Email Author Rajiv Jaswa

2013 Stories by Rajiv Jaswa

• SPACE IS THE PLACE

  published April 24, 2013

  When Shabazz Palaces cryptically surfaced in 2009, their dense and recondite alloy of styles—inner-city griotry, Zimbabwean melodies, and... More >>

• POP THAT

  published February 27, 2013

  By the end of 2012, French Montana had emerged as a quintessential figure of the reigning rap vogue, riding high on the (post-Coke) wave of his... More >>

• Bodega Bamz

  published February 27, 2013

  On 2012’s Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I.Z., Spanish Harlem’s Bodega Bamz resurrected the dormant “Rap-o Clap-o” of his... More >>

• Solange

  published February 13, 2013

  Though I share Solange’s enthusiasm for Craig David and Groove Theory, her recent tweets requesting the hiring of more “writers who... More >>

• Rakim+Raekwoon

  published January 30, 2013

  Rakim is only two years older than Jay-Z yet from another era entirely, a time when raps could get you atop Mount Olympus but not seated next to... More >>

• Bilal

  published January 30, 2013

  Over a decade ago, Mark Anthony Neal rightly called Bilal’s debut album a standout achievement in post-soul black pop and its singer a... More >>

• M.O.P.+Smif-n-Wessun+Ka

  published January 30, 2013

  Today, the term “posse” describes even bloated legations of out-for-dolo Diplomats who reworked communal call-and-response routines... More >>

• K. Michelle

  published January 30, 2013

  K. Michelle’s 2012 mixtape 0 F*cks Given detailed her piques and pains with a specificity and vocal dexterity befitting mentor R.... More >>

• Freddie Gibbs

  published January 23, 2013

  In what Times critic Jon Caramanica has tagged rap’s “post-truth” era, Freddie Gibbs remains committed to the... More >>

• Javelin+Guardian Alien+Life Size Maps

  published January 23, 2013

  Brooklyn-based avant-dance duo Javelin named their upcoming album Hi Beams “because the songs evoke to us a sense of sky, stars,... More >>

• Antwon+Cities Aviv+Weekend Money

  published January 16, 2013

  Cities Aviv’s 2011 debut Digital Lows name-checked Mr. Bungle and had arty edges, but mostly delivered thoughtful trad raps—like... More >>