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By Gee King

Kanye West knows how to make a moment out of something. The official announcement of the new G.O.O.D. Music album, Cruel Summer, is his latest spectacle, featuring his usually abstract cover art and the announcement of an accompanying film of the same title. The Cannes Film Festival entry that Yeezy has been secretly shooting in the Middle East is just the latest example of Kanye’s dedication to presenting his art to fans in ways that few artists would dare to. Sure, Prince had Purple Rain and OutKast had Idlewild, but the synergy that Kanye is trying to create between his music and the elaborate visuals he sees for it is unprecedented in hip hop. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Dan Reagans

Aptly named, Drake’s Club Paradise Tour is shaping up to be just that — a hip hop paradise for avid rap fans. With a star studded lineup of future stars, the Canadian hip hop king certainly has all the regions of music covered, north to south and east to west, and the recent addition of Chicago spitters L.E.P. Bogus Boys to the festivities adds even more firepower. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Gee King

Some artists see crossover success as the highest level of achievement they can aspire to. But becoming a household name is not easy, and because of the complex tastes and backgrounds that make up popular culture, many MCs spend their entire careers chasing the charts without ever actually making a true impact. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Dan Reagans

Change doesn’t come easy. That watershed moment when a transformation begins usually starts when a revered figure steps to the forefront and takes a stance that is not common among the masses. President Barack Obama did just that last week when he endorsed same-sex marriage in America. Fortunately, the commander-in-chief is not alone on an island with his views. He’s gotten the support of many pro-same-sex marriage advocates, the latest being hip hop mogul Jay-Z. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Dan Reagans

On May 11, 2012 hip hop scored an unexpected victory in the court of law after New Orleans rapper Torence “Lil Boosie” Hatch was found not guilty of murder. Even though the Trill Entertainment repper is currently serving an eight-year sentence on drug charges, fans and comrades can still find some relief that Hatch won’t be spending the remainder of his life in prison. It’s safe to call this acquittal a rare victory for the hip hop community being that artists — rappers in particular — seem to be prejudged on a routine basis. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Gee King

We all have friends whose relationship melodramas are both entertaining and kind of scary. In the case of Chris Brown and Rihanna, it seems like every romantic dysfunction fans have ever seen (and some that many haven’t) has been on public display since teen America’s former sweethearts first started dating. Like all relationships, we’ve seen the good — the two über-talented young stars madly in love, the bad — excessive public displays of affection when spotted by paparazzi, and the ugly — the disturbing domestic violence episode and subsequent public beefs. All in all, Chris Brown and Rihanna’s relationship has become the most engaging we’ve ever seen thanks in part to their massive star power and explosive personalities. But mostly, the reason we can’t get enough of their emotional valleys and peaks is because their story is so relatable. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Gee King

It’s hard to argue that 2 Chainz is one of the hottest rappers in the game right now. But just a few years ago, he was another underground rapper hustling on Atlanta’s packed rap scene. How did he turn it around? Hard work and talent are obvious, but 2 Chainz’s meteoric rise seems to be the result of a secret weapon. Does the artist formerly known as Tity Boi know something that other rappers don’t? Read the rest of this entry »

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By Dan Reagans

The phrase “keepin’ it real” has become more cliché in hip hop culture than any other term in the genre’s vernacular. Harlem MC Trevell “G. Dep” Coleman has done just that and then some. The once-promising Bad Boy rapper was sentenced to 15 years in prison today for a 1993 murder he voluntarily confessed to in December 2010. While the outcome to this story is a sad one no matter how you slice it, one must acknowledge the Deputy’s walk down the road less traveled by many in the hip hop culture. Cleaning out one’s closet at the cost of your freedom is a tall order most MCs tend not to live up to.

The “stop snitching” campaign has been promoted heavily in the hip hop community but there has never really been a unique case were the offender snitched on himself. Living with the guilt or consequences of your own offenses is a whole other monster that’s seldom explored in the culture. Not having a moral barometer or not fearing the payback from karma can weigh heavy on one’s conscience as they move through life. Most lyricists profess to never sell out or go against their morals to achieve fame and success but there’s another side of the coin to be considered.

Without a doubt, we should encourage the next generation of hip hop heads to be comfortable in their own skin. But what the “Let’s Get It” spitter did was admirable, too (his accountability that is). Many can debate about the time frame or manner in which he did so, but G. Dep set out to find redemption and found it. Call it stupid or silly but rest assured that man can finally sleep sound and feel a sense of relief going forward. Going against the norm and snitching your offenses is the epitome of “keepin’ it real.” In fact, it might be the realest thing a rapper’s ever done.

Trial juror and GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson may have put it best in his article about the ordeal and dreading the daunting task of jury duty.

“We found him guilty, because he was, and no one’s excusing anything. (After the trial, he talked to MTV and, sounding like a man unburdened, thanked “everybody that was involved in the case.”) Still, it’s a heavy feeling: I helped put him away, and yet when I think of someone who did his duty, I think of Trevell Coleman.”

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By Dan Reagans

It’s not always a good look for a new artist to enter the rap game looking to throw down with any and everybody, but apparently Harlem upstart Azealia Banks never got that memo. The latest target of Banks’ ire is female rap pioneer Lil’ Kim. Read the rest of this entry »

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By Gee King

Rap has been waiting for a story like the one from Chief Keef for a while now. There’s nothing the genre loves more than a real street story and Keef’s is the best we’ve had since 50 Cent emerged as hip hop’s next big thing in 2002. Read the rest of this entry »