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With 33 years in the industry, Def Jam's catalog ranges all the way from its early years with LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys, to its present-day artists such as Kanye West, Ludacris, Jeremih, Pusha T, and the list goes on. Today we acknowledge the man behind the many faces brandishing the Def Jam banner, mr. Rick Rubin.

Def Jam's earliest accounts extend all the way back to Rubin's teenage years back in Long Beach, New York. In High School, Rubin acquired an affinity towards music after befriending the school's audiovisual director, Steve Freeman, who also offered Rubin lessons in both guitar and songwriting.

In his senior Year, Rubin unknowingly produced one of Def Jam's most ancestral recordings, using the school's four-track recorder. While

Rhymefest, the Grammy and Academy Award winning songwriter and "Brand New" rapper, held a vigil in his hometown of Chicago last night to draw attention to the devastating wave of gun violence that has swept the city.

“What we are going to do is a citywide therapy session,” the Blue Collar rapper said in a statement about the vigil's purpose. “We are going to de-stigmatize. We want police, we want young people, we want the seniors, we want the teachers and what we want to do is de-stigmatize coping techniques of just being a Chicagoan. Regardless of violence, just being a Chicagoan where many of us are overtaxed and underemployed.”

"We have too many walls in Chicago and not enough bridges,” he added. &l

Alicia Keys performed a special concert in New York City last night, where she was joined by special guests Jay Z, Nas, and John Mayer.

The multi-Grammy award winning singer was joined by fellow NYC native Jay Z to  perform "Empire State of Mind," on stage in the center of Times Square. You can watch a video of the performance here. She was also joined by friends Nas and John Mayer, who performed a partial cover of Keys' "If I Ain't Got You.&quot

Lido is a Norwegian rapper, producer, and songwriter, and his much-awaited debut album is finally here.

Gaining prominence for his work with Chance the Rapper and Towkio, Everything features eleven tracks, ranging from impressive instrumentals and vocal tracks, all of which devoid of feature artists which showcases Lido's standalone artistry.

Unconventional, unafraid, and unpredictable—words that modestly signify Lido's latest album; Add those three to his already familiar sense of relentless ambition, and the result is this fresh-from-the-lab magnum opus.

Take the song, “Citi Bike”, for instance, which consists of numerous vocal cuts and clips, all woven so intricately together in ways no other artist would even d

After three years of silence, Gospel-versed Hip-hop artist Sho Baraka is ready to release his latest project, and Humble Beast couldn't be any happier.

The Los Angeles-based artist is the indie labels newest member, and after a season of inconsistent lineups, Humble Beast is eager to announce their latest recruit's debut with The Narrative. The album is scheduled for release on October 21.

The album features guest artists Lecrae as well as fellow Humble Beast artist Jackie Hill, and has also addressed inclusion of a certain Kanye West tribute. While Sho aims to narrate the struggles of Black America, the label provides a more detailed insight pertaining to the forthcoming album:

“The theologian rapper confronts controversial t

Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang has officially signed under a new banner.

Gaining prominence as one of the industry's strongest independent labels, following five years of showcasing talents such as Juicy J, Chevy Woods, Ty Dolla $ign, as well the company's founder, Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Gang is now currently operating under Atlantic Records, and several of its artists are already predicting a “stronger run” under the new insignia.

“Very excited about the deal with the gang,” exclaimed Wiz, “These guys are my family and friends first. Now we're gonna take this s—t to the next level.”

On a similar note, Taylor Gang co-founder Will Dzombak shared similar insight regarding the new deal: “We are very pleas