J Dilla

CD Review: Common -- Finding Forever

Madlib, Stones Throw Brings B-Ball Zombie War to the Independent

LastNight: Stones Throw at the Independent

Stones Throw Releases New DVD, Albums, Podcast

Friday Night: Stones Throw Appreciation Party at Mighty

New Grown Kids Radio Station Connects the Beats

Belio GomezLast week Pirate Cat Radio (online and at 87.9 FM) added a new batch of crate diggers to its collective with the Grown Kids Radio show. These dudes (Cyclyst, Diversify, Spinnerty, Brown Majic, and E da Boss) are already on to some sweet, party-rocking mixes, merging together jazz, hip-hop ... More >>

The Roots’ state of the union address

Belio GomezLast week Pirate Cat Radio (online and at 87.9 FM) added a new batch of crate diggers to its collective with the Grown Kids Radio show. These dudes (Cyclyst, Diversify, Spinnerty, Brown Majic, and E da Boss) are already on to some sweet, party-rocking mixes, merging together jazz, hip-hop ... More >>

Producer, Remixer, MC

Oakland triple-threat Trackademicks does it all

It Was a Year Of ...

Well, lots of things, actually

Cut Chemist puts a new spin on the art of the sonic collage

Well, lots of things, actually

Hip Hop's Hit Ticker

Dabrye's nerdy interior

The Talented Mr. Madlib

Hip hop sensation Otis Jackson Jr. has more personalities than albums (well, almost)

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures.

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas, and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip hop.

Yesterdays New Quintet

Stevie

Rise of the Machines

Some say electronica's dead. We say Tadd Mullinix could be what's next.

Talib Kweli

Quality

Slum Village

Fantastic, Vol. 2
(GoodVibe)

New School Session

After big labels beat on its door for years, Lootpack found a home on a small San Francisco imprint and an original approach to modern hip hop

Busdriver drives against the flow

After big labels beat on its door for years, Lootpack found a home on a small San Francisco imprint and an original approach to modern hip hop

Hey DJ! Friday Q&A: Roost Uno of Lowbrow Sundays, Tipsy Tuesdays

​Sometimes your set takes so long you've gotta pee your pants. Or so says DJ Roost Uno, who'd rather whiz on his leg than step away from the turntables. Luckily in his six years of keeping the party going Sunday nights at Delirium (and various other weeklies and events around town), Uno has yet to ... More >>

Listomania: Top Hip-Hop Picks For 2009

While year-end, catch-all wrap-ups are common to every musical genre, in no other style of music do they turn into the hand-wringing, "state of the game" examinations that hip-hop seems to provoke. (I've certainly written a few.) We worry because we care, of course. But at some point, like a thirty- ... More >>

Madlib

While year-end, catch-all wrap-ups are common to every musical genre, in no other style of music do they turn into the hand-wringing, "state of the game" examinations that hip-hop seems to provoke. (I've certainly written a few.) We worry because we care, of course. But at some point, like a thirty- ... More >>

Nosaj Thing and the abstract beat generation

While year-end, catch-all wrap-ups are common to every musical genre, in no other style of music do they turn into the hand-wringing, "state of the game" examinations that hip-hop seems to provoke. (I've certainly written a few.) We worry because we care, of course. But at some point, like a thirty- ... More >>

Friday Night: De La Soul at Yoshi's

​De La Soul Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 Yoshi's Better Than: the winter Olympics De La Soul is so well regarded for its laid-back grooves that its emcees don't always get the credit they deserve for microphone mastery. Friday night at Yoshi's, Maseo, Pos and Dave the Dove achieved total command of the ... More >>

Video of the Day: Preview the New J. Dilla Doc

J. Dilla was unquestionably one of the most respected, if not constantly referenced, hip-hop producers of the past decade. Born James Yancey in his hometown of Detroit, Dilla was a prolific, inspired artist dedicated to the craft of classic, sample-based hip-hop, which he made for the likes of De ... More >>

Concert preview: Pete Rock & J. Rocc

J. Dilla was unquestionably one of the most respected, if not constantly referenced, hip-hop producers of the past decade. Born James Yancey in his hometown of Detroit, Dilla was a prolific, inspired artist dedicated to the craft of classic, sample-based hip-hop, which he made for the likes of De ... More >>

Exclusive: DJ Mini-Mix From Bookworms

​Nicholas Dawson has been hard at work for over five years on the musical project Bookworms. In that time, Dawson has churned out a couple of EPs and the full-length LP The Hidden Staircase on Solos Records, in addition to remixing local favorites Mi Ami and Lemonade. His style is hard t ... More >>

A Night of J Dilla Featuring ISM and the Fan-Tas-Tics at Madrone Art Bar

Hiroshi Okun​A Night of J Dillafeaturing ISM and The Fan-tas-tics @ Madrone Art Bar July 28, 2010 Better than: A night of Steve Milla.James Yancey, a.k.a. Jay Dee, a.k.a. J Dilla, is somewhere between 2Pac and Pimp C in the running for the title of hip-hop's hardest-working dead guy. His death of ... More >>

Watch: The Pack's Young L Comes Down From Outer Space and Gets 'Conscious' -- for a Second

Young L​If you haven't been paying attention this year, The Pack's Young L has emerged a production tour-de-force, giving birth to some of the most original sounds this year. On his latest track, "Conscious Minds," the Berkeley native steps away from his usual, out-of-this world sounds and plays a ... More >>

Breezy at the Top: Trackademicks might be the next king of Bay Area hip-hop

Young L​If you haven't been paying attention this year, The Pack's Young L has emerged a production tour-de-force, giving birth to some of the most original sounds this year. On his latest track, "Conscious Minds," the Berkeley native steps away from his usual, out-of-this world sounds and plays a ... More >>

Turns Out Michael Chabon Is a Huge Hip-Hop Nerd

MIchael Chabon, wishing he was bangin' some Wu-Tang​If you haven't been obsessively up to date with the world of Internet news, Bay Area author Michael Chabon has been guest editing the culture section of The Atlantic's culture blog this week. The nifty gig also revealed perhaps one of the lesser ... More >>

Happy Birthday Deejay Jay Dee: Listen to a Full-Length Jazz Cover of 'Donuts'

​Today would have been the 37th birthday of James Yancey, the Detroit producer better known as (a) Jay Dee, (b) J Dilla, and (c) the stylistic architect for an entire generation of hip-hop heads, member of Slum Village, occasional rhymer, maker of tracks for A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes, ... More >>

Where the Blog Love Ends: Lessons for Lil B and Odd Future

​Today would have been the 37th birthday of James Yancey, the Detroit producer better known as (a) Jay Dee, (b) J Dilla, and (c) the stylistic architect for an entire generation of hip-hop heads, member of Slum Village, occasional rhymer, maker of tracks for A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes, ... More >>

Mochilla's B Plus on Endtroducing, J-Dilla, and the Last Ten Years of Hip-Hop Photography

Los Angeles-based photographer and filmmaker Brian Cross (or B as he's commonly known) has blazed a distinct path through independent media over the past two decades. A native of Limerick, Ireland, Cross moved to L.A. in the early '90s and quickly became a go-to hip-hop photographer starting with a ... More >>

RJD2 on the Dehumanizing of Music, and Performing with Four Turntables

​Performing with and producing for artists like EL-P, Aesop Rock, and Aceyalone, RJD2 has paved an unprecedented path for himself since the 2002 debut of his instrumental hip-hop album, Deadringer. He's shown his creativity in a variety of outlets, whether it be the soundtrack to a skate vide ... More >>

Kreayshawn Producer DJ Two Stacks on the Making of "Gucci Gucci"

​ Kreayshawn's "Gucci Gucci" is 2011's most divisive rap song. It's seen the leader of the White Girl Mob subjected to a cascade of commentary about her lyrics, her image, and her place in hip-hop -- although DJ Two Stacks' contribution to the "Gucci Gucci" phenomenon has gone largely overlook ... More >>

J Dilla's 10 Greatest Remixes

J Dilla​ Deceased hip-hop producer J Dilla, née Jay Dee, first asserted himself on the rap radar with his group Slum Village. Lauded by luminaries Q-Tip and ?uestlove, the Detroit-based trio of Dilla, T3, and Baatin (also sadly deceased) are held in cult esteem today, and tonight, remaining g ... More >>

Distortion 2 Static's Top Five Celebrity Guests

During its 10-year run, the Distortion 2 Static hip-hop TV show graduated from profiling local upcoming artists to chatting it up with rap superstars. Started by Prince Aries, Ariel Nuñez and DJ Haylow, the show signed off on its broadcast run back in September; a farewell shindig will be going dow ... More >>

Instrumental Hip-Hop Sucks. Ban It Forever.

RJD2​ Instrumental hip-hop should be banned. It's the banal, meandering stepchild of hip-hop. It's a front-runner for the dubious honor of being the world's most snooze-inducing form of music. And, shockingly, there are still producers and fans who insist on validating it like it's anything bu ... More >>