All Play and ‘No Paperwork’: An Interview with L.A.Z of Clear Soul Forces
"Natural born liberal consumer of music", Jarrel Lowman (aka L.A.Z), talks about his EP, No Paperwork, a mixture of hip-hop, smoking jazz, and calloused-fingered blues.
Imran Khan
Sci-Fi Goes Hi-Fi: 10 Artists’ Foray into Hip-Hop Futurism
A host of artists have carved out a niche in the interplanetary margins that now rest in hip-hop culture. Some call it an expansion on Afrofuturist philosophies; others simply a long-time propensity for the science-fiction genre.
Nixxon Brings Pop Touches to His Trap Sound on “Bizerk” (premiere)
Nixxon's latest album Black Velvet continues in the tradition of heavy, booming trap beats and smoky atmospherics. Hear new single "Bizerk" now.
The Beauty in the Diaspora: An Interview with Australia’s N’fa Jones
From murky '70s soul and Afro-Brazilian jazz to the rhythms of Africa, Australian rapper N'fa Jones explores all reaches of sound to expand his eclectic hip-hop.
Drive, She Said: Dorthe Nors’ ‘Mirror, Shoulder, Signal’
In ‘Mirror, Shoulder, Signal’, Danish author Dorthe Nors captures the thought patterns of humans in the throes of anxiety and self-pity.
Singing the Virginia Blues: An Interview with Gio Washington
Washington's album Son of Pain is a lost treasure of R&B; an album rich in bluesy Southern drawls, honeyed harmonies and street-smart rhythms.
Flows Like Prose: An Interview with Rapper Libretto
Libretto talks about his ghetto blasting fusion of grinding funk, heavily strolling beats, and club-noir rhymes delivered with cool clarity in this interview with PopMatters
Black Milk’s Poetry Is Dexterous and Crisp on ‘Fever’
Black Milk draws a parallel between funky hip-hop swing and the daily exploits of inner city living on Fever.
Keeping an ‘I’ on the Prize: An Interview with Zumbi of Zion I
Zion I lyricist Zumbi offers PopMatters an overview of his body of work and discusses what he brings to hip-hop as a creative individual.
Vision Quest: Poet and MC Azeem On His Latest Work, ‘Vision Teller’
Azeem returns to his roots of poetry to deliver Vision Teller, a collection of spoken word pieces that hum with the silk-spun lyricism of a speakeasy street poet.
Bass is Loaded: Kid Sensation on His Bass Music Classic, ‘Rollin’ With Number One’
Electricity and simplicity are the two prime characteristics which drive Kid Sensation's debut.
Zipper Morals: Walerian Borowczyk’s ‘Immoral Tales’
Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales is either a curious failure or a problematic success, depending on where one draws the line between art and exploitation.