Using examples from hip-hop throughout history to tackle the question of how rap relates to the music industry, and who truly stands to gain something from it.

The origins of hip-hop as an art form are usually confined to New York City, specifically the Bronx. The subsequent story of how hip-hop and rap music were first placed on a record is not confined to ...

Ask 10 hip-hop fans of different ages what the greatest year in rap music was, and you’ll get 10 different answers. Music consumption is a deeply personal endeavor, shaped by individual taste and ...

“These artists weren’t just entertainers—they were educators, cultural critics, and community historians.” — Dr. Reiland Rabaka In Part 2 of our Hip Hop Studies series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores the ...

You can often learn just as much—if not more—by examining the downtrodden periods of a genre as opposed to only looking at the highs. So, after we ranked the best years in rap history earlier this ...

In this powerful closing chapter of our Hip Hop Studies series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka invites us to step beyond the music and into the deeper meaning of hip hop as a worldwide movement for change. While ...

Rap beef is inevitable. The viciousness, the pettiness and the diss tracks are all a part of the brutal game. But outside of Megan, Minaj is known for shading other female rappers online through her ...

Since the inception of hip-hop, rap duos have played a pivotal role in shaping the genre. These dynamic partnerships often stem from a blend of vocalists and producers, lifelong friends or even ...

In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s ...