167 Search results for "rappers"

By: Sam Fleming, Teen Voice Contributor Every Chicagoan knows the story of the typical Chicago entertainer. Like Kanye West described on “Homecoming,” Chicago entertainers “always leave.” Fortunately for the city, however, Chance the Rapper is on a mission to prove he is different.

By: Imani J. Jackson Asking people how they self-identify is more instructive than presumptively assigning them labels. So I asked Jahaan Sweet, during a recent hour-long, sit-down interview in an artsy enclave, who he is. “I consider myself a music maker.” He added that he is a burgeoning businessman, “I just like to create shit.” […]

To date, President-Elect Donald Trump’s interaction with Black people has been mostly limited to making vague promises from the safety of rooms full of white faces, painting inner cities as urban dystopias and posing for a few pictures with a couple black celebrities. Kanye West came under harsh scrutiny for meeting with Trump shortly after being […]

By: Imani J. Jackson I want Scott Mescudi, better known as rapper Kid Cudi, to be okay – for himself, for his family, for his loved ones and for those who sought – and for those who will seek professional assistance like he did — when their burdens are too weighty, complex, and repeated to […]

This past Monday, Chance the Rapper appeared on The Tonight Show, yet again, to perform “Blessings (Reprise)” for Jimmy Fallon and his live studio audience. And what could’ve easily been an entertaining, but simple, performance proved to be another example of Lil Chano from 79th outdoing himself. 

BY SAM FLEMING “Please don’t call me conscious/Don’t call it political/Please don’t deem this lyrical/These are negro spirituals,” Kemba mutters on the second track of his newest project Negus. These lyrics set the tone for this forebodingly beautiful album, and bring up a more potent point about hip-hop in general. Negus is not an album […]

In the age of social media prowess, not only does everyone have an opinion, they have thousands and they have no hesitation when it comes to sharing every single one of them. While free speech and open dialogue is wonderful, a clear drawback to social media culture is an overabundance of thought. But these people are changing […]

By: Sam Fleming Drake is one of the few legitimate pop stars to come out of hip-hop. Already joining the ranks of rappers such as Eminem and Kanye West, he has had the quickest rise to fame and critical acclaim in recent memory. With this fame has come scrutiny and labels. He is often referred […]

When rappers try and step into the next level of financial success they tend to stick to the same familiar products. Music, film and sports drinks – among other things. But rapper Nasir Jones, commonly known as Nas, is tapping into the tech industry to help build his investment portfolio.

On Saturday mornings, I would wake up to the smell of pancakes and the sounds of oldies playing on the radio. Like clockwork the station always played “Kiss” by the time I made it downstairs to the kitchen. There, I watched my mother bust her 80s dance moves before planting a kiss on my cheek. […]

For a long time now, I’ve stood by a belief: the only people that refer to Chicago as “Chi-Town” are either tourists, distant suburbanites, or rappers looking for a shortcut. And I’ll never refer to the city as “Chiraq” and side-eye anyone that does. But I’m not against all nicknames for the city that raised me, just […]

The curtain rises on The Life of Pablo like the sun on a Sunday morning as Kelly Price’s vocals serenade and transition us into Kanye’s hook on “Ultra Light Beam.” The background choir plays a heavy role in adding the spiritual touch onto this epic album.