Like most great discoveries Murk Avenue blogger Donovan Strain started with a simple question: just which date inspired Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day"? more ›

Chuck D of Public Enemy wants the world to know that hip-hop -- at least, his brand of it -- is about activism and community involvement. "For too long, they've said that the music I'm involved with, the genre doesn't have enough conscious social activity," he recently told CBS News. more ›

By now, you've probably heard Gywneth Paltrow rap N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" (if you haven't, here's the clip). In a recent interview with Steve Stoute, the actress bumps up her street cred even more. more ›

The Odd Future rapper accused of assaulting a female photographer came out verbally swinging after he heard that the photographer Amy Harris had lawyered up. The accused rapper Vyron "Left Brain" Turner wrote a profanity-laced tirade against the photographer on tumblr: "i didnt slap that old bitch, everybody seen that shit..idgaf though." more ›

One part because MTV Jams busted this one out yesterday, and one part because the message not only still applies, but also can be applied to human relationships in a global perspective, today's video lunch is a time machine back to Los Angeles in 1990, when a the West Coast Rap All-Stars reminded the youth of the day that "We're All in the Same Gang." more ›

The rapper Game decided to open up on the topic of gay people in the biz. It turns out he LOVES gay people. He says they run the world (just like that Beyonce song!), and that's great, since this is a free country and everything. They should be out and proud, he says, that way they're not spreading AIDS. more ›

Spoken word artist Gil Scott-Heron, known most for his influential poem-song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," died yesterday in New York. He was 62. For your video lunch today, a few of the songs from Scott-Heron's career. more ›

The lineup for the summer's top hip-hop festival tour was announced last night at House of Blues. Rock the Bells visits the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino (you know - the one formerly known as the Glen Helen Pavilion, Hyundai Pavilion, and the Blockbuster Pavilion) August 20. more ›

22-year-old hip-hop artist “M-Bone” (Mante Talbert) was killed Sunday night in Inglewood, a reported "victim of random violence" according to a statement from his publicist Greg Miller, reports the Associated Press. "He was a hardworking, passionate artist and dancer that will be deeply missed," said Miller. more ›

Biggie, Biggie, Biggie...Your death still mystifies, well, a whole bunch of people. Today the internets are swirling with the news that the FBI "revealed an online reading room called The Vault that allows for a search of the bureau's documents as part of the Freedom of Information Act and B.I.G. murder documents reveal some new data on the case that many were unaware of before," according to HipHop DX. more ›

Long Beach born Nate Dogg (nee Nathaniel Dwayne Hale) died yesterday in his hometown at the age of 41. A cause of death has not been released, however, as MTV points out, "the infamous hook singer had been recovering from two massive strokes he suffered over the past years." more ›

Years from now, when someone asks, "Who was the MC Lyte of the Latin American hip hop scene?" one name will come to mind: Ana Tijoux. Born in France to Chilean parents, the GRAMMY nominated Tijoux is a true pioneer. Her CD, 1977 -- a reference to her birth year -- has helped her conquer the thriving Latin America hip hop scene. Tijoux explains how she got her start: more ›

Another independent music store has announced they will be closing down. This time it's Fat Beats, a hip-hop centric record shop with two remaining retail outlets, one in New York City and one here in Los Angeles on Melrose. more ›

Last year, LAist got an early leak of the Poindexter album by rapper Childish Gambino. Or, as he's more universally known, actor / writer / comedian Donald Glover. Since then, his show Community has been picked up for a second season on NBC, he's had a stand up special on Comedy Central, the film he co-wrote, stars in, and scored - Mystery Team - has moved from theaters to DVD, and he's gotten press lately for parlaying a few tweets into legitimate talk to play the next Spiderman. Maybe. more ›

DJ Premier owns gold and platinum records, won three Grammy awards, is the founding member of one of hip-hop's most influential duos, has worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Notorious B.I.G. to Christina Aguilera, has a massive fanbase of loyal followers and is considered by many to be one of the greatest producers of all-time. Even with all the accolades and success, the legendary producer continues to bang out hot beats and remain relevant after more than 25 years in the game. more ›

The restless sonic explorer RJD2 is near impossible to pin down. Nothing seems to really fit. Hip hop producer? Multi-instrumentalist songwriter? DJ? At this point it all of these labels seem inconsequential. RJ (Ramble John) Krohn has been making interesting, multifaceted albums for a decade now and just seems to be hitting his stride. We caught up with RJD2 to talk about his fourth album, The Collosus, newly released on his record label Electrical Productions, which is a near indefinable, genre-hopping frenzy. more ›

It’s probably fitting that the place you’re most likely to find Chaz Kangas is online. After all, he got a pretty big boost by appearing on the freestyle-inspired Childish Gambino track My Hoodie off the Sick Boi drop a while back. After all, Childish himself is the online-only rap personification of Donald Glover, who himself got his start online with the sketch comedy group Derrick. But with an innumerable amount of battle rap videos spanning years, Kangas is so serious about tearing other MCs apart, there’d be nothing funny about it if it wasn’t so damn hilarious. more ›

Once again, REDCAT brings the outside world to Los Angeles when it brings Brazilian choreographer Bruno Beltrão and his nine-member, all-male movement powerhouse Grupo de Rua to its theater for five performances this week. more ›

Usually a statement like "he's got more jobs than names" wouldn't be impressive at all, but the man whose birth certificate reads "Sean Combs" has had a lot of names. He's been called Sean "Puffy" Combs, Puff, Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy. After spending an afternoon with the mogul of many monikers, I thought of another name for him -- Santa Claus. more ›

Busta Rhymes has been winning over audiences with his charismatic, energetic and animated personality since the early 1990s. In Breaking Point a film by Jeff Celentano which hits select theaters, including the Laemmle's Sunset 5, tonight you'll see a Busta unlike you've ever seen before. The former member of Leaders of the New School plays "Al Bowen" a vicious gang leader who, in the words of Busta "does some horrible shit." Some of that "horrible shit" includes throwing a baby out of a window. more ›

Jay-Z's show at UCLA this Sunday has long been sold out. Damn college kids and their disposable incomes! Don't worry, LA-based Hova fans. Sean Carter just announced he's coming back. This time he's bringing his show to the Staples Center, March 26th. The rap icon who's currently on the road with Wale and N.E.R.D. finishing up the final dates of his college tour, will pack up his Yankee hat and hit the road again for "The Blueprint 3 North American Tour." The BP3 tour starts on February 22nd in Houston and takes Jay's "Empire State of Mind" to arenas across the country to places like New Orleans, Boston and San Jose before wrapping it up right here in LA. Young Jeezy will serve as the opening act. Tickets go on sale November 13th, with various pre-sales beginning November 10th. more ›

Ladies of Burbank, your chances of becoming a millionaire have significantly improved. Why? Because 50 Cent is coming to town. The rapper who claims "Have a baby by me, baby, be a millionaire" in his latest single has embarked on a 10-city screening tour of his new film, Before I Self Destruct. The film will be released on DVD on November 16th along with his new album, also titled Before I Self Destruct, but you can see it for free on November 11th (a week from today) at the AMC Burbank at 8:30 p.m. 50 stars in, wrote and directed the film, which has been described as a "coming of age story." Pick up your tickets at MovieTickets.com/50. more ›

LA Dream Team was a hip-hop group from back in the day. Here's one of their floor-shakers from 1985, "Dream Team Is In The House." It's the type of thing you'll hear on the new-old 93.5 FM K-Day or at the sort of barbecue that I've always wanted to attend. LA hip-hop wasn't always gangsta, you know. more ›

Whether or not you really ever believed Hip Hop was Dead, there’s no denying the changes it’s undergone in the past decade. Bass-y beats and mean muggin’ thug rhyme runners are so cliche they’ve become a caricature of themselves; how else can you explain 50 Cent having his own video game? So where does a real hip hop head turn? Like an ostrich: underground. more ›

There’s an opening reception tonight for Bryan Cunningham’s Wander Lost exhibit at La Luz de Jesus Gallery starting at 8 pm. His inspiration for the art was born out of a road trip across America. He got sick of seeing gentrified towns with megastores and chain restaurants, so he got off the freeways and took forgotten roads with “mom & pop diners, picturesque motels and backyard shrines (to anonymous deities) that gave an indigenous face back to the road.” more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email. more ›

When Kenan Bell isn't in the classroom of a local Montessori school teaching youngsters language arts, he's on stage schooling crowds with his own unique brand of hip-hop that blends indie-rock with electronica, a style URB called "his very own genre of nu-gaze, emo-hip-hop." In March, the La Crescenta native put on full display his eclectic musical taste and range when he dropped the “Good News: The Mix-Tape,” which features remixes of songs by artists as wide-ranging as Pink Floyd, Lily Allen, Gang Gang Dance, Jose Gonzalez, Peter, Bjorn & John, Duran Duran, and Neil Diamond. Yes, you read that right, Neil Diamond. more ›

First "Rap Chop," then "Jam Wow," and now "Press Hop." Thank you mad-mashup-genius Steve Porter. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." more ›

Racking up over ten million YouTube views, and signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, hip-hopper Kid Cudi is well on his way. The recent video for "Day 'n Night" features the lonely stoner meandering around Los Angeles. Can you recognize any of the locations? Comment below! more ›