hip hop
Remembering Afeni Shakur, Racial Justice Activist and Mother
While Shakur may be most popularly known as Tupac’s mother, she was an activist in her own right.
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Enter the Trippy World of Queer Indigenous Rapper Dio
Her song “Pussy Vortex” pairs unapologetic, witty lyrics with a catchy sound.
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Musician Imani Coppola Talks Frankly About Race, Gender, and Experimental Music
The eclectic artist describes herself as “part witch” and her musical inspiration as the Spice Girls.
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Meet the First Ladies of Canadian Indigenous Hip-Hop
Vancouver's First Ladies Crew raps about indigenous identity and history.
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Dr. Dre's Assault on Dee Barnes Was Originally In "Straight Outta Compton"—But Got Cut
Now, the film avoids any discussion of how Dr. Dre attacked and beat up Dee Barnes in a club—then worked to blacklist her from the industry.
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Straight Outta Compton: On Culture, Rage, and Contradiction
The new film illustrates the vibrancy and pain mid-80s hip hop, and for the most part, doesn't leave out the contradictions.
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A Brief List of Emcees To Know and Love
Angel Haze onstage in Norway — photo by Jørund Føreland Pedersen
It’s popular to hate on women in hip hop. Nicki... Read more »
Hip-Hop Duo THEESatisfaction Talk Beats, Queerness, and Cosmos
Stasia “Stas” Irons and singer Catherine “Cat” Harris-White make up the futuristic and Afrocentric band THEESatisfaction.
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Go Listen To The Brilliance That Is THEEsatisfaction
A few years ago I was walking down a street in Austin, Texas with a friend during SXSW. We passed a huge outdoor concert that Fuse or VH1 or one of those large corporate entertainment companies was putting on.
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Chilean Rapper Ana Tijoux's New Album Hits on Identity and Politics with Expert Flow
“Vengo, en busca de respuestas con el manojo lleno y las venas abiertas/ Vengo, como un libro abierto, ansiosa de aprender la historia no contada de nuestros ancestros.”
(“I come for answers, with a bundle of full and open veins/ I come as an open book eager to learn the untold story of... Read more »