Hip-Hop

OutKast’s ‘Player’s Ball’ turns 20; a debut single that changed hip-hop

“Player’s Ball” changed the hip-hop landscape like only a handful of singles had before. In the same way that Run-D.M.C.’s “It’s Like That” announced the end of hip-hop’s first wave and the start of a new, more aggressive brand of rap; and in the same way that Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” put G-Funk and Death Row Records at the forefront of hip-hop visibility, “Player’s Ball” was the opening shot from a city that would soon become the center of hip-hop in the new millennium.

Method Man defends Chris Brown: ‘How would you have handled it?’

Chris Brown has come under constant criticism for his involvement in violent altercations, but one hip-hop star believes the R&B singer is getting a bum rap. Method Man spoke to XXL about Brown’s latest controversy, his involvement in a fight in Washington, D.C. Brown got into the altercation after men interrupted him while he was attempting to take a photo with a fan. “If you were in that same situation, how would you have handled it?” Method Man asked rhetorically. “Maybe you wouldn’t have handled it

5 essential RUN-D.M.C. songs

In honor of Rev. Run’s 49th birthday today, here are five songs absolutely essential to not only Run-D.M.C.’s catalog, but to hip-hop. “It’s Like That”