, debuts, and EPs of 2025, it’s time to get even more granular and pay tribute to a ...

At various points in my previous articles, I have at least pointed to the fact that I, having been born in the 2000s, had to learn about hip-hop out of order, at least compared to those who had been ...

While teaching a course at MIT last spring, rap luminary and Renaissance man Lupe Fiasco refined his unifying theory of the musical genre. Lupe Fiasco is a multiplatinum rap legend who typically ...

“Arguing” is… arguably the sixth pillar of hip-hop. The game has changed, but our need to fight about it constantly remains intact. From “Who has the loudest soundsystem?” to “Who sounds the best over ...

The Son of Man will send his angels ... with a breakbeat. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage for The Recording Academy via Getty Images If Christ then was Biggie (apologies to 2Pac), the twelve apostles — ...