RapStation

I remember a certain discourse I had I with some friends about Hip-hop. We talked about its Golden Age, and all agreed that it was beyond doubt, Hip-hop’s most influential chapter.

And then they asked me who I thought was the era’s most influential rapper. I could only think of three words: Big Daddy Kane—and as a little disclaimer, although I don’t think my explanations cannot fully express the justice he deserves, I will try my best.

Like most artists, Antonio Hardy began in Hip-hop underground. His humble beginnings, however, didn’t seem much arduous a task as many fans came to admire his uncanny “ability to syncopate over faster hip-hop beats”—despite having asthma. In fact, many artists would most likely consider h

Richmond, California-based emcee Locksmith (real name Davood Asgar) dropped a new video for the track “Grime” this week that finds the dexterous wordsmith rapping all over the streets of New York City.  His upcoming album, Olive Branch, is Locksmith’s third studio album, following 2014’s A Thousand Cuts and 2015’s Lofty Goals. 

After gaining notoriety in the underground hip-hop scene through MTV's MC Freestyle Championship, he’s steadily been crafting a sustainable career while consistently touring with fellow Bay Area hip-hop artists like Zion I. 

Locksmith was also a battle rapper on GrindTimeNow. To date, he has battled Dizaster, Passwurdz, Daylyt, and Jonny Storm, however, he has

Louisiana rapper, Kevin Gates, played the Salvador Dali persona last Thursday with the release of his latest video for “Time For That”, a track featured in his debut album Islah.

Pertaining to the MV, the visuals display Gates channeling the inner artist staged on what seems to be a time-warping, twilight zone-esque wasteland, complete with abandoned towns and structures—talk about enigmatic, right? Well if you actually are a fan of Salvador Dali, then you’d probably find Gates’ attempts quite plausible actually.

If you’re not convinced, check out the songs chorus: “See girl, I’m fine with that / I done gave my watches away, Ain’t got no time for that / Asking where’s my heart, go

I riggity-riggity-realize that no diggity-doubt you’ve come across these words before. Ever wonder where they came from though? And do, not Dave Chapelle, although he did a good job incorporating them into his shows.

These words originate from the hit 90’s duo, Das EFX—and today marks the birthdate of Andre Weston, aka Krazy Drayz.

Dray and Skoob (hence, DAS) initially came to prominence being affiliated with EPMD’s Hit Squad, but what really made them stand out was their uncanny “stream of consciousness lyrical delivery”. This iconic style first inherent in the duo became one of the generation’s most influential trends—and in case you haven’t noticed—this trend is still present even in today&rs

Wise folks talk about “the calm before the storm”, and I’ve never encountered such a literal example--I'm talking about the return of Zack de la Rocha and his solo single “Digging for Windows”.

While Prophets of Rage emerged earlier this year with such a bang, as was to be expected I’d say—many others could only speculate the whereabouts of Rage Against The Machine’s former vocalist. Prophets, however, addressed his dive into solo productions and claimed that the band had Zack’s full support with the band's current status.

Well, like I said, the man’s back with a new single, folks. And he’s loud, and he’s booming, and he’s banging—here comes the storm.

BROOKZILL! has unveiled its latest single, “Mad Dog In Yoruba,” an indisputable party jam born of out of the urban summer. Featuring iconic Brazilian singer Fafá De Belém and cutting-edge Brazilian duo Metá Metá (Kiko Dinucci and Thiago França), it follows lead single “Saudade Songbook (feat. Count Bass D)," which is currently charting on Spotify’s Viral List. 

As stated in a press release, BROOKZILL! is comprised of legendary hip-hop artists Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, Gravediggaz, De La Soul, Handsome Boy Modeling School), producer Don Newkirk (De La Soul, The Dix), MC Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets + Grammy Winning daughter of Brazilian jazz musicia