anniversary

‘Ready To Die’ turns 20; how Biggie’s debut revived New York hip-hop

It’s been twenty years since The Notorious B.I.G. dropped his seminal debut album. “Ready To Die” was a hit, making the burly emcee from Bedford-Stuyvesant the most visible New York rapper of his era and establishing Bad Boy Entertainment as the new powerhouse label in hip-hop.

‘Illmatic’ turns 20; how Nas ignited a new generation of MCs

It was 20 years ago today that Nas released his seminal debut album, Illlmatic. It wasn’t the huge crossover hit that, say, The Chronic or Doggystyle had been in the previous years. And it didn’t quite re-ignite the East Coast’s hardcore aesthetic, either; acts like Redman, Onyx, Das EFX, Black Moon had started doing that as early as 1992. But what Illmatic did was introduce the world to a thoughtful and gifted rhyme-writer from the Queensbridge Projects, and in doing so, it returned the traditional New York City emcee to hip-hop prominence.

‘I Wanna Be Down’: Brandy, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and Yo-Yo reunite

Singer/actress Brandy made an appearance on her old pal Queen Latifah’s talk show this week, and the Queen had a surprise for her guest. During Brandy’s interview, Latifah invited out fellow hip-hop stars MC Lyte and Yo Yo, who appeared on the smash 1994 remix for Brandy’s breakout hit “I Wanna Be Down.”

‘3 Feet High & Rising’; how De La Soul forever changed hip-hop

One of the most original and innovative debut albums in hip-hop history, the masterpiece from the Long Island, NY-based trio of De La Soul was a world-changing album that offered proof that hip-hop was not just machismo and aggression. At a time when hip-hop’s more “gangsta” and “political” strains were at the height of visibility, these three oddballs from the suburbs fired a shot for hip-hop nerds everywhere.

De La Soul releases their entire catalog for free

2014 marks the 25th anniversary of De La Soul’s classic debut album 3 Feet High and Rising. In celebration of their two-and-a-half decades of groundbreaking, innovative hip-hop, the trio of Posdnous, Maseo and Dave are releasing their entire catalog for free download today (February 14th.) The downloads will be available on De La Soul’s official website.

Kanye West reflects on ‘The College Dropout’

Kanye West’s critically-acclaimed debut album The College Dropout turned ten years old this week, and numerous media and entertainment outlets looked back on the rapper’s first project with fond memories. As for West himself, he tweeted extensively about what his first album means to him and shared his perspective on the last decade of his career.

Do the Beatles still matter in the age of Beyoncé?

Baby Boomers across America are giddy this week, as numerous events and appearances are planning in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. But, with all of the nostalgia and tributes, there is a factor that is being ignored as it pertains to the Beatles and their legacy.

‘College Dropout’ turns 10, how Kanye changed hip-hop

Ten years since the awkward, quasi-suburban kid with the sweaters, bookbag and a major inferiority complex bum-rushed the rap game. Kanye West dropped his debut album, The College Dropout, on February 10th, 2004. The album, from an artist that no one thought would work as an artist, became a monster hit–the first of many for West.

Big Daddy Kane reflects on ‘It’s A Big Daddy Thing’

In 1989, Kane was riding the critical acclaim from his lauded debut album Long Live the Kane, and hit singles like “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’.” But in an exclusive interview, he reveals just how bittersweet the success of his first album turned out to be