Songwriter and producer Leon Ware has passed away. The Detroit, Michigan native was a musical wizard to produced hits for such icons as Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson throughout his 50-year career. Over the course of that half century, he gifted R&B, Disco, Funk, and Jazz with masterpieces, but it was in Soul music that […]
1st and 15th Entertainment In a lot of ways, Lupe Fiasco has become one of hip-hop’s last conscious crusaders. He has had a rich, well-documented history of fighting against crooked record label jurisdiction, keeping lyrics respected whilst also campaigning for important philosophies that hip-hop was built on. On paper, Lupe should be every hip-hop purist’s favorite […]
If James Brown is the architect of Hip-Hop, then drummer Clyde Stubblefield may very be his builder. The man Questlove calls “The Funkiest Drummer of All Time” has died today (February 18). He was 73 years old, and passed away from kidney failure. Clyde was an integral part of James Brown’s backing band, creating the […]
Def Jam The success of Big Sean‘s debut album, Finally Famous, may have afforded him the lifestyle he dreamed of, but the project also came with great expectation, which some critics would say he faltered under, using his underwhelming sophomore effort, Hall of Fame, as evidence of his decline. However, Big Sean would silence many […]
Diamond Lane Music Group Compton, Calif. continues to be a high-profile hotbed for rising rap talent, as evidenced by acclaimed exports like Kendrick Lamar and YG carrying on the tradition set by the city’s forefathers and pioneers. Compton rapper Problem appears to be next in line to make his hometown proud on a national level […]
Infamous Records Mobb Deep’s own Prodigy kicks off the new year on a solo tip, releasing his fifth album, Hegelian Dialectic (The Book of Revelation), as a one-man show. Coming off the release of his cookbook, Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook—inspired by his three-year bid in prison for weapons charges back in 2008– the Queens native […]
Quality Control Music / 300 Migos reached rap stardom relatively quickly in their rap careers. Two years after their 2011 debut mixtape, Juug Season, they struck gold with the heavily acclaimed Yung Rich Niggas mixtape. Their song “Versace” from that tape got a co-sign and remix from Drake and soon became a hit. As a result, the triplet-style flow […]
For more than 30 years, MCs have held executive positions at records labels. From the days of Eazy-E’s Ruthless imprint or Schoolly D Records, it is not uncommon for artists to control the music they makes and others’. Over the last 20 years, some of these labels have subsequently empowered other MCs to hold positions […]
The Hip-Hop community has learned that one of its digital moguls has died. Lee O’Denat, better known as Q is reported dead by TMZ. The 43 year-old passed away in his sleep, and was discovered this morning (January 24). The Haitian-American O’Denat was raised in the same Hollis, Queens community that produced Run-D.M.C. and Ja […]
Epic Records Mumble rappers as well as MCs beware, burgeoning spitter Nick Grant is exercising his microphone prowess with clever and sagacious wordplay on his debut album, Return of the Cool. Mixed with a healthy dose of mature content, he’s also calling out all hip-hop contenders—lyrically and morally. Under the guidance of Jason Geter, a conductor of the […]
