From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots established Dälek as the finest underground, deconstructive hip-hop outfit that ever toured with heavy-metal heavyweights and held their own.
Following underwhelming releases by the genre’s big hitters, this month’s column dives underground in search of the best hip-hop gems.
An especially strong month in hip-hop saw the release of brilliant albums from, amongst others, Kendrick Lamar, Black Star, 700 Bliss, and Boldy James.
On Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, renowned rapper Kendrick Lamar observes the strife plaguing his kingdom and consciously abdicates the throne.
This month’s best hip-hop traverses the spectrum with the return of a legendary group, a dreamy jazz-rap collaboration, a UK drill upstart, and industrial rap metal.
Hip-hop and myriad mutations of electronic music are the critical contemporary cultural lenses through which we view the creation of new ideas and aesthetics.
Black Encyclopedia of the Air from Philly-based poet and musician Moor Mother fuses activist hip-hop with a warm, jazzy groove and an experimental spirit.
These are the best hip-hop albums released this July, including new LPs from Dave, Tkay Maidza, Declaime x Madlib, Unknown T, and John Glacier.
Mike Ladd with producer Rough pulls up a wealth of succulent groove on The Dead Can Rap, nudging the think tank of his polemic poetry onto the dancefloor.
Scorn’s new LP adds to the foundation Mick Harris built 30 years ago. We spoke with Mick Harris, Kool Keith, and Submerged about how their universes collided.
Long-time New York jazz sideman Melvin Gibbs breathes new life into protest music on the short but highly potent EP, 4 + 1 Equals 5 for May 25.
Veteran rapper Kool Keith’s latest album, Keith’s Salon, finds his brand of dirty, absurdist hip-hop in especially sharp form.
