Articles Posted in the Hip-Hop 101 Category
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10 Artists Formerly Known As…
Mos Def may have one of the greatest monikers in the rap game but that doesn’t stop him from retiring it. When the year is done the man born Dante Smith will henceforth answer to ‘Yasiin.’ In honor of calling him whatever he wants to call himself (word to Ernie Terrell) TRU decided to take a look at 10 rappers who decided to quit banking on their previously established alias.
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Don’t Call It A Comeback: But These Guys Are Trying To
Supposedly coming up in the next year or so are five major hip hop comebacks, with four once-prominent MCs and one infamous duo attempting to rediscover their footing. TRU breaks down each situation, as well as offers predictions on each comeback’s outcome. Peep the crystal ball.
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Thank Tyler for Making Rap Scary Again
Hip-hop culture, and especially it’s musical exponent rap, is far from the fledgling movement it once was. With the genre well over 30 years old now, a whole generation of rap listeners has come for…
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The 5 Greatest Label Runs In Rap History
When digging for records you often run across records you don’t know but which might be of interest. The first thing you do then is look for the label and year of release. Like when…
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DJ Premier’s 10 Greatest Hits Of The Naughts
Premier is revered as a treasure of rap’s golden age in the 90s, but the man has never actually stopped creating his vintage boombap. So in honor of Premier’s more than impressive discography and to underline the fact that more than a decade after his supposed prime, he’s still playing the game on an admirable level, TRU proudly presents…
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Death Of the Freestyle
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a a capella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or “off the top of the head” – Taken from…
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Happy Birthday, Chuck D
Happy Born Day to Chuck D, one of the best to ever breathe on a mic. Chuck truly perfected the art of combining intricate rhymes with explosive truths about oppression. Without him, your favorite conscious…
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Hindsight Is 20/20: How Scarface Made Me Realize I’m an Adult
When Scarface dropped his album ‘The Fix’ on Def Jam South almost ten years ago The Source gave it five mics, XXL heralded it as a XXL-rated classic and many, many other media added their praise to the choir. I bought the album because I thought it was dope as well, but five mics? Hell nah. In the words of Christopher Wallace; “Things Done Changed.”
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Interview: Ben Westhoff
Hip-hop journalist Ben Westhoff, of Village Voice and Creative Loafing fame, has penned a compelling book about the Dirty South hip-hop. I had an opportunity to meet him recently when he came to Houston for…
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Identity of Ready to Die Baby Revealed
For 17 years, many hip-hop fans have wondered: Who’s that chubby kid on the cover of Biggie’s Ready to Die? We finally have the answer to that million dollar question.
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8 Movies That Indirectly Influenced Hip-Hop
Eight movies that indirectly inspired your favorite rappers.
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