Busted Headphones

Mama Said Knock You Out: Hip-Hop & the Family Unit

[16.May.08] :. There are four hip-hop rules for families. One: Fathers, take care of your children and their mothers. Two: Don't talk about other people's mamas. Three: Be good to your own mother. Four: Repeat as necessary.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Hip-Hop’s Fight Against Time

[11.Apr.08] :. Hip-hop fights haters, record labels, rival emcees, and even the law. Time, however, has proven to be a formidable opponent.

The Ballot or the Beef

[14.Mar.08] :. It's possible that hip-hop and the US government have been engaged in the longest running beef of all, from the infamous FBI letter sent to NWA in 1998 to the Congressional Hearings in 2007 seeking to investigate hip-hop lyrics.

El Che & the Thriller

[15.Feb.08] :. Rhymefest's mixtape tribute continues hip-hop's longstanding affection for the Jacksons.

101 Hip-Hop Albums of 2007

[16.Jan.08] :. A hundred and one reasons why hip-hop is not dead, say these three opinionators.

For the Love of the Art

[4.Jan.08] :. How cool is it to go to the "Self Help" section of a bookstore and get a book with life lessons from N.W.A., Little Brother, and Ghostface Killah?

Yo! Your TV Raps: Hip-Hop on US Television

[9.Nov.07] :. Hip-hop's TV exposure has been strong, giving us a mixture of critique, celebrity, and celebration. Who, in the '80s, would've guessed that hip-hop would have such cultural presence?

A Righteous Boy’s Hip-Hop Journey Through Babeland

[26.Oct.07] :. Songs, more songs -- the prolific singer-songwriter and musician Ani Difranco keeps coming up with them. Here's some help for finding the best of Difranco, especially if you also like De La Soul.

From Boogie Down to Tinseltown

[10.Sep.07] :. Rappers in showbiz: Did hip-hop land on Hollywood or did Hollywood land on us? For those in 'the land', some of the 4,079 hip-hop laws of crossing-over.

Hip-Hop at the Crossroad: Time, Testimony, & Identity

[22.Jun.07] :. In the '90s, X-Clan took us "to the east". This year, the group returns from Mecca in "vanglorious" fashion.

P.M. Mixtape, Vol. Two: Love and Trouble

[9.May.07] :. Since relationships are tough, we need all the help we can get. Sometimes the best advice comes from listening to the right song.

P.M. Mixtape, Vol. One

[20.Mar.07] :. Maybe the sun has set on the days of the cassette tape, a format that made you work for your music. Huff, feeling nostalgic for the "fast forward" and "rewind" buttons, makes his own theoretical cassette mix of oddball hip-hop tunes.

The Purple Experience: Your PopMatters Primer on Prince’s Pop Life

[5.Feb.07] :. So many Prince albums, but where do you start? Here's a funky little list designed to aid your quest.

Word Problems: The Snitch’s Dilemma

[5.Jan.07] :. What if you and your friend were arrested and you were offered leniency in exchange for information about your friend or "the streets"? The hip-hop community believes the very existence of the deal begs us to reconsider our concepts of loyalty and law enforcement.

Please Call It a Comeback

[5.Nov.06] :. That scene in Superman III, with the boy yelling words of encouragement to the struggling protagonist? That's how I feel when I think of Lauryn Hill.

Unsung Heroes: The Band of Extraordinary Women

[2.Oct.06] :. Huff fantasizes about wielding Diddy-like power to create a supergroup of underrated, under-the-radar female musicians. Danity Kane, eat your heart out.