Hip-Hop Matters: The Best Hip-Hop of January 2023
The best hip-hop of January focuses on albums from underground veterans, viral upstarts, and hyper-productive modern masters.
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Big Dada Kane: An Interview with Poet-Rapper Malik Ameer Crumpler
Bestriding boundaries between hip-hop, poetry, and surrealism, poet-musician Malik Ameer Crumpler forges a strange and compelling work that is utterly and uniquely his own.
Hip-Hop Matters: The Best Hip-Hop Albums of August 2021
The ten best hip-hop albums of August 2021 reveal truths about our strange, alarming but often exciting contemporary socio-cultural landscape.
The ‘Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap’ Brilliantly Conveys Rap Music’s History in America
The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap is a brilliant and expansive look at one of the most popular and important art forms of the last half-century.
Mike Ladd and Remi Rough Unite on ‘The Dead Can Rap’
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.
Hip-Hop Matters: The Best New Hip-Hop Albums of June 2021
Summer is the best time of year to listen to hip-hop. From the upbeat and bouncy to the weird and paranoid, hip-hop just sounds better in the sunshine. That makes now the perfect time for the first edition of “Hip-Hop Matters” – PopMatters’ new monthly hip-hop roundup.
Iller Instinct: An Interview with Hip-Hop Artists Ill Scholars
Ill Scholars MC Mattic and Johnny Madwreck, among hip-hop's newest (though seasoned) progenies, offer an explosive debut album full of heavy, jazz-laden hip-hop.
L’Orange and Solemn Brigham Bring Dissentient Experiments and Dangerous Poetry in ‘Marlowe 2’
On Marlowe 2, L'Orange finds an inventive range, interleaving the hip-hop with textures that bring his landscapes into tuneful definition; Solemn Brigham, brings his deft skills as one of hip-hop's brightest poets.
Hip-Hop’s Raashan Ahmad Talks About His Place in ‘The Sun’
In his latest work The Sun, rapper Raashan Ahmad brings his irrepressible charisma to this set of Afrobeat-influenced hip-hop.
JuJu Charms: An Interview with Rapper JuJu Rogers
Though the rapper's skill set proves him a worthy contender against any of the reigning MCs currently taking the airwaves by storm, JuJu Rogers remains a king in search of a throne.
29 Black Music Documentaries for Black History Month 2020
For Black History Month 2020, we are showcasing films and videos featuring Black American artists. Enjoy them and learn about the origin of each Black music legend featured.
Thrown into Relief: An Interview with Rapper Jahshua Smith
Exploring topics like poverty, Black consciousness, burgeoning love, and mortality, Jahshua Smith's latest album, They Don't Love You Like That, encapsulates some of the most difficult moments in his life.