Young Jeezy

Compton's YG: "Some of These Fake Artists Should Be Sued for False Advertising"

Recidivism rates in California are at 70% (the highest in the nation), but Compton native YG is determined not be among those trapped in the revolving door of prison and parole. After his stint in the Big House, he signed to Def Jam in 2009, and things are heating up. He just unleashed Just Re'd Up ... More >>

Twitter Has Ruined the Art of the Musician Feud

Remember when musician fights used to be interesting--or at least memorable for more than two minutes? It's hard to imagine as we expend Twitter scrolling energy on Azealia Banks v. Angel Haze, Gaga vs. the Osbournes, Deadmau5 vs. Madonna, and the rest of the noise. Yet unbelievably, there was a tim ... More >>

The Ten Best Concerts in New York This Weekend, 1/11/13

These are the 10 best concerts to check out around the city this weekend, in no particular order.

Rappers At Award Shows: A History Of Violence

This past weekend saw Rick Ross and Young Jeezy's long-simmering beef boiling over into fisticuffs as the rappers and their entourages went at each other at the BET Hip-Hop Honors Awards (and possibly broke a very expensive mirror in the process). That squabble wasn't a one-off though! Here's a prim ... More >>

Radio Hits One: Nine Songs From 2012 That Should Have Been Huge

The term "flop," in a musical context, usually refers to an unsuccessful album. Though singles constantly perform above or below expectations, a song will rarely get a reputation as a flop unless there's a lot riding on it, such as a pre-release single from a big-name album. In 2011, Beyonce's "Run ... More >>

Radio Hits One: Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, And Young Money Bring Crew Love Back To Rap Radio

If you've listened to much urban radio lately, or even a little, you may have noticed that Lil Wayne and his Young Money Entertainment labelmates, particularly Drake and Nicki MInaj, are quite popular. You may have also noticed the same thing in 2011. And in 2010. And 2009. But perhaps nothing under ... More >>

André 3000, Most Valuable Supporting Player

The erstwhile OutKast member has a great year without a single starring role

53 More Great Songs From 2011

Earlier today, Maura offered a list of the 47 songs on her "2011 Awesomeness" Spotify playlist; to complement that, here are the 53 songs from my less cleverly named playlist, "2011." As is the usually the case with these mega-lists, I compiled mine a bit haphazardly, throwing together a substantial ... More >>

A User's Guide To Tonight's Drake Show at Radio City Music Hall

Is this you, perhaps? Photo by Rebecca Smeyne.​Last night, Drake played the first of two shows at Radio City Music Hall, alighting triumphantly on a New York stage after two horrifically abortive attempts earlier this year. But last night was uniformly dubbed a triumph, a coronation for the yo ... More >>

Detroit Rap City: Jay-Z and Eminem Kick-Start A Hometown Recovery

Week In Review: Aw Dude, You Missed It

Unfortunately, this just isn't fun anymore. Pic by Sam Horine.​It's Friday the 13th, and if you're as superstitious as we are here at SOTC, you'll stay away from the outside world altogether. Lucky for you, though, we've put together a pretty awesome rundown of dance parties to visit this week ... More >>

Drake Fumbles Toward Superstardom

Hip-hop's putative savior revels in doubt, insecurity, and a broken heart

Luther Campbell Weighs In On Lil Wayne, T.I., And Other Gun-Toting Hip-Hop Stars: "People Have To Understand The Rappers' Workplace"

​Did you know the 2 Live Crew boss is now a columnist for our compatriots at New Times down in Miami? It's true, and after a few warm-up pieces ("Fire Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra"), Luther Campbell today addresses why Lil Wayne and T.I. risked their careers over firearms. Short version: Try goin ... More >>

Jay-Z's 'Empire' Strikes Back at Last

His first #1 song is his first Pazz & Jop chart-topper as well. Go Yankees.

The Ghost of Spoon Lingers

On the defiantly skeletal Transference, which only a recession could love

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance: Rihanna's Rated R

Her new album is as angry and profoundly uncomfortable as you might have suspected

Gucci Mane Goes Abroad

An ascendant Southern rapper tries out a few impressions

Williamsburg's The Shank, an "After-Hours Club of Unprecedented Size and Bravado," Commemorated in this Week's New York Press

Nate "Igor" Smith In this week's New York Press, there's an enormously long feature chronicling the ignominious rise and fall of Williamsburg's short-lived after-hours space, the Shank. As someone who pulled a few all-nighters loitering around that mud-bucket of an early morning hideaway this past ... More >>

The Atlantic Introduces Eminem to Obama

It's oddly timed (is this piece really pegged to Eminem's release date?), but The Atlantic is currently hosting a roundtable discussion on hip-hop in the age of Obama, a topic we once wrote a few thousand words about (more than once, actually), and remain sort of obsessed with. The panelists: Hua Hs ... More >>

Sporadically Vibrant Reports From the R&B Salt Mines with Ciara and Chrisette Michele

New jams for low-riders and supper clubs, respectively

The Diss-Track Family Tree

Who to insult, how, and why

Christopher Hitchens Calls Mos Def "Mr. Definitely" on Bill Maher

One of the things most entertaining slash most infuriating about rappers straying, whether intentionally or otherwise, onto political talk shows is the inability of their hosts and fellow guests to call them by their given names. Hence a smirking Dennis Miller calling Young Jeezy both "Emphysema" ... More >>

How M.I.A. (and America) Got Her Swagger Back

The menace of "Paper Planes" trumps the frivolity of "American Boy." Both are good signs.

Way More Important Things to Worry About

How politics changed how we thought about music, if we thought about music at all

The Week of Obama Odes. Plus, Kool Keith, Still Batshit and Pervy

GO HARDER

Two Carters: one young, one old�both dominant

The BET Awards: A Running Diary

Status Ain't Hood Does Summer Jam, Again

Status Ain't Hood Podcast 38

Wednesday

Return of the Hustle

The Quarterly Report: Best Singles of 2008 Thus Far

Rick Ross Rolls

Continuing his pleasantly, audaciously inept hustle

Mariah Carey's Failed Adjustment

Pimp C is Dead

Track 18 Wins Again

Major-label hip-hop records in burying-best-tracks shocker!

Ten Favorite Moments on Kanye West's Graduation

The Motormouth of the South

DJ Khaled is taking over, 200 words a minute and one guest-star at a time

Hot 97's Summer Jam: A Preview

Music

Spazz and What?

Tracks from the nether regions of Pazz & Jop

Project Pat and Z-Ro: The Unsung Heroes of Southern Rap

The BET Hip-Hop Awards: A Running Diary

The New Jay-Z Album: A Bad Idea?

I'm My Favorite Game

Proof that no matter how hard we pretend to be, we're all fragile

Listening in Real Time

Eclectic neoclassicism versus childhood-oriented avant-primitivism as global warming swamps our history

Origins of Totalitarianism

Pitchfork's Year-End List Vs. Haters

The New Mixtape

DVD magazines released straight to the street turn crime kingpins into hip-hop heroes

Turkey Shoot 2005

Fifteen courses you'll be better off skipping at this year's musical overfeed