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Hip-hop pioneer and icon MC Hammer has had a career spanning just over three decades and over fifty million albums sold. With the 25th anniversary of "Too Legit Too Quit" quickly approaching, Hammer took some time out of his busy schedule to reminisce about the triple-platinum hit, and express optimism for the future of hip-hop.

"That whole project we had a lot of fun," Hammer told CBS News. The video for the title track to the album, "2 Legit 2 Quit," is still one of the most expensive music videos ever created, and featured many of the biggest stars of the era, including other music legends such as Queen Latifah, the late James Brown, and NWA's Eazy

Jaime Luis Gomez, or as we know him, Taboo, best known as a member of the Black Eyed Peas. He was born in Los Angeles, California as a Mexican-American on both sides, and Shoshone Indian on his mother's side. Taboo lived out much of his young life in California and at the age of 32, he married Jaymie Dizon with Will.i.am. (William Adams) and Apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda) as two of his groomsmen. 

Much of his career has been alongside Will.i.am. They began in the late 1980s performing in the 8th grade with Apl.de.ap in Los Angeles. Later, they signed to Eazy-E’sRuthless Records in 1992 and, along with another friend Dante Santiago, the group was called Atban Klann (ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation). Unfortunately, their debut album Grass Roots&nbs

M.anifest has made a name for himself by telling stories through his music that are unmistakably influenced by the youth culture of his native Ghana, but also represent themes and ideas that have managed to strike a chord with audiences of all ages around the world. In the latest interview from PEPR, M.anifest discusses his creative process, finding his identity through his environment, and how he wants his music to reflect the reality and the issues facing his homeland.

The son of a lawyer and the grandson of a composer, M.anifest mixes an educated perspective with an absolute passion for music. "The thing that I have always found charming about hip hop... is that you can bend it to suit you... it's got this idea of representing and bringing where you're from int

As Ohio emcee Blueprint prepares to release an upcoming collaborative EP with longtime friend Aesop Rock, he’s staying focused on the bigger picture. In addition to the EP, Vigilante Genesis (produced entirely by Aesop), he does a weekly podcast with Illogic called Super Duty Tough Work, stays vigilant about his recovery and is looking forward to rare summer off from touring. 

Since the veteran rapper put an end to his battle with alcohol several years ago, his creativity is flowing at an all time high. But with nine solo albums under his belt—culminating with 2015’s King No Crown—Blueprint’s output has not slowed down since his debut, 2003’s The Weightroom. In betwe

Arrested Development has been an advocate of more positive hip-hop ever since the late 80's, and in light of recent events, the group's frontman Speech has launched a petition to change the sound and tone of urban radio.

Speech has started an online petition urging the FCC, Clear Channel Communications (the corporation that owns many of the country's radio stations,) and members of the media who help decide what hip-hop gets played and covered in the news, to reject acts that reinforce nega

Riot Fest & Rodeo has unveiled the first wave of 2016 artists and true to form, it’s a diverse roster. The annual musical festival hosted hip-hop legends Run-DMC, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, De La Soul, and Cypress Hill at the 2015 event and this year, hip-hop is seemingly even more prevalent. 

Although they are still adding artists to the lineup, the following hip-hop acts have been confirmed: Nas, Death Grips, GZA, Method Man and Redman, Joey Bada$$, Tyler the Creator, Danny Brown, People Under the Stairs, and Flatbush Zombies.

Riot Fest continues its tradition of being non-traditionall and scheduling both festivals in a way that defies the homogeneity often seen at many other festivals. In addition to the music programming, the festi