Music

Former collaborators Jay-Z and Kanye West diverge with their latest albums

Jay-Z's new offering fails to live up to its mother album, 'Watch the Throne'

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Graham Haught/Staff

Sometimes, when Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce and Frank Ocean love each other very much, they form a self-referential and very profitable psychosexual corporation and produce an album. That album was 2011’s Watch the Throne. Since that album, Jay and Kanye have become fathers, Ocean publicly came out and Beyonce’s stardom Read More…

Culture Shot

kanye-jay-z

Tunesday: Rap Bromance

I don’t necessarily mean to continue on with the rap marathon from last week, but the debut of Jay-Z’s latest solo album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, a few weeks after the premiere of Kanye West’s Yeezus begs an obvious comparison between the two and perpetuates a friendly rivalry that’s been Read More…

Culture Shot

Jay-Z and Ian Brown

Tunesday: Hip-Hop BBQ

Ah, Independence Day. Otherwise known as the only day of the year where you can wear as many tacky combinations of red, white and blue as you want, grease up that George Foreman grill, day-drink and barbeque to your heart’s (or liver’s) delight and yell “FUCK YEA, AMURRICA” to all Read More…

Books

colorbook.shea_serrano

Bun B creates hip-hop coloring book

Rapper Bun B teams up with Shea Serrano for rap activity book

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…

Music

young-guru.fantasy.studios

Jay-Z’s audio engineer visits Berkeley

Young Guru stops in Berkeley as part of educational tour for students interested in audio engineering

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…

Film & Television

jadapinkettsmith.codeblack_films

Jada Pinkett Smith dishes on new doc

‘Free Angela & All Political Prisoners’ pays homage to Angela Davis

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…

Sandbox

Jay-Z

Finding UC Berkeley in popular music

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…

Columns

james bell

Goin’ Off: 10 Albums for the hip-hop layman

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…

Columns

james bell

Goin’ Off: Dollaz and Sense

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…