He Never Stopped
"There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." Colin Kaepernick said that in 2016, the first time anyone asked. He was right, it cost him a career and a hundred and fifty million dollars, and ten years later he is still paying for other people's autopsies.
Every Opener Walked
Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour for saying "Free Palestine." Within a day, every remaining support act quit. Finneas. Lukas Graham. Aaron Rowe. Beoga, who co-wrote "Galway Girl." The bill is empty.
He Was The Opening Act
Macklemore had the least leverage on that stage and he used it anyway. What it cost him tells you who actually decides what an artist is allowed to say.
No Expiration Date: Hip Hop Is Not a Young Man's Game
Jay-Z, Clipse, Pharrell and Pusha T are proving that longevity in hip hop is not about holding on to youth. It is about knowing how to evolve.
Twenty Five Years Here. Thirty Years Gone.
Thirty years ago today Tupac Shakur was pronounced dead at twenty five. He has now been gone longer than he was ever here, and he is still the one everybody else gets measured against.
The Lawyer They Chant For
Fans swarmed Brian Steel outside a federal courthouse Friday night chanting MVP. Drake named a song after him. Young Thug sent him to Lil Durk. How a former tax attorney from Queens became the most trusted man in hip hop's legal fight.
Three Days' Notice
Jhené Aiko announced the album on a Tuesday and put it out on a Friday. By Friday night she held all ten songs in the iTunes R&B top ten and the number one album overall. No rollout. No lead single. Twenty tracks.
Young Thug Says He Sent His Lawyer
Lil Durk was acquitted Friday on all five federal counts. The attorney who argued him out of a life sentence got into that courtroom because another rapper picked up the phone.
The Jury Needed Three Hours. Some of Us Closed This in 1998.
Duane Davis is guilty and Tupac's family finally has a verdict with a name on it. For the people who tracked every thread of this for thirty years, the closure came a long time ago, and it did not come from a courtroom.
No Hook. Five Movies. AZ Chike Is Not a Guest Anymore.
Kendrick put him on GNX. Tyler, The Creator just produced him and stood in the frame with him. What “Look Like My Mama” says about who Los Angeles trusts right now.
The Scoreboard Said YG. Bompton Said Both.
A voice born in Compton reads a Compton Verzuz. What the 19-3 does not tell you about the night YG and Game traded catalog in Los Angeles.
Marcy to the Mound
Three nights at Yankee Stadium, thirty years of a catalog, and the American story we still argue about because the man who wrote it is still writing.
Hard-Hitting, Relentless Jokes, With No Consequence. For Whom?
Kevin Hart's defense of the George Floyd joke became the confession. Six acts of the Bulletproof Class, in his own words.
NYT Names Its 30 Greatest Living Songwriters. Hip Hop Got Five Seats. Here's What That Means.
Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Young Thug and OutKast made the cut. The list, the curators, the names that didn't make it, and what gets admitted when the New York Times calls rap songwriting.
A Dream Said Her Name
Katty Customs did not plan this. The plan found her at eighteen, in a dream she almost did not tell anyone about. Now she is standing next to Steph Curry on national television.
YE DROPS 'BULLY': EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Eighteen tracks, a world tour, and the most chaotic rollout in recent memory
J. COLE CONFIRMS DIDDY FIGHT, BUT WON'T TELL WHILE HE'S 'DOWN'
J. Cole acknowledges altercation with Diddy, maintains discretion during difficult times
OJ DA JUICEMAN SUFFERED SERIOUS MEDICAL EMERGENCY WHILE IN CUSTODY FOR GUN INCIDENT
OJ Da Juiceman experienced a severe medical incident while in custody following a gun-related incident
FAT JOE ACCUSER DROPS RAPE, CHILD TRAFFICKING AND RICO CLAIMS
Fat Joe's accuser withdraws rape, child trafficking, and RICO claims
SOURCE SPORTS: PHILLIES 3B ALEC BOHM REPORTEDLY SUES PARENTS FOR $3 MILLION OVER ALLEGED FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies third baseman, reportedly files a $3 million lawsuit against his parents for alleged financial misconduct
J. COLE ADMITS HE DOESN'T FEEL LIKE HE'S THE BEST RAPPER ALIVE
J. Cole expresses self-doubt about being labeled the best rapper alive
Long Way Around
From Cleveland’s EIGHTY81 era to Los Angeles, DJ MEEL built a career the same way he builds a set: patiently, instinctively, and without losing himself.
Joy, Rendered in High Resolution
A Vogue moment, a chosen family, and the vulnerable work of believing yourself
The Edit Told the Truth
What the BAFTAs broadcast reveals about whose pain is protected and whose is processed
Pulse Check: The Current State of Rap and Hip Hop
When the World Was Watching, Bad Bunny Spoke to America
KENDRICK LAMAR IS NOT HAVING A MOMENT. HE IS THE MEASURE
Kendrick Lamar has never needed permission to matter. But this moment, this convergence, is undeniable.