It’s no question that presently, lyricism has taken a back seat to bouncing and snapping and “chicken noodle souping” for that matter, but there are still many artists out there old and new, from every region who consider rhymes to be an essential part of what makes a great song and an even greater MC. […]

For Omar Cruz, Hip-Hop was not just some temporary escape from his torrid reality of the ghettos of the West Coast. It was a form of self-expression and the key to a way out. ‘Cause you see, when the only support you have is the streets, then you literally have to adapt a do-or-die mentality. […]

Since the Diplomats first got noticed, Jim Jones was respected as a street entrepreneur, but rarely recognized for his song-making. While “Certified Gangstas” relied on plenty of lyrical help for the first album, “We Fly High” marks Jones’ first big unassisted hit. The Uptown anthem has bled its way onto the charts all over the […]

On Talib Kweli’s “Right About Now”, he chronicled the rise and subsequent fall of the largest independent Hip-Hop label of the late ‘90s: Rawkus Records. This label introduced the world to Mos Def, Company Flow, Kweli, and reintroduced Kool G Rap and Pharoahe Monch tragically faded in a flash of layoffs, mergers, and push-backs. But […]

Freekey Zekey’s thoughts in jail sound nothing like a “One Love” letter. Instead, the Harlem Diplomat original is likely just days away from hitting the bricks, and his excitement shows. In between paying homage to Tupac and Biggie as well as George Bush and Saddam, Zeke retraces the movement from its humble beginnings, to its […]

Lyrics Born has kept it live since the early ‘90s. Formerly half of Latryx, the San Jose MC has watched a solo career where his music continuously finds its way onto commercials, films, television, and even Adult Contemporary radio. As one of the head honchos at Quannum Projects, the veteran MC can also thank himself […]

You don’t get the nickname “the monster” by sitting around and letting things fall into your lap. When Swizz Beats burst onto the scene in the ’90s as the main musical force behind the Ruff Ryders, when the sky was the limit for the young super producer. A few years passed, and things cooled off […]

His life isn’t the average “rags to riches” Hip-Hop story. As a matter of fact, there are no rags or riches involved this time. Instead, it’s a story about understanding every framework of creative expression and hearing Hip-Hop in its purest form. Former Phat K.A.T.S member and current affiliate of Deepspace 5, Sivion has an […]

They say there’s nothing more dangerous in this world than an educated African-American man with a platform. From the spirited, and often confrontational, championing of black America by Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton to the politico rap rhetoric of KRS-One and Chuck D, when intellect meets a mass medium the combination becomes a powder […]

AllHipHop.com: How did you learn how to write screenplays?Curtis Scoon: I wanted it so bad I made it happen. I bought a software package called Final Draft. I went to the village and started to buy a screenplay, but I ended up going home and writing it. Word got around that I was writing. There’s […]

Curtis Scoon is a product of Hollis, Queens, the birthplace of some of Hip-Hop’s most influential artists. Scoon, who was never involved in the rap industry, suddenly found himself the unlikely center of it – as a suspect in the murder of Jam Master Jay. Scoon does not hide his former life as a street […]

If you were making a list of Hip-Hop moguls to clone, you would definitely find Andre Harrell in the top five. After 20-plus years in the music industry, he certainly isn’t slowing down. He is continually striving to take Hip-Hop, a culture he can take a certain amount of credit for, to new markets. His […]

When it comes to creating a marketing and promotions plan for a new or established artist the odds of success are a crap shoot. However, for Jimmy Iovine and Interscope Records, a bet on Black is usually a safe bet when it comes to innovation in marketing strategy. As Vice President of Interscope Rap Marketing […]

The city to be reckoned with this year in Hip-Hop is without argument Houston, Texas. With artists surging the market in various cameo’s, videos, and documentaries; everyone is getting a taste of the H-town. As newer artists like Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, or Short Dawg rise, one could wonder what inspired these young gentlemen […]

Less than a month away from his 23rd birthday, Lil’ Boosie is in position to score big. After almost a decade of independent grinding, the Baton Rouge rapper will unveil his first Asylum Records-backed project, Bad Azz, with mentor Pimp C out of jail. That was not the case last year, when former partner and […]

You’re fresh from your local Tower Records, you pop in the latest CD from your favorite rapper or singer and from the very first listen of the album you find yourself saying one of two things, “Damn this is a hot CD!” or “What in the world was he/she thinking when they recorded this crap?” […]

When keeping it real goes right, there was Willie D. The most outspoken Geto Boy, Willie spoke bluntly about race, class, sex, and money. The Houston rapper suffered for this. His “loved by few, hated by many” attitude spent years in the shadows of GB brother, Scarface. But 20 years later, Willie has never bit […]

As Rap-A-Lot Records turns 20 years old, a lot of the people who made the label what it is aren’t there to blow out the candles. Most would concur that there’s none bigger than Brad Jordan, better known as Mr. Scarface. Since 1988’s Making Trouble, the Geto Boys did just that, for anybody who was […]