As a member of the hip-hop group UTFO, he was part of a pioneering era of New York City rap in the early 1980s. The Brooklyn group was best known for their 1984 hit song "Roxanne, Roxanne."
This year's best hip-hop — including Westside Gunn, Mach-Hommy and Moor Mother — comes from death and defiance, erotic power and provocation, Black joy and pain — and that's just the shortlist.
Think of the best songs of 2021 as a playlist catering to the most basic human urges. Within it, booties were called, muffins were buttered and bloody revenge was contemplated. It was quite a year.
NPR's annual list of the year's best albums is full of work by musicians who hit career peaks, discovered their voices or willed something new into reality.
In his new memoir, From Staircase to Stage, rapper Raekwon recalls watching as that relatively serene New York City neighborhood rapidly declined, succumbing to the wildfires of the crack epidemic.
The try-anything rapper and her soft-spoken but dedicated producer, who have developed a bond to match their intense work routine, share a preview of a new song that takes them into uncharted terrain.
The growing discography made by the Griselda founder and the noir-inspired Kansas City producer reflect the way these two visionaries have aligned to create something singular.
The hip hop legend was inducted by the former president and comedian Dave Chappelle. The induction makes Jay-Z one of the few solo rappers to ever be included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The change has been in the works since at least since 2018, when he released a studio album by that name. He has cited its biblical significance as "you," noting "So I'm you, I'm us, it's us."
