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 ...

Raise your hand if you believe the 1990s were the golden age of rap music. Wow! We see a lot of hands in the air. And we agree with you. It was the decade with the most recognizable and talented stars ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Reporting on Africa, its diaspora, and hip-hop's class acts today. In our exclusive interview last month, while enjoying breakfast ...

The early ’80s were not exactly the best time for love and romance in rap. And with good reason. Most of the rappers, in a genre that was just 10 years old, were male and fresh out of puberty (if not ...

The spark of U.K. rap’s new era was ignited in 2021, and it glowed with the familiar warmth of plugg. “I’m in Mayfair eating lobster (lob-sta)/ She want me to take her to Costa (kos-tah)” raps YT on ...

We should address the elephant in the room: hip-hop did not have a strong year on the charts. In fact, rap music had its worst showing in years. Back in October, it made headlines when—for the first ...

I dedicate this article to Mark Fisher, whose writing on themes that run close to S.T.A.R.V.E.’s heart serves as another intertextual source of power for the LP. In 2014, Fisher wrote: "The pandemic ...

KYIV -- A rosary with five bullet casings interspersed among the beads is the first lot to draw bids. "What I really like is how here we've got a weapon remade into art," says the auctioneer, a big, ...