Music
Puffy’s Angels
Pity the P. Diddy. For the past two weeks, Sean Combs has been trapped in court all day,…
Music
Gettin’ It on the Streets
Certain things are meant to be bought on the street. It’s clear, for example, that the trade in…
Music
Past masters
The kids nowadays, they’ve got no sense of history. If it didn’t happen in their lifetime, well then,…
Music
Paradise garage
Wyclef got ridden pretty hard in these pages last time around, but it’s not all rage and conflict…
Music
Big pimpin’
Before the Cash Money Millionaires even enter Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum, host T.K. Kirkland, raunchy comedian about town,…
Music
Cry Again
No one truly knew Aaliyah Dana Houghton. Just 22 years old, she’d already lived a life most veteran…
Music
Word Power
Since the mid-’80s, Divine Styler’s been on a wild ride that epitomizes, perhaps more than the experiences of…
Music
Equipped for warfare
REVOLUTION IS A COMMODITY these days—the capitalist system works at such an accelerated pace that voices of dissent…
Music
Still waters
The gift of some singers has very little to do with songwriting, vocal tone, or ability to perform…
Music
Blind faith—Quasimoto’s backdoor truth
It was strangely dark last night—black-gray, thick, billowy. The kind of weather that heralds a redemptive rainstorm, a…
Music
Jailhouse rap
Anerae Brown is one of hip-hop’s least-known, most unlikely prolific MCs. Since 1992, Brown—whose nom de rap is…
Music
Fathers figure
This can’t be said of many things in hip-hop, but it was Ed O.G. who started it all.…
Music
Keysnotes
ALICIA KEYS Songs in A Minor (J Records) On “Girlfriend,” Alicia Keys’ debut single, Ol’ Dirty Bastard is…
Music
Uncivil war
For a moment—nothing. Earlier this spring, just after “Back That Azz Up” had finally waned from radio playlists,…
Music
The End of Eminem
Can Marshall come out and play? On his new album, Em just wants to be unremarkable.
Music
Acey’s evo- (or is it devo-?) lution
Aceyalone was just a scant 15 years old when he composed the following rhyme, which would soon appear…