The Warm, Cosmic Company of megiapa
On megiapa’s ‘Intentions,’ voice notes from her grandmother, her mother, and her closest friends drift through the synth haze, a family album cut to beats.
Hip Hop
Fury Built to Last — Dälek's Politics of Noise
Newark noise-rap duo Dälek discuss the stripped-down political fury of their tenth album 'Brilliance of a Falling Moon,' their full-circle collaboration with This Heat's Charles Hayward, and thirty years of creative freedom maintained on their own terms.
Farmer, Activist, Emcee — LXOR's Alchemy of Personal Reckoning
The Oregon-based emcee's latest album, 'Shadows 2: The End We Cannot Unknow,' marks a departure from occult histories and ancient grimoires, turning instead toward depression, grief, and the intergenerational pain of being a Black man in America.
Working it Out — Jeff Parker Revisits 'The New Breed'
Ten years after 'The New Breed' merged his love of J Dilla with his background in jazz composition, the Tortoise guitarist discusses mentorship, the practical realities of a music career, and why he makes the records he wants to hear.
The Microphone as Sword — Hip-Hop Against Fascism
Anthony David Vernon argues that hip-hop has lost its rebellious edge, but embracing anti-fascist resistance could restore the genre's defiant power and give artists something meaningful to fight against.
Postmodern MCs — What Makes a True Internet Rapper?
As the lines between mainstream and underground continue to dissolve online, artists carrying the "vibe of the internet" create music that reflects the web's original wild freedom rather than its corporatized present.
The Healing Hip-Hop of Küf Knotz & Christine Elise
Inside Philadelphia's vibrant music scene, an unexpected duo redefines the intersection of performance and therapy. On 'Hypnagogia,' their visionary sound effortlessly merges classical refinement and the soul tradition with hip-hop's raw energy and verbal play.
Kendrick Lamar and the Weight of a Hip-Hop Prophet
In "Watch The Party Die," Kendrick grapples with his calling as a musical prophet, torn between peaceful Christian ideals and the violent justice he feels compelled to deliver.
The Pleasure of Pettiness — What Kendrick Lamar Knows About Hate
Kendrick Lamar's "euphoria" asks us to reconsider everything we think we know about hate. By embracing the role of hip-hop's "biggest hater," he exposes the paradoxical joy we find in our pettiest grievances, transforming a diss track into a meditation on human nature.
The Mystery
When considering the most current discoveries in astronomy one may not think about Hip-Hop. However, over the course of its first fifty years, Hip-Hop artists have rhymed about the movements of the sun, moon, and stars in multitudinous songs and freestyles.
