RapStation

This day in Hip-hop recognizes the day New York rap legend, Rakim, made his groundbreaking debut as a solo artist with his memorable album, The 18^th Letter.

While the album marked the east coast icon's much-awaited solo debut, Rakim had already built upon twelve years experience in the scene, making a name for himself as one-half of the duo Eric B. & Rakim. Parting in 1993, the latter artist seemingly went incognito—which only fueled the hype when speculations regarding an alleged solo debut arose. That event manifested in 1997, when Rakim dropped The 18^th Letter following a five-year hiatus.

Released under Universal Records, the album showcased production from DJ C

Only one week stands in the way wherein rap group A Tribe Called Quest drops their final album entitled We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service.

Hysteria broke out across social media when Epic Records producer L.A. Reid announced the news, only to be remedied by tribe member Q-Tip's confirmation just last week. But while the album is scheduled for release next week, November 11th, the tribe just unveiled the artwork via twitter post, leaving followers both anxious and nostalgic all at the same time.

The artwork manifests a visual reprise of the tribe's critically-acclaimed sophomore album, The Low End Theory, and for the first time in two decades, the iconic green-striped-red woman makes a comeback whilst also featuring a modernized ta

Lin-Manuel Miranda announced the release of his Tony Award-winning musical's much-awaited mixtape, which features numerous Hip-hop icons, such as Nas, Chance the Rapper, Ja Rule, Wiz Khalifa, and many more.

Hamilton is a critically-acclaimed broadway musical, both authored by and featuring Miranda, who birthed the idea seven years ago upon reading biographical accounts of the United States' first Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. According to Miranda, Hamilton represented among the earliest revolutionaries who “embodied Hip-hop”.

That being said, Miranda's enthusiasm at unveiling his extensive Hip-hop-influenced mixtape only aroused more anticipation as he revealed Hamilton's iconic songs donned by ico

The introduction of hip hop artists like NWA and Public Enemy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been met with some resistance from rock elitists, but Common says that the Cleveland institution should be adding even more hip hop artists.

Tupac Shakur was the only hip hop musician to be nominated for induction into the Hall of Fame this year. Other nominees this year include rock bands Journey and Pearl Jam, R&B and funk legend Chaka Khan, and electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, among others.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Common named the other hip hop artists he hopes will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame. "Queen Latifah is one of the first people to come to mind... A Tribe Called Quest. De La Soul! De La Soul is so powerful. Nas and OutK

The excitement surrounding Wheelchair Sports Camp’s new album, No Big Deal, is palatable, especially to those who have followed the Denver trio’s career since its inception. The recent Strange Famous Records’ signees have sparked curiosity from fans of both Hip Hop and jazz, as well. With its funky, jazz-infused beats and MC Kalyn Heffernan’s clever wordplay, it’s the best of both worlds. In Part II of the RAPstation interview, Heffernan talks working with the late Ikey Owens, her favorite tracks from the record and how she gets through challenging days. 

RAPstation (Kyle Eustice) Your new album is wonderful. What was it like working with Ikey Owens? 

Kalyn Heffernan: Why tha

A multi-talented artist steals the spotlight today as this day in Hip-hop recognizes the birth of Kirk Jones, more prominently known as, Sticky Fingaz.

Jones started making a name for himself dishing out rhymes alongside Fredro Starr, Sonsee, and Big DS in the multi-platinum bestselling rap group, Onyx. Entering the scene in 1993, the Queens-based group released their memorable debut album, Bacdafucup, which proved to be a tremendous commercial success. The record listed numerous critically-acclaimed tracks, including their hit-single “Slam” which peaked at #4 off the Billboard Hot 100 and attained RIAA Platinum.

In 2001, Jones proved to be as formidable on his solo ventures with his debut album, Black Trash: The Autob