hip hop

For as long as hip hop has been a part of popular culture, it has been one of the more interactive genres in music. But while most MCs like to make the crowd a part of the show, fans sometimes go to far in trying to get close to their favorite artist.

While emcees and rappers are mostly lauded for their lyrical capability, there’s something astonishing about having voice control, diversified delivery and for whatever reason, having a voice that stands out.

When hip hop 'It' couple Jay Z and Beyonce recently showed up courtside at the Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat game amidst major controversies. the buzz of the pairs appearance was carried around swiftly.

There is somewhat of a divide between a club banger and a mainstream, popular hip-hop song, however, often times, the two overlap. The ever trust-worthy Urban Dictionary describes “club banger” as a term “used to describe a song to get all da bitches in the club movin.

When NBA star basketball player Michael Jordan teamed up with Nike in 1984 and launched his Air Jordan brand the following year, unbeknownst to former Chicago Bulls shooting guard, he was making history.

Music festivals seem to be more popular than ever these days, causing hundreds of thousands of music enthusiast to splurge on passes, fly out of state or even the country, to camp outdoors and soak in live music alongside strangers in borderline unbearable heat for multiple days in a row.

Beefs between rappers in hip hop are nothing new. Through the years we’ve seen infamous rivalries in the rap world, the most prominent being 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G’s East Coast/West Coast feud and perhaps the Jay Z and Nas New York rap war.

Nicki Minaj has been busy promoting the new film "The Other Woman", in which she has a role alongside Cameron Diaz, Kate Upton and Leslie Mann. Nicki Minaj attended the movie premiere last night in California (the film hits theatres on April 25th), and she's also been doing interviews for the flick.

Big L was a New York ‘representer’ straight from the danger zone of Harlem, and in the words of my father, who hung out with the young Lamont Coleman in the 90’s: “Big L was a charismatic and cool cat back then.

Detroit rap group Slum Village has certainly endured a lot in its 18 years. Members have tragically passed on, while others have left the group for various reasons. T3 is the only original member left. But despite all that; the veteran rap group personifies Detroit hip-hop.

People do not like change. Music fans, especially. When the use of Auto-Tune exploded in the mid-2000s, many were skeptical. Today, many still are. Since its creation in 1997, Auto-Tune has crept its way into virtually every genre of music, most notably Hip-hop/R&B.

Back in October we decided to comb through the interwebs and provide you with a gallery of twenty vintage photos of some of your favorite rap legends together.

Azealia Banks is back at it again. She knows exactly what buttons to push to make controversy on Twitter. Following her recent rant against Universal Records, where she begged someone from Sony to take over her deal, she's been on Twitter today declaring herself as the best female rapper in the game.

Many emcees (especially those in the limelight) display an appreciation for the finer things in life, and art is no exception. Although a less common source of inspiration, you will catch the occasional fine art reference in rap music, Jay Z's "Picasso Baby" being only the most recent example.

Graffiti is obviously a staple to the hip-hop culture, but artwork in general is just as important.

2013 saw many breakout stars. From Chance The Rapper, to Jhene Aiko, to Rich Homie Quan, it was more difficult than ever to predict who would rise to fame at any given moment.