36 Search results for "master of the mix"

The Smithsonian is set to honor The Bronx, New York as a “place of innovation” in setting the early foundation of Hip Hop music and culture. Excited to see The Bronx and Hip Hop being recognized in this way? Thoughts on Hip Hop’s past, present, and future?

#TheWholeWorldIsWatching by Jasiri X As the world becomes more politicized and more conscious about how those in power use and divide us, so goes popular culture in general. If you need verification check the New York Times recent article, “Social-Minded Hip-Hop Is Making a Comeback.” For those familiar with my music, I would argue its […]

“I left him dead in the living room/ get it, dead in the living room” -Lil Wayne from the song “9 Piece” Recently on a trip to New York I had the radio tuned in to Hot 97, one of the most popular and well known urban radio stations in the country. I wasn’t surprised […]

Lady Gaga clearly set out to make the greatest Pop album ever made. No hyperbole. No bullshit. Literally, the best ever. Did she achieve this? Eh, I doubt it. But you’ll be very, very glad she tried.

Just two months out of Rikers Island, it looks like Weezy is resuming his duties as the best rapper alive in a very big way. First came the release of the relentless (and awesome), Bangladesh-produced “6’7′,” as well as an amazing performance of the track with Eminem on Saturday Night Live late last year. And […]

Curren$y the “Hot Spitta” and Wiz Khalifa have a lot in common. They both have an affinity for climbing psychedelic trees (JETS and Paper Plane Gang should be self-explanatory). They both bounced around record labels for a while before they blew up. Both of them graced XXL Mgszine’s Top Freshman cover (Curren$y in ’09 and […]

One of the most crucial political acts is to define what is political. The capacity to construct political reality is the ability to define the difference between democracy and dictatorship, slavery and abolitionism, legitimacy and dishonesty. Politics or the social affairs in the context of race have been contrary to what I thought as popular […]

How the Black Eyed Peas shamelessly sold out…and why it was the best idea EVER.

At the tender age of 23, and just one album into her solo career, Lauryn Hill was catapulted unexpectedly into mega-stardom, and looked upon with an almost divine level of adoration and respect. Clearly, Hill was not ready for it….

And all of this makes Scott-Heron’s new album, I’m New Here, all the more stunning; not since the Rick Rubin-assisted resurrection of Johnny Cash’s legendary (and, by the earlier 90’s, similarly derailed) career has an older, seemingly past-their-prime artist returned with something so haunting, so vital, and so unequivocably brilliant.

Since embarking on a solo career in 2003, Beyonce has completely mastered an intoxicating mixture of R&B and Hip Hop that redefined Pop music in the 2000s, her live performances continue to stun audiences around the world, and her fierce protection of her private life from media scrutiny has allowed her to cultivate a largely blemish-less superstar status. All things considered, Beyonce is clearly the greatest and most influential female pop artist of the 2000s.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHihFA8q8xI&feature=player_embedded In August of this year the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller District 9 debuted, boasting an exotic location, foreign languages, and blacks and whites united against a common threat—Prawns.  The Prawns are aliens whose intergalactic automobile (most likely a Ford) has broken down on the wrong side of town—just above Johannesburg.  Depicted as scary and […]