Results tagged “rap”

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.

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!

LAist got some time in with Los Angeles rapper MURS. MURS has just released 'MURS FOR PRESIDENT' on Warner Bros Records, and is a member of the rap groups Living Legends, and Felt. He hails from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Mid-City. I call him a homie-by-proxy! MURS stands for Making Underground Raw Shit - but it should stand for My Ultimate Rare Sit-down.

The murder of 17-year-old high schooler and football player Jamiel Shaw made headlines and had reverberations not only in his community, but city-wide. Now rapper Ice Cube has voiced his heartbreak over the death of a young man with a promising future--a death caused by senseless violence. His video for "Why Me?" uses the Shaw case a reference point for this kind of tragedy. The Daily News explains that "Cube says the Shaws are a powerful illustration of the pain that remains after a murder." The video "also features photographs of dozens of other crime victims blowing from a tree then across the sand in the desert north of Los Angeles. The video also depicts a young man in a football jersey being gunned down on a street. As he lays dying, he asks, 'Why me homie, why me?'"

              

If you put together a dream lineup for a hip hop show, chances are it would look something like this year’s Rock the Bells festival. This year’s incarnation featured the reunion (finally!) of one of the most acclaimed hip hop outfits in history, A Tribe Called Quest as well as the first performance in years from California’s own Pharcyde. But was from top to bottom a who’s who of Hip Hop both past and present. (Story continued below photo gallery)

Aesop Rock - the tall man of the NY weathermen rap cliq - consistently breathes fresh air into everything he touches. He's the only man that could have a music video with zombies, and yet still is that proverbial, (or fabled) fresh prince of fresh air. His artistry on the mic, coupled with his abilities working the production tip, makes my heart float. I wish I was like Aes-Rizzle, and the only thing getting in between me and GTA4 was a flourishing rap career & touring. Instead, I beat it last week. At least this Aesop Rock cd has replayability. Lucky for you, Aesop is currently touring the states, and lucky for me, he found time on the road to play one-sided twenty-questions.

Mrs. Dogg (aka Shante Broadus) has reportedly been arrested overnight in Fullerton for a DUI. According to cbs2.com (who got the scoop from this town's real news powerhouse, TMZ), the 32-year-old Broadus was stopped by police "near the area of Highland and Orangethorpe Avenues at about 12:15 a.m."

For the third time in less than a year, nu-metal/rock/rap powerhouse Linkin Park, blew through Los Angeles. Bringing their now familiar sound to the sold-out Staples Center, co-frontmen Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda screamed, sang and rapped their way through a blistering hour and a half set.

The first rule of Monday Night Fight Klub: Leave the dancing to the stars and the singing to wannabe idols. The MTV2 show is auditioning rap stars to be on the show’s second season.

Before MC Hammer's "Too Legit To Quit," there was a rap called "Legit" by Caldwell's Most Wanted - a little known group from a small town in Texas. Rather than emulating Hammer's mainstream, soft rap approach, CMW took inspiration from West Coast artists like N.W.A and Ice-T. Comprised of six high school students, the group longed to emulate the hard, thug lifestyle of South Central glamourized on Yo! MTV Raps despite their rural backgrounds.

Sole is a badass, a rapper, a visionary, and this Friday he will be the dopest show to check out in town. Sole is often best known for his solo work with Anticon, and did a killer interview with us back in July, but will be killing it with his new music-homies the Skyrider Band. So like they recorded this self-titled album, and its smokin-good.

As a life long hip hop fan who's friends are mostly casual hip hop fans, at best, I am constantly being told that a live show that features an emcee rapping over the record is hardly entertaining. To some extent I would agree. On one hand I won't pass up the opportunity to see someone who's lyrics I feel even if they are simply rhyming alongside a DJ who is playing their record, but...

Gift of Gab is the MC for the legendary rap duo Blackalicious. I've seen Blackalicious at the Glass House in Pomona Many years ago, and watched Gab keep a packed house in awe as spit out the hits, and took time outs to showcase his incredible freestyle abilities. Since then he's put out some solo stuff, has continued to be critically acclaimed, and remains a fan favorite. On August 15th (aka this Wednesday) Gift...

This is the second piece in a series celebrating some of the most classic albums to ever come out of Los Angeles.Part two is all about the west coast hip-hop classic Death Certificate, a true masterpiece from one of the OG architects of LA hip-hop....

What do the Roxy, Scion and Too $hort have in common? Besides all having O’s in their names, they will bring a fun, free, night to everyone on the guest list. Representing both Los Angeles and Oakland, Too Short was the first West Coast rap star, with five platinum-selling albums under his belt. Dropping wax like Gettin’ It and Shorty Pimp, Too Short definitely ranks as one of the most successful solo rappers of the...