Son of Freedom: Dissident Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi
Dissident Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi – an heir to the legacies of Persian rap’s founders – carries a torch for Women, Life, Freedom as death looms.
hip-hop
Shabazz Palaces Resist Profiling on Elusive ‘Exotic Birds of Prey’
Following Robed in Rareness from last fall, Shabazz Palaces continues a provisional series with the cryptic and digressive Exotic Birds of Prey.
Aesop Rock’s ‘Integrated Tech Solutions’ Continues His Excellence
Aesop Rock has always excelled at vivid character sketches and using his music to work through the most challenging parts of life. His latest LP is no different.
Kid Cudi Channels Travis Scott on ‘Insano’
Kid Cudi’s 21-track-long effort is disastrously dull, vague, and full of clichés from his media library of sounds and the genre in general.
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The 21 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2023
The best hip-hop albums celebrate classic styles with new approaches, blend rap with electronic, jazz, and soul, and push the boundaries of genre.
Nicki Minaj Reigns on ‘Pink Friday 2’
Pink Friday 2 is the sound of Nicki Minaj cracking her knuckles and getting her hands dirty again. It’s the purest distillation of her uniquely feminine bravado.
Exploring the Hip-Hop Vibration with Hank Shocklee
Tying in his legacy to a new short film trilogy, legendary Public Enemy/Bomb Squad producer Hank Shocklee traces the line from his classic grooves to our modern sound.
Pretty Lights Ignite at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco
Electronic dance act Pretty Lights crank up their interdimensional soundship space system with transcendent results and a dazzling psychedelic light show.
‘Robed in Rareness’ Elaborates Shabazz Palaces’ Afrofuturism
On Robed in Rareness, Ishmael Butler aka Shabazz Palaces takes yet another step in his forward-thinking, far-sighted project of Afrofuturistic hip-hop.
Sweaty Roses for Bad Boy’s Da Band
Bad Boy’s Da Band didn’t work out for the same reason it was supposed to. Hip-hop is a monster that feeds off its young and sweats out its expired goods.
Raps From the Golden Age: Jungle Brothers’ Straight Out the Jungle at 35
Jungle Brothers’ 35-year-old Straight Out the Jungle shows cerebral rapping, experimentation, and African rhythms. It was the first Native Tongues hip-hop LP.
Abstract Hip-Hop Duo Armand Hammer Return with Superb New LP
We Buy Diabetic Test Strips is an incredible offering from Armand Hammer, one of the headiest yet most exciting alternative hip-hop groups right now.