Lil' Kim

The 10 Best Bay Area Rap Anthems of 2012

2012 was a fertile year for Bay Area rap, a time when the intellectual, the brazen, the sexed-up, and the chilled-out all took center stage at one point or another. There were songs that inspired dances, songs of Bay Area pride and protest, and more of that straight mack flow that still bumps around ... More >>

2012 MTV Video Music Awards: The 10 Lost Categories

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual occasion for thrill and intrigue. An arena for a slutty young Madonna to writhe around the ground in a wedding dress, or even for a slutty old Madonna to French kiss a couple of aging pop tartlets. A place for pyro and pasties and grand interruptions -- I'mma ... More >>

Consciousness vs. Sex: Jean Grae and the Plight of the Underground Female Rapper

Jean Grae​ Jean Grae, who performs tonight at the New Parish, is a very talented rapper. That's not just a very talented female rapper, but a very talented hip-hop artist who deserves to be considered on nothing more than her own lyrical merits, and shouldn't be given some sort of a rap pass d ... More >>

Britney Spears in San Jose: Pop Star Believes She Can Fly

Calibree PhotographyBritney Spears at HP Pavilion on Saturday​ Britney Spears June 18, 2011 @ HP Pavilion Better than: Not crossing a two-man religious picket line on a Saturday night in order to (apparently) celebrate fornication, homosexuality, and general hell-raising. "God hates Britney ... More >>

Before Kreayshawn: 10 Underrated and/or Forgotten Female MCs

Kreashawn: Oakland's latest female rap sensation.​Last week, around the fifth time someone sent me a link to Kreayshawn's "Gucci Gucci," I started having a feeling toward the diminutive rapper that was not entirely positive. This discomfort grew a few days later, when she reportedly signed a $ ... More >>

Top 5 Rappers Who Are Obsessed With Phil Collins (And Will Be Sad That He's Retiring!)

Phil Collins, the Genesis drummer turned solo artist, has retired from making music. This is sad news for his army of worldwide fans, most of whom presumably have sizable classic rock collections. But it's also news that will devastate a demographic one might not automatically associate with songs ... More >>

Why We Love Justin Bieber, Lil' Kim Spectacle, Willie Brown Drummers

Lucas Jackson/JustinPictures.org"Why do you love me so much?"​Lil' Kim late to wild S.F. show Monday night, ends up wearing a wedding dress after airline loses her luggage. [SF Gate]Pitchfork interviews "rising" S.F. shoegaze duo Tamaryn. [Pitchfork]Teen fans explain why they love Justin Bieber so ... More >>

Lil Kim to Perform at SF's Hotel Nikko July 12

​Prepare to hear lots of naughty words if you show up to this. The famously explicit, once-Notorious B.I.G.-endorsed Lil Kim will perform at the Rrazz Room at San Francisco's Hotel Nikko on July 12. The Brooklyn-born Lil' Kim (born Kimberly Jones) hasn't had a true hit in a while -- in fact she ha ... More >>

Will Lil Wayne's Stardom Survive Lockup? Look To 10 Other Jailed Rappers

RJ Shaughnessy​Lil Wayne, perhaps the most commercially successful and critically-lauded rapper of the past few years, was recently granted a reprieve from his date with destiny. Due to be sentenced on February 9th after pleading guilty to gun possession, the proceedings have been delayed until Ma ... More >>

Listomania 2009: Unintentional Lyrical Hilarity

Track of the Day: Jern Eye

Jern Eye​San Francisco's BOAC has a number of notable remixes and tracks that he's produced on his Web site. He's tackled hip-hop's titans (his version of Eminem's "Crack a Bottle" sounds so much fiercer than the original) and worked with indie faves (Sunspot Jonz and Luckyiam). I'm really digging ... More >>

The Return of the Conscious Daughters

EKAphotographySweet Nutcrackers: The Conscious DaughtersIt's been a minute since we last heard from the Conscious Daughters. For those whose memory banks are a little foggy, the Daughters came to prominence in the Bay Area rap surge of the mid-90s, a golden age which represented the region's high po ... More >>

Obama and Hip-hop: Better than "Beef"?

EKAphotography copyright 2007. all rights reservedOur shoulder-brushin', fist-bumpin' POTUS in Oakland, 2007 For a long time, hip hop debates have tended toward the tawdry and tabloidesque--i.e., Is Kanye Gay?; Is Alicia Keys creepin' with Swizz Beats?; Joe Budden vs. Saigon, T.I. vs. Mysonne, Cha ... More >>

Biggie, Small

Notorious B.I.G., made B.L.A.N.D.

From Oakland Blues to Big Singles

Keyshia Cole could shine in the spotlight this fall

Last Night: A-Trak and Kid Sister at the Good Magazine Block Party

VA

HEAVYbreathing Vol. 1 Bite It!|HEAVYbreathing Vol. 2 Thrill Me!

Department of What the Fuck?

What convicted felons Lil' Kim and Martha Stewart have in common

God Save the Scene

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

Best Dressed

Couture breezes through downtown S.F.

Styles Upon Styles

The Bay Area's Triple Threat DJs bring all their records to the party

Smooth Operator

Goapele wants to be a soul star, without all the major-label headaches

Beenie Man

Tropical Storm (Virgin)

Holiday Highlights 2001

Holiday Event Lisitngs

The FCC wants to shut down "Your Revolution"

The revolution will not be televised, or broadcast, or even relayed via smoke signals.

Reviews

Reviews

Nuthin' But a She Thing

Recordings