Arts, Entertainment, and Media

What Artistic Movements Do These Rappers Exemplify?

Stylistically, rap has exploded, and the pieces fall everywhere from the mind-bogglingly complex to the unbelievably simple, from the brazenly dissident to the unapologetically mainstream. Rappers' influences seem to come from everywhere, but the stylistic differences between an Aesop Rock and a 2 C ... More >>

The Time LL Cool J Rapped as a Genetically Modified Shark

Thursday night, veteran rhymesmith and mic controller LL Cool J leads the charge of hip-hop's all time greats, including Ice Cube, Public Enemy and De La Soul, for a night of rap royalty at Roseland Ballroom. While Mr. Cool James has given us over 25 years of undisputed rap classics, he's also been ... More >>

NYU is Handing Out Loans for Professors' Beach Houses? And Other Colleges Do That, Too?

High-cost, low-interest loans from NYU are the hottest commodities on the market these days. On a city level, they've been used (and eventually forgiven by the school) across Manhattan to pay for profiled professors' lofts or condos. On a national level, they've made their way into the Senate, with ... More >>

Chrisette Michele Wants You to Propose to Her on Vine

Newly Brooklyn-based R&B chanteuse Chrisette Michele released her fourth studio album last week. Titled Better, the project is headed up by the sultry slow-jam single "A Couple Of Forevers." As she gears up to smile for the cameras for the album's promotional push, we asked Michele about some of her ... More >>

The 10 Best Concerts in New York This Week, 6/17/13

For more shows throughout the week, check out our New York Concert Calendar, which is updated daily.

Props to the Pops: A Father's Day Hip-Hop Playlist

As you're probably aware, this Sunday is hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur's birthday. But you might not know it also happens to be Father's Day, the day of the year we set aside to give our Dads thanks for all the great Dad-stuff that they've done for us. While the hip-hop canon has largely dealt with over ... More >>

Questlove Extras: Leftover Quotes and Anecdotes From This Week's Cover Story

This week's cover story is an in-depth look at one of music's most talented and intelligent, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of the Roots. It's a great longread, if we do say so ourselves. (Check it out). And it could've been much longer. As writer Jenna Sauers discovered, Quest is full of insight and an ... More >>

Questlove is the Hardest-Working Man in Showbiz, and He is Lonely Enough to Prove It

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is a man of many responsibilities. In the past six days, he's DJed five events, performed twice with his band, the Roots, taped four episodes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, opened a restaurant that serves fried chicken he can't eat on his current diet, graded his studen ... More >>

To Actresses on the Brink of 40: Go Bad or Go Home

Playing evil is more fun than playing good anyway, right?

The Crash Crew Say the Bronx Gets All the Credit, But Rap Started in Harlem Too

The story of Sugar Hill Records is regarded as one of the most pivotal legacies in hip-hop history. Headed by Sylvia Robinson, the label was home to "Rappers Delight" and "The Message," both named recently by Rolling Stone as the two greatest hip-hop songs ever recorded. Along with those behemoths, ... More >>

How to Enjoy a Music Festival: A Handy Guide

It's June, which means we're smack in the middle of music festival season: SXSW and Coachella are distant memories at this point, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza are on the horizon and New York City's own Governors Ball is set to decimate Randall's Island this coming weekend. (Oh, yeah. And our own 4Knots ... More >>

The 10 Best Male Rappers of All Time

Since the birth of hip-hop, male rappers have been bringing their unique viewpoint to the art of rhyme. Today, we're shining some long overdue light on their important contributions to rap. We're proud to present our list of the 10 finest male rappers, from the smoking-hot hardbodies to the true lyr ... More >>

Let These Rappers Teach in Our Public Schools

Last month, came news that the Wu Tang Clan's resident Genius, the GZA, is going to soon begin working with Columbia teacher Dr. Christopher Emdin and the website RapGenius to bring a better, hip-hop-based chemistry class to New York public schools. As cool as it is that GZA's taking this seriously ... More >>

Napalm Death's Barney Greenway on Thatcher, Nostalgia and the Pursuit of Happiness

By Nathan Smith Most of the people who pass Mark "Barney" Greenway in the street every day almost certainly have no idea what the man does for a living. His sensible haircut, unassuming demeanor and soft-spoken Birmingham accent betray nothing of his status as one of the most ferocious and accompli ... More >>

The Best Jazz Shows in NYC This Month

These are the best jazz shows in NYC this month.

Breakup Songs: Why is Adam Levine a Hero Where Taylor Swift is a Punchline?

The cultural appraisal of Taylor Swift is simple. She is a country-laced pop-star who dates a lot of famous people, and sings a lot of songs about her exes. This isn't untrue -- she admitted it herself when I saw her play a few weeks ago. It's become the narrative. Taylor has taken thinly-veiled sho ... More >>

Ralph McDaniels on 20 Years of Hot 97's Summer Jam and That Whole Nicki Minaj Thing

This Sunday, MetLife stadium will hold the 2013 incarnation of what's become hip-hop's most reliably controversial night, the Hot 97 Summer Jam. The 20th annual Summer Jam, it's seen the genre's biggest stars perform and game-changing moments happen. One man whose seen just about every Summer Jam is ... More >>

French Montana's E-Cigarette Gives You A Peek Into the Soul of French Montana

I like French Montana a lot. I love that his voice sounds kinda like Bob Dylan. I love that one time his publicist told me the dude actually speaks fluent French. I love that someone decided it was a good idea to make at least one portable electronic hookah featuring French Montana's name and album ... More >>

Cam'ron on Camera: Cam's 5 Most Memorable On-Screen Moments

Tonight at S.O.B.'s, one of Harlem's favorite sons, Cam'ron, takes the stage to remind us all why, for almost two decades, he's been one of hip-hop's most endearing personalities. But along with all of his quotable verses and unforgettable Cam-isms on record, he's given us some moments in front of t ... More >>

Summer 2013 Film Guide

DREAM ON

Slow dance to Kelly 
Rowland and Terius Nash

The Ultimate List of Free Summer Concerts in NYC, 2013

Get ready to plug this in your bookmarks, iCals, sticky notes, and religious shrines, because the ultimate guide to free summer concerts in New York City is here! Seriously, scroll down and don't be stingy - share with your friends. Concerts aren't fun without friends. Just ask the lucky gal above e ... More >>

In a Bumper Year, Four New American Plays Won Obies; Eight More Were Strong Contenders

The plays are the thing

French Montana's Excuse My French Is Finally Here, Though It Almost Didn't Happen

Moroccan-born, Bronx-raised rapper French Montana is at a photo shoot in Tompkins Square Park's basketball court. He's shooting the shit in fluent French with the photographer. A gaggle of scruffy teen skaters recognize him and look over as he saunters slowly—always slowly—about. See al ... More >>

Songs of Disco and Dictators

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne on Imelda Marcos and the bubble of power

Fast & Furious & Elegant: Justin Lin and the Vulgar Auteurs

Statik Selektah on the Troll Power of Putting Mac Miller and Sean Price on the Same Song

Editor's note: In "Tweets Is Watching," Phillip Mlynar asks local artists questions based solely on the contents of their Twitter timeline. Statik Selaktah promises his upcoming album, Extended Play, will "remind you of the hip-hop you grew up on, but it's like the new fresh version of that." To hi ... More >>

Announcing the Winners of the 2013 Village Voice Obie Awards

The 58th Annual Village Voice Obie Awards, celebrating achievement in the Off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theater, were given out at a ceremony tonight at Webster Hall. The awards ceremony was co-hosted by Jessica Hecht and Jeremy Shamos. The awards were presented by Bobby Cannavale, Tracee Chimo, ... More >>

The Best Bands Featuring the Album Art of John Dyer Baizley

Tonight Norwegian power rock band Kvelertak play Webster Hall along with Georgia stoner hardcore metallers Black Tusk. (Canadian punks Cancer Bats open, as well.) Besides loudness and shouted vocals (in very different languages), what do Kvelertak and Black Tusk have in common? That would be the a ... More >>

Paramore Kitten - Hammerstein Ballroom - 5/16/13

Paramore Kitten Hammerstein Ballroom 5/16/13 Better Than: Anything J.J. Abrams has done in 2013 Before seeing Paramore tonight, I went to the movies with my best friend. We're both huge sci-fi/fantasy dweebs, so we, of course, had seen the new Star Trek movie on its opening day. The movie was ... More >>

The Oral History of NYC's Metal/Hardcore Crossover

Excerpted from the book Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal, published by It Books and available May 14 New York is a music mecca—the Brill Building, Broadway, street performers, subway buskers, the Metropolitan opera—but it's not known for its abundance of successful ... More >>

Ghostface's Twelve Reasons to Die and Hip-Hop's Other Audio Films

One of rap's most overused cliches is the phrase "my life is like a movie." Significantly much harder to come across are the artists who liken their entire albums to the medium of film. Most recently, Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge teamed up for Twelve Reasons to Die, an album made to sound like ... More >>

Jay-Z's Great Gatsby Soundtrack is a Failure

When the first trailer for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby was released a year ago, it was set to the music of Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," from the sometimes duo's incredibly self-important Watch the Throne album. On the surface it made sense. Jay-Z -- who retired as a rapper in ... More >>

Havoc of Mobb Deep: "Donald Trump is Like a Biggie to Me!"

Editor's note: In "Tweets Is Watching," Phillip Mlynar asks local artists questions based solely on the contents of their Twitter timeline. Havoc dropped his new 13 album earlier this week, a project he calls "an ode to hip-hop." He'll soon be hitting the tour circuit in the name of promotional dut ... More >>

Dear Mama: A Mother's Day Hip-Hop Playlist

This Sunday is Mother's Day. (Yes, we're sure. Yes, there's still time to get her something.) And what better way to thank the person who brought you into this world than with the gift of music? Few genres have dedicated as many songs to the importance of mothers and mother-figures as hip-hop, but i ... More >>

Cinderella Star On Not Having To Compete With The Matilda Girls

Laura Osnes is very good in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, and as a result, she's one of the frontrunners for the Tony Award for best actress in a musical. One of the other frontrunners (or four of them, actually) would have been the girls who star in Matilda, alternating in the role. But in ... More >>

Lady Antebellum and Brandy Clark Headline a Night of Country Concerts

Better Than: This divided by two. Let it go into record that for once, on the night of May 7 in the year 2013, Manhattan had too many good country—country referring to popular country, as imported from Nashville—shows to attend, overlapping bookings that could have both been the highlight ... More >>

French Montana's Excuse My French Listening Party - HiLo - 5/7/13

Better Than: Keeping track of when Excuse My French is finally coming out. French Montana has three glittering chains around his neck (one of which is a jewel-studded Pillsbury Doughboy), a pinkie ring so large and sparkly I consider whether it's been wholly carved out of a giant diamond, and fresh ... More >>

Bull: Revolving Toreador

Mike Bartlett turns downsizing into a blood sport

GHOST STORIES

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge at Gramercy theatr

EATS & BEATS

A music festival with fantastic food? Done

BLOW-UP

Zoom in on Chuck's Close's artistic process

Bill Clinton Asked Led Zeppelin to Reunite for Hurricane Sandy Concert, And They Said 'No'

There's certainly a pessimistic way to interpret this story: According to a feature on CBS' "60 Minutes Overtime" with the Robin Hood Foundation's David Saltzman, Bill Clinton asked Led Zeppelin to play at the celebrity-studded 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy relief concert, but the band declined. Bill Cli ... More >>

PHOTOS: The Met's "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" Attempts to be Legit

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is slightly loosening up its tie with their latest Costume Institute exhibition "PUNK: Chaos to Couture," which opens Thursday and is on view through August 14. "Punk began as an impulse, as a feeling," curator Andrew Bolton said during a press preview this morning. ... More >>

He's Old, Missing Teeth, and Has a Funny Haircut: He's Danny Brown, Rap's Biggest Deal

Apart from the overcrowding and cost of living, subway ads are one of the most depressing things about New York City. But now, next to the usual ads offering escape in vacation destinations and self-realization in a pair of shoes, you'll find a glimmer of hope in a Uniqlo ad featuring 32-year-old De ... More >>

Nas, 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Miguel More - Capitale - 4/30/13

Better Than: Farmville "Why am I here?" That's the refrain that kept running through my head as I walked into Capitale on the Bowery last night, where Nas, 2 Chainz, Miguel, Elle Varner and a whole host of hip-hop and R&B artists emerged to celebrate the launch of Gig-IT, a new performance-based Fa ... More >>

Will There Be Face-Recognition Surveillance at the Statue of Liberty?

The National Park Service describes the Statue of Liberty as "a universal symbol of freedom and democracy." What better place to implement powerful new surveillance systems complete with next-generation facial-recognition technology? Late last year, Police Product Insight, a trade journal for polic ... More >>

The Memory Show: Senior Moments

Exploring the pain of Alzheimer’s

Matthew E. White

Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington