Old School Hip-Hop

Del The Funky Homosapien on His Favorite Old-School Rappers, New Album Attractive Sin, and His Very First Live Show

It's a weekday afternoon, and Del the Funky Homosapien's mom has just left his house. She was passing through to pick up an iPod the rapper had bought for her -- but left empty-handed, as she wasn't confident about being able to use Apple's dinky little music player. "She's gonna come back in a coup ... More >>

R.I.P. MCA: A Selection of the Beastie Boys' Greatest Works

In all likelihood, you've spent the weekend doing exactly the same thing we did -- trying to come to terms with the loss of Adam "MCA" Yauch and getting together with friends for Beastie Boys parties in his memory, trying to imagine the musical landscape without the trio. Truthfully, it's hard to th ... More >>

Celebrate Four Years of Debaser With This Exclusive Boyz n the Hood-Themed Mix

Editor's note: Ahead of the four-year anniversary of beloved '90s party Debaser, we invited party DJs Jamie Jams and Stab Master Arson to make a mix of some of the songs we can expect to hear at Saturday's party. What follows is their mix and commentary. By JAMIE GUZZI Hip-hop historians note that ... More >>

Veteran Rappers: Do You Really Need to Continue Making New Records?

There was a time, back in the late '80s, when the legendary Bronx rapper KRS-One was a candidate for the title of Greatest Rapper of All Time. Twenty-five years later, though, the self-anointed Blastmaster's latest long-player, The B.D.P. Album, suggests that compulsory retirement from the recording ... More >>

Stretch Armstrong on the Demise of FM Radio and the Inanity of Celebrity DJs

One half of the Stretch and Bobbito Show on New York's WKCR through the '90s, DJ/producer Stretch Armstrong has played an essential part in the integration of hip-hop into mainstream radio. A fixture in the '90s hip-hop scene, he used media outlets such as mixtapes and radio programs to launch the c ... More >>

Baron Ambrosia: Public-Access Weirdness Hits Food TV

Each week we take a quick, cautious look at what's going on with televised cooking. This week: The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia, a half-hour primer on mugging for the camera, Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. on the Cooking Channel. Or you can gape at it here. If Baron Ambrosia seems like just anothe ... More >>

Justin BUA's Top Five Illustrated Hip-Hop Album Covers

"Historically, artists painted the court and the aristocracy. I'm the court painter of hip-hop -- the artists are that important." So says Justin BUA, the hip-hop generation artist who celebrates the release of his new book The Legends Of Hip-Hop with a signing session at Booksmith this Friday start ... More >>

Five Hip-Hop Album Covers That Would Make Insanely Difficult Jigsaw Puzzles

This week, a new candidate emerged for the spot of hip-hop's fabled fifth element: The jigsaw puzzle. With a canny eye on the not-too-far-off Christmas season, the Boston-based Get On Down Records has released jigsaw versions of classic rap album covers by Biz Markie, Kool G Rap, Boogie Down Produc ... More >>

Chris’ Cross

Mixtape Challenge: How Long Can You Listen to the Beastie Boys Go "OOOOoOOOo?"

​ Fairly few mixtapes entertain, point out a musical trend, and ask interesting questions of their listeners at the same time. But, over at Uptown Almanac, Serg and DJ Hunnicutt have just posted a mixtape that does both of those. It's called "oooOOOoooOOOooo..." (The Mixtape), and it consists ... More >>

Rock the Bells Brings Classic Hip-Hop Debuts to the Stage

Hip-Hop Legend Grand Wizard Theodore on His Three Favorite DJs

Grand Wizard Theodore​Friday night, old school hip-hop legend Grand Wizard Theodore will team up with one-time De La Soul producer Prince Paul for a night of grand grooves laced with a playful dose of turntable trickery at 330 Ritch. The Bronx-born and based Theodore's pioneering contribution ... More >>

Peanut Butter Wolf: Show Preview

Today at Papalote: All-Day Benefit for Godfather of Hip-Hop Kool Herc

Joe ConzoKool Herc doesn't have health insurance, and needs to come up with a hefty deposit for surgery.​Kool Herc (born Clive Campbell) threw the first-ever hip-hop party in 1973, and has been critically celebrated as the godfather of the youth culture that later took over the world. So it's ... More >>

To Help Hip-Hop Father Kool Herc, Eat a Papalote Burrito Today

Kool Herc​By now you may have heard the bad news about Kool Herc, one of hip-hop's founding fathers: He needs a stent from a recent kidney stone removed, but doesn't have health insurance. Father Herc has to throw down a hefty deposit to get the medical work done.To help out, both locations of S.F ... More >>

Afrika Bambaataa on the Origins of Hip-hop, the Perfect Beat, and His Most Treasured Record

Afrika Bambaataa​For those who haven't heard of Afrika Bambaataa, the Godfather of hip-hop, his resume looks something like this: 1969-1971: Warlord, Black Spades, Bronx River Houses, Bronx NY. Responsibilities included: Tagging turf; crossing enemy lines to forge relationships with other gangs ... More >>

Rock the Bells 2010: Classic performances of hip-hop albums

Nas and Damian Marley show the wrong way to Africa

What To Do? Thursday's Pick: Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief

Souls of Mischief​Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief @ MezzanineOakland rap quartet Souls of Mischief is most fondly remembered for a 1993 hit. Prince Paul is a legendary oddball production Svengali from Long Island who also goes by the aliases Chest Rockwell and Filthy Pablo. The idea of holing them ... More >>

Souls of Mischief embrace the Prince Paul regime

Kid Koala reimagines heavy rock with the Slew

Outside Lands Asks Public for Headliner Suggestions

Now that the Beastie Boys have pulled out of Outside Lands, announcing the bad news that MCA has to undergo treatment for cancer of the parotid (salivary) gland, the festival has turned to the public to ask what artists should be considered as replacements for Sunday night's big finale. Outside Land ... More >>

Dr. Purpthumb in the House

SMC RecordingsCarded up: G-StackGoood morning, all you pot smokers! Today, as you all know, is April 20th, or 4/20 (wink wink nudge nudge cough cough). And though it's still several long, sober hours until 4:20 proper, ASD has a lil' somethin' somethin' to help all you cubicle jockeys make it throug ... More >>

Hey DJ! Friday Q&A: Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist

Grandmaster Flash spins his story in new autobiography

Last Night: Beastie Boys Still Cool After All These Years

Instrumentally Challenged

Beastie Boys clam up on The Mix-Up

Life After Dark

Godfather Mel Cheren's eternal dance floor

Get your funk on for free

The Holy Spirit of Breaks

From church pews to dancefloors, Kurtis Blow knows how to party

Hip hop heroes school the new kids

Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

The misunderstood adventures of the Bishop of Hip Hop

BeatBox

DJ Toph One mixes it up at a new Friday happy hour; Digital Underground offers a silly reprieve from silly hip hop

Merry Christmas, Beeyotch!

Forget caroling. Here are a few hip hop jammy-jams to warm your yule log.

Pawns in the Sun

Rock Ninja! encounters the rules of a summer concert at BFD

R.I.P. JMJ

A hip hop happening in honor of the late, lamented Jam Master Jay

House of Tudor

The godfather of hip hop graces S.F. with his presence, as do some Filthy Thieving Bastards

Northern State

Dying in Stereo

Best Dorky But Cute Hip Hop Act

Lil' Pocketknife

Hear This

Legendary DJ Afrika Bambaataa brings his b-boy esoterica to town

Got Live If You Want It

What do a cappella, opera, and jazz have to do with hip hop? Ask Felonious.

Handsome Dan

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Hear This

Nuthin' But a She Thing

Reviews

Riff Raff

Reviews

Recordings

Keeping It Real

Redefining hip hop with Spearhead, Ben Harper, and Aceyalone

Schools of Thought

The Roots, the Nonce and DJ Hurricane take hip hop to the next level