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Articles on Rap music

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Andrey Vladimirovich Menshikov, mostly known by his stage name ‘Legalize’, but also for his membership in D.O.B and Bad Balance, is used to grating the Kremlin. KabanDanish/Wikimedia

Russian rap has long held up a mirror to Russian society – and the current reflection isn’t flattering

Vladimir Putin and his KGB men have steadily extinguished the artistic freedom the genre enjoyed in the 1990s, with Ukraine’s invasion adding yet another nail in the coffin.
Hip-hop culture spread quickly – to places like London, seen here in 1984. Kerstin Rodgers/Redferns

Hip-hop at 50: 7 essential listens to celebrate rap’s widespread influence

On Aug. 11, 1973, a block party in the Bronx spawned a genre that would go on to influence nearly all aspects of US culture – and the music, fashion and art of countries around the world.
Hip hop artists, from top left, clockwise, DMX, Lexii Alijai, Prince Markie Dee and Trugoy the Dove have all passed away within the past decade. Getty Images

Hip-hop and health – why so many rap artists die young

As hip-hop turns 50, an unfortunate reality is that so many of its pioneering artists never live to see much more than 50 years themselves, a professor of hip-hop writes.
Busta Rhymes and P. Daddy’s song “Pass the Courvoisier” was a major hit in 2001, and reportedly led to a significant rise in the brand’s US sales. Busta Rhymes/YouTube

From Black GIs to Puff Daddy: how African Americans fell in love with cognac

Legend has it that African Americans soldiers brought back a love of cognac after service in Europe in World War II. It’s a lovely story, but the history goes back much further.

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