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When Krizz Kaliko hits the stage, his charismatic presence freezes the crowd for a split second before it erupts into a frenzy of excitement. Along with Tech N9ne, the Kansas City, Missouri rapper has built an impenetrable empire under the imprint Strange Music, Inc. Their lives shows are some of the best in the business. Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko's performance at 2008's Rock the Bells had the crowed going nuts, screaming for more. It's this work ethic that has made them two of the most successful independent hip-hop artists in the world. Krizz Kaliko released his debut solo album in 2008. Titled Vitiligo, the album was like an open diary written about who Krizz Kaliko is and what shaped him into the man he is today. Fast-forward to 2015 and Krizz Kaliko is still murdering the mi

Bossip, a site that describes itself as "the premier destination for African-American pop culture and entertainment", was having a debate about female rappers on its Twitter account, where they retweeted comments about Minaj. Nicki Minaj herself posted several tweets in response, saying: "I've gone toe to toe w/ everyone of your favourite male MCs. To undermine my skill and diversity as an MC is actually comical at this point. I saw Bossip RTing ignorance, so I thought I'd put that out there. lol. The greats give me respect. The great journalists as well." She continues: "If a male rapper was on tracks w/ Wayne, Jay, Eminem, Kanye etc. going round for round, he'd be hailed as a great as well. Jealousy is a disease. Not giving me my props doesn't stop me from being great.

President Barack Obama has named Kendrick Lamar's "How Much a Dollar Cost" as his favorite song of 2015. The song itself features a hook from James Fauntleroy and cameo by the Isley Brothers' Ronald Isley, and is known as the emotional centerpiece on To Pimp A Butterfly. "It's a true story," Lamar told MTV News. "These are moments in my life deeper than just handing somebody a dollar. These are actually moments of integrity, actually being able to talk to somebody. Me talking to (this homeless man) was simply a thank you from God. And I felt God speaking through him to get at me." TMZ later caught up with Lamar to get his thoughts on Obama naming his song as favorite for the year, to which Lamar replied: "Man, that's great, man." The TMZ reporter followe

Due to a mix up by Drake's record company, his latest single "Hotline Bling" was reportedly not submitted for next year’s Grammy Awards. Drake is currently up for five nominations at the upcoming ceremony including Best Rap Performance for 'Back to Back', and Best Rap Song for 'Energy'. But Drake's 'Hotline Bling' was reportedly overlooked by his record label, Cash Money. The song was not submitted due to a clerical error and would have been up for multiple awards, including Record Of The Year. Even Adele expressed admiration for the song and offered to collaborate on the track with him. She said: "I really want us to do an official remix. I love Drake. I love Drake so much. I even got the coat that's in the ('Hotline Bling') video - I got it delivered the other day, I ordered

Seattle-based emcee Michael Martinez, better known as Onry Ozzborn, is a busy guy. As founder of Northwest hip-hop collective Oldominion (or the West Coast Wu-Tang Clan), member of Grayskul (Rhymesayers), Dark Time Sunshine, and master of his own solo career, there's rarely a moment when he's not working on music. Along with JFK (also of Oldominion), Ozzborn was a featured artist at the 20th anniversary of Rhymesayers Entertainment in Minneapolis, Minnesota December 4, 2015. The lineup included Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Dilated Peoples, Abstract Rude, Dem Atlas, Brother Ali and other artists on the RSE roster. In addition to RSE, Ozzborn is also a longtime signee of independent powerhouse label Fake Four Inc., founded by brothers Ceschi and David Ramos. He took a few minutes to catch his bre

After the radio silence received from Jidenna, he's finally reappeared with a new song and music video. In the red-accented, black and white video for "Long Live The Chief", the rapper takes his admittedly stylish following to church, strutting in front of a funeral procession. Rapping about running the country, Jidenna reminds us of how versatile his presence is as an artist, going from the fun and bouncy hit of "Classic Man" to the rasping, hard-hitting sound of "Long Live The Chief". Jidenna is signed to Wondaland Records, and distributed through Epic Records. He released his first single "Classic Man" in February of 2015, and even earned a Grammy nomination. By Devon Pyne for RAPstation.com