Rap music tends to take itself a little too seriously. Even with plenty of playful personas in the genre, most parties involved are not necessarily allowed to show off their fun side. This fall, Houston rap legend Bun B, who stands as a flag bearer for the rap community as Read More…
Those behind the scenes in music rarely get properly recognized. This isn’t the case for Grammy Award-winning audio engineer Young Guru, who has engineered and mixed seven of Jay-Z’s 11 solo albums, as well as music from several other high-profile musicians. Guru kept mum about Jay-Z’s forthcoming album. “I can’t Read More…
It has been over 40 years since political activist and scholar Angela Davis landed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, but her story of perseverance and courage in the fight for civil rights is timeless. The upcoming documentary, “Free Angela & All Political Prisoners,” chronicles Davis’s lifework and her journey Read More…
The intersection of hometowns and hymns in the history of popular music has produced anthems as mythic as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” Lynyrd Skyryd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and Tupac “California Love.” But what about Cal — your home away from home? Who cares about the Golden Bear? This Read More…
Ten albums for the hip-hop layman. This list has been my burden, my baby. I’ve carried it for the last month or so. Consider this the document of my labor. It began with a serious debate between me, myself and I and my knowledgeable counsel, who shall remain nameless. The questions Read More…
Don’t drink 8 ball / cause St. Ides is givin’ ends.” It’s short. It’s simple. It’s Ice Cube. It also sold St. Ides Malt Liquor to countless impressionable youths with fake IDs. To put it another way, your favorite commercial MC is probably compromised. They’re getting paper for advertising, for Read More…
This Tuesday brings rap gods Jay-Z and Kanye West, swaggering through the airwaves with the release of the new track “Clique,” featuring Kanye’s pal Big Sean. The two moguls extend their reign atop the rap world in typical tongue-in-cheek style, talking up their money making abilities and indulgent lifestyle. This Read More…
Although the reigning kings of hip hop have everything money can buy and some that it can’t — Grammys aren’t for sale, right? ― Kanye West and Jay-Z display their adamant abstinence from complacency in their collaborative effort Watch the Throne. The twelve-track LP was born from two artists who Read More…
For the past six weeks, Occupy Wall Street has captured and confused our nation’s political consciousness. Indeed, a string of questions have emerged from the media’s endless stream of coverage concerning the protest. What exactly is this grassroots, leaderless movement? Is it the left’s answer to the Tea Party? A Read More…
Wearing a sundress in the middle of February is as romantic as eating someone else’s heart-shaped box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. Stepping into Walgreens is already hard enough, but waiting in line holding Valentine’s candy paired with a tube of one-dollar toothpaste? Maybe if they switched to warmer lights. Probably Read More…
