AltWeeklies Wire
Nas Rocks the Bellsnew
The rapper fronts the tour that erased lines between commercial and underground, white and black, alternative and trendy.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
09-12-2011 |
Music
Hey Atlantans, Show the Local Music Scene Some Lovenew
The city's artists have put in years of work here but only get recognition from those in the know.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
T. Chante LaGon |
04-20-2011 |
Music
Hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan Celebrate New Year's Eve in Pittsburghnew
Wu-Tang Clan's current Rebirth tour features Method Man, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Aaron Jentzen |
12-30-2010 |
Music
The Problem With Independent Hip-Hopnew
I’m reluctant to admit it, but I don’t listen to much independent or alternative hip-hop these days, or at least not nearly as much as I did in college, when Rhymesayers, Def Jux and Stones Throw records were as much a part of my diet as ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
03-12-2010 |
Music
Kansas City's Hip-hop Wants a Piece of Hot 103new
Jaz Brewer has engineered albums for some of the biggest names in Kansas City rap. Some songs that Brewer has produced have made it to the city's only commercial hip-hop station. The vast majority, however, have not, and it's not because they aren't up-to-par productionwise.
For Gucci Mane, the Quantity is the Qualitynew
He's not the best MC and he's not the worst, but Gucci Mane is crazy enough to put out four albums' worth of free material in seven days and that's good enough for me.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
11-09-2009 |
Music
Hip-Hop is Dead ... or Undead, Rathernew
Depraved hip-hop is the biggest thing to hit trailer-trash America since sliced meds -- and not just in redneck pockets, where rap music hardly reached before, but in suburban enclaves where acts like Twiztid and Tech N9ne sell out shows with ease.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
10-29-2009 |
Music
Tags: G.G. Allin, Horrorcore, Ricky Mortis, Stetsasonic, Zombie Death Squad, RZA, hip-hop, Tech N9ne, Scarface
Method Man vs. Redman: Tale of The Tapenew
Known for sharp and hilarious contributions to albums like their 1999 collaboration Blackout!, they've also appeared in deodorant commercials, the stoner cult classic How High and even a short-lived Fox show Meth & Red. But when the two perform together, who's the real headliner?
Dallas Observer |
Ben Westhoff |
08-10-2009 |
Music
Skrunk Happens: We're Not Fans, But The Kids Seem to Like Itnew
The Warped Tour's 15th year sees a large number of acts that have embraced a combination of minimalist Southern hip-hop, Auto-Tune croons, techno breakdowns, barked vocals, and party-til-you-puke poetics. It's called scrunk, a bastardized combination of crunk and screamo, and it's the hottest thing since sliced bread joined Twitter.
Boston Phoenix |
Leor Galil |
07-15-2009 |
Music
The Roots Discuss Hip-Hop's Second Jazz Agenew
Since forming in 1991, the Roots have broken from sample-reliant rap, writing original music and using live jazz-funk breakbeats instead.
Is Hip-Hop in Seattle Being White-Washed?new
Just like electric blues, hip-hop reaches a vastly broader, and whiter, audience than ever before. The difference in Seattle is that some of the most recognizable figures are by and large non-black, a fact that makes rappers like Silas Blak concerned.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
02-23-2009 |
Music
206 Zulu Keeps the Principles of Hip-Hop Alivenew
One of the Northwest's most respected hip-hop organizations, 206 Zulu is based in Beacon Hill and is the local chapter of the legendary Universal Zulu Nation, a grassroots hip-hop advocacy group first formed in the Bronx in 1974 by rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
02-17-2009 |
Music
Hip-Hop and the Obama Effectnew
Nas, Young Jeezy and others don't think Obama's presidency spells the end of hip-hop.
New York Press |
R.M. Schneiderman and Ray LeMoine |
02-05-2009 |
Music
Tags: Barack Obama, hip-hop
It's Hard to Assign Blame in Seattle Club Shootingsnew
Whether blame was being aimed at Chop Suey, Big Kountry Entertainment, the city's lack of attention to a purportedly growing gang-activity problem, or the music itself, grief quickly manifested itself as cries for culpability. Few viewed it as a failure of club security, but many theories abound when looking closer at the root of the tragedy.
Seattle Weekly |
Hannah Levin |
01-12-2009 |
Music
2008: The Year South Florida Hip-Hop Went Globalnew
Rappers from the region stepped up their game exponentially, and the entire country responded.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Jonathan Cunningham |
12-30-2008 |
Music
