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NEWS ABOUT: hip-hop

Vladimir Putin, Rap Advocate?

Russian prime minister just plain awkward at music awards show

(Newser) - While it would have been infinitely more entertaining had Vladimir Putin actually tried to freestyle, his appearance at a music awards show this weekend still made newspapers titter. Putin, who first stood around looking awkward while his “youth disguised” security mingled with the dancing crowd, handed out an award... More »

Craziest Rap Concert Demands

From condoms and KFC to Cuban cigars and Hennessy

(Newser) - Drawing on the Smoking Gun ’s collection of concert riders, Sam Greenspan of 11points.com offers a list of the 11 craziest demands made by rappers:
  • DMX: Three boxes of condoms and a gallon of Hennessy—that’s anywhere from $300 to $800 worth of cognac.
  • Public Enemy: Kosher
... More »

The Most Influential DJs

(Newser) - With the release of "DJ Hero" upon us, it's a good time to honor the true masters of turntablism. IGN lists the most influential:
  • DJ Kool Herc. He invented the “breakbeat” by using the two-turntable style of disco DJs to play two copies of a funk record, switching
... More »

Snoop Dogg's 'Snoopiest' TV Moments

Hip-hop artist does an awful lot of entertaining TV cameos

(Newser) - In anticipation of Snoop Dogg’s cameo on tonight’s episode of Brothers, the Huffington Post runs down the hip-hop artist’s best—that is to say, Snoop Doggiest—TV guest moments to date:
  • The Martha Stewart Show: “Oh, you want me to take the skizin off it.”
... More »

Public Enemy Hooks Up With 'Crowdfunding' Site

Hip-hop innovators will raise $250K through Dutch site Sellaband

(Newser) - Hip-hoppers Public Enemy, one of the first groups to release on mp3, is entering the brave new world of crowdfunding. The group has partnered with Dutch site SellABand to raise the $250,000 necessary to record a new album entirely through $25 donations from fans. The payout? Donors—or “... More »

'Obama Effect' Cleaning Up Rap

Common says hip-hop turning more positive

(Newser) - Thanks to President Obama, today’s rap focuses less on drugs, bling, and violence, and the “conscious rapper” is on the rise—at least according to Common. “I don't find as much gangsta talk,” the rapper/actor tells CNN. “You see the whole chain-shining-and-rim era is gone.... More »

What Jay-Z and Glenn Beck Have in Common

Rap and right-wing talk radio are more similar than you might think

(Newser) - After listening to hours of Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, and Mark Levin on the radio while driving the Nebraska countryside, a peculiar thought occurred to David Segal: conservative talk-show hosts are surprisingly similar to gangsta rappers, he writes for the New York Times. Consider the parallels:
  • Huge egos. Both groups
... More »

Kid Cudi's Debut 'Ridiculously Intriguing'

Rap's up-and-coming name follows in the footsteps of Kanye West, Andre 3000

(Newser) - The premise of Kanye West protégé Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of the Day is that he’s “not on the same planet as other rappers. The truth is that he’s not in the same genre,” writes Julian Benbow for the Boston ... More »

Once-Homeless Rapper Wins Prestigious UK Prize

Speech Debelle is first woman to win Mercury in 7 years

(Newser) - Years of living in hostels and on the streets of London proved, at long last, a winning combination for rapper Speech Debelle, who today was awarded Britain’s prestigious Mercury music prize, the Guardian reports. Speech Therapy, the debut album by the 26-year-old (real name Corynne Elliot), represents a “... More »

Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 Splits Critics

(Newser) - Jay-Z's new Blueprint 3 seems to have critics divided. Some see flashes of brilliance showing the rap veteran at his best, while others see a mediocre effort that relies too much on celebrity.
  • Jay-Z sounds "hungrier than he has in years on about half the tracks, while sharing time
... More »

Jay-Z to Oprah: Drug Dealing Was 'Natural'

Says his generation 'disarmed' the N-word

(Newser) - Becoming a teen drug dealer was “natural” for Jay-Z, and it didn’t scare him a bit, given his environment in the projects, he tells Oprah in her O Magazine. “At some point, you become addicted to the feeling. The uncertainty and adrenaline and danger of that lifestyle,... More »

Chris Brown Sentenced to 5 Years' Probation

(AP) - A judge today sentenced Chris Brown to five years' probation and six months' community labor for the beating of Rihanna, then ordered the R&B singer to stay away from his former girlfriend for the next five years. The judge told Brown he could be sent to state prison if... More »

Vixen Author Embraces Her Inner Betty Crocker

And, surprisingly, some would benefit from listening to her

(Newser) - Karrine Steffans has had drama-riddled relationships with famous rappers and celebs such as Mike Tyson and Bill Maher. Her “relationships have been major public train wrecks,” writes Jo Piazza for DoubleX, from allegations of abuse at the hands of Tyson to her suicide attempt following her breakup with... More »

Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye Take on the Apocalypse

Three of hip-hop's biggest team up in video for new single

(Newser) - Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West romp around a post-apocalyptic New York in the much-anticipated video for “Run This Town” off Jay-Z's upcoming Blueprint 3, reports MTV.com. The clip portrays the three as "warlords in a 23rd-century turf war," writes James Montgomery, but that's beside the point.... More »

Rapper C-Murder Convicted of Killing Fan

(Newser) - New Orleans rapper Corey "C-Murder" Miller has been found guilty of murdering a 16-year-old fan, the Times-Picayune reports. The teen was shot during a nightclub brawl in 2002. The rapper—who changed his stage name to C-Miller after the incident—was convicted of the killing in 2003 but a... More »

Maxwell and K'Jon Force Soul Music to Grow Up

Maxwell, K'Jon lead return to classical soul era's adult themes and sound

(Newser) - Soul music has always been adult, conveying mature themes like financial insecurity and emotional anxiety. Now, with the emergence of K’Jon and the return of Maxwell, it finally sounds adult, too, Jon Caramanica writes in the New York Times. “K’Jon and Maxwell represent a strain of R&... More »

New Generation of UK Rappers Steps Out

Kids are coming out of the woodwork earlier to become Internet sensations

(Newser) - Grime—a musical genre fusing, among other things, hip-hop, electronica, and Caribbean influences—is being rejuvenated and redefined by “youngers,” the new generation of Internet-savvy MCs reaching for the charts, the Independent reports. “The ‘olders’ grew up listening to rap and hip-hop and other artists from... More »

Beastie Boy Yauch Has Successful Cancer Surgery

(Newser) - Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland and is recovering at home, Rolling Stone reports. The rapper says he had the procedure a week and a half ago, and spent just one night in the hospital. Though his recovery is going... More »

Hip-Hop's Next Big Thing 'Fine, Fresh, Serious'

Sure, her life wasn't all hard, but don't write her off as a rapper

(Newser) - “Even in a ‘post-race’ world, street sells,” writes Amy Granzin for Pitchfork. That would explain why some looked at Speech Debelle—the once-homeless UK rapper turned Mercury Prize nominee and "hip-hop's next big thing"—and spun “a tiny bit of flash into blinding bling.... More »

'No Homo' Makes Hip-Hop Less Homophobic

(Newser) - Kanye West was one of the first rappers to say, “Yo, stop it” to homophobic hip-hop artists, and his stance on homosexuality “remains the highest-profile rebuke of gay-bashing that hip-hop has seen,” writes Jonah Weiner for Slate. So why did West use the anti-gay hip-hop phrase “... More »

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