Global hip-hop takes many cues from Kung Fu. Contrary to what denouncers might think, there is a rhyme and reason to using ‘words as weapons’.
Joseph Morales and company in ‘Hamilton,’ the musical that opens to sold out shows in Toronto this month. The show highlights early ambition in America.
(Hamilton national tour/Joan Marcus)
Glover and hip-hop are reaching their apex at the same time, giving Glover an avenue to enter the ranks of creative geniuses. But does his race matter?
Rapper Skibkhan in the video for ‘Shob Chup,’ which condemns the culture of silence around poverty and inequality in Bangladesh.
YouTube
In voicing youthful outrage over inequality and violence, Bangladeshi rappers are creating a powerful form of protest music — just as American MCs have done for 40 years.
The artists who first sang the legendary Canadian hip hop song “Northern Touch” 20 years ago reunited to perform at the 2018 Juno Awards. From left to right: Checkmate, Red1, Misfit, Kardinal Offishall, Choclair and Thrust.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The current global dominance of Canadian music on today’s Billboard charts obscures the difficulties many early rap artists faced in garnering local support for this country’s hip hop music.
The Joe Strummer mural on East 7th Street and Avenue A in the East Village, New York.
Jack Szwergold/flickr
Hip-hop may benefit from a return to the crew and collective mentality, where the DJ once again is valued and plays a central creative role.
The Pulitzer Prize winning emcee Kendrick Lamar recently asked a white fan to refrain from rapping the n-word. A video recording of the incident has reignited a controversy that gained wide attention last year. In this 2016 file photo, Kendrick Lamar performs in New York.
(Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)
At one of his shows, rapper Kendrick Lamar asked a white fan to refrain from rapping the n-word. A video of the incident has reignited a controversy: can white people ever rap the n-word?
Migos performs during the Made in America Music Festival on 2 September, 2017.
Mark Makela/Reuters
What if the current cultural context is informing the production of mumble rap? In the contemporary western world, daily life is fuelled by widespread consumption of both products and images.
The Beastie Boys in the music video for Sure Shot.
Screenshot from Youtube
The Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication closed out hip-hop’s Golden Age with a kaleidoscope of jazz-infused beats, bratty punk interludes and a deeper appreciation for storytelling.
Saxophonist Kamasi Washington will be performing at the 2017 Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
Something really magical is happening at the intersection between jazz and hip-hop at the moment. Many of the artists involved will be playing at Africa’s foremost jazz festival.