Hip-hop essentially began in Jamaica. Kingston-native Kool Herc grew up hearing the sounds of the Jamaican neighborhoods, which included lively dancehall parties and “toasting,” the DJ’s accompanying speech to their music. In 1967, he emigrated to the Bronx, New York and took that style with him to...… Read more

The career of Royce Da 5’9” does not fit neatly into an archetype storyline. For better or worse, it’s one of a kind. Who else can claim to be an artist who lives in the creative company of giants, and at the same time, accessible to the underground movement that birthed his career? Between Slaughte...… Read more

Santigold’s name has been popping up all over the internet lately as her new album, 99¢, gets ready to hit the masses. The Brooklyn-based artist has been working on it for a long time, basically since her last album, 2012’s Master of My Make-Believe. Santigold, real name Santi White, finds herself i...… Read more

Known by millions for keeping her lip gloss popping, for her epic performance in the TLC biopic, and for smashing the music video scene with "Sausage," Lil Mama eloquently asked fans to Take Me Back: the title of her recently released seven-track mixtape (which was released on 12-18-15), which is av...… Read more

Kehlani Parrish, known professionally as Kehlani, was born on April 24, 1995 in Oakland, California. The R&B singer-songwriter is currently signed to Atlantic Records. She achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group, PopLyfe, which was a finalist on America’s Got Talent. Kehlani released...… Read more

Premiered via EDMTunes and out now on DJ Shadow’s Liquid Amber imprint as the latest of their Digital Dubplates series, the “Trades” release signifies something special for Dj Pound, aka Danny Gonzalez. The Chula Vista, CA native is an artist in rarefied company, a turntablist at heart who identifie...… Read more