“I can draw anything, but I’m a Hip-Hop artist; I document Hip-Hop,” says Andre LeRoy-Davis. While that name might escape you, Andre, or “A.L. Dre” his pen name has been giving readers something to chew on or chuckle to when they’ve closed The Source for the last 16 years. Davis’ illustrations have become part of […]

Black History Month is upon us. Though its Hispanic contributions must be recognized, Hip-Hop culture has become one of the largest outlets of expression in Black history. Whether it was Big Daddy Kane updating Donny Hathaway’s definition of “Young, Gifted & Black”, dead prez’s outcry about the education inequalities in “They Schools” or Chamillionaire feeling […]

AllHipHop.com: The media portrayed it as when Dame and Jay split everyone had to pick sides. Peedi Peedi: It wasn’t like that though. Biggs had called me like, “I need you to come to New York.” I was like, “For what?” And he said, “Nah, I just need you to sign this paper stating that […]

The chances of getting offered a major recording contract without spitting one bar seem like zero to none but Pedro Zayas surprisingly beat those odds. Formerly known as Peedi Crakk, Peedi Peedi got scooped after a chance meeting in 2002; proclaiming himself “Prince Of The Roc” after quickly getting comfy at his new Roc-A-Fella Records […]

Yola’s initials, DG stands for “Da Great,” and for the 21-year-old rapper, there is no telling him otherwise. The uncompromising A-Town native bum rushed the music scene with his “f**k all haters” mantra on his scorching cut “Ain’t Gonna Let Up.” Building up his own fan base through his mixtape, Really Really in the Streets, […]

Between Lil’ Flip and Chamillionaire, it was Mike Jones that helped bring Houston back to the Hip-Hop forefront. Jones was more lighthearted than Flip, and less topical than Cham, but with his Yellow Pages raps, rags to riches banter, and happy-go-lucky attitude, Who is Mike Jones? answered its own question. However since the platinum run […]

Between the old and the new, there is the true. “True School” has been a loosely defined term for Hip-Hop with the purest intentions, Hip-Hop that has nothing to be ashamed about. Brooklyn MC J-Live wrote a song about it called “True School Anthem” a few years back, Grandmaster Caz and Mele Mel talk about […]

As Hip-Hop fans debate on New York’s return to the marketplace, 2007 will deal out several fresh faces. While Young Jeezy and Rick Ross have succeeded in strong debuts under The Carter Administration, Def Jam readies its homegrown talent Tru Life. With platinum pressures increasing, some already know this Lower East Side talent for reasons […]

Cashville, Ten-A-Key. The fact that Country Music’s reigning capital has been given a Hip-Hop inspired nickname speaks volumes about the influence of the city’s newest ambassador—Young Buck. Mayor Bill Purcell is probably not too thrilled that his city has adopted a nickname synonymous with copping cocaine at a bargain basement price, but in terms of […]

You probably don’t know it, but O.F.T.B. is in your CD collection. Operation From The Bottom was one of the groups that through numerous soundtrack appearances (Above the Rim, Gang Related, Gridlock’d), gave Death Row its street credibility. Balanced by Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound representing Crips, Flipside, LowMB, and DJ Bus Stop joined […]

Nas is the son of a Blues player; QD3 is the son of a Jazz icon (Quincy Jones) and brother-in-law to Tupac Shakur. The man who gained accolades producing for LL Cool J and scoring The Fresh of Bel Air became a top producer, and Hip-Hop’s premier documentary filmmaker. Q’s Beef series and Thug Angel […]

Narcicyst is obsessed with himself. Maybe that’s because he’s one-of-a-kind, as it would seem. This Iraqi MC presently lives in Montreal, where he is finishing up college. After eight years of rhyming, Narcicyst began flipping classic records from Notorious B.I.G. and N.W.A., and incorporating circumstances of Iraq culture, in blunt detail. Released through mixtapes, the […]

The Oprah Issue – starring Nas, Killer Mike, Gayle King, Young Jeezy, The Game, Elon Johnson, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Hip-Hop and Ms. Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey and Hip-Hop have peacefully co-existed for decades with little-to-no fanfare, but the inevitable happened – friction. The Oprah Winfrey Show debuted in 1986, the same year Run DMC injected […]

Without radio or video love, Bone Thugs N’ Harmony continues to party like it’s E. 1999. Claiming to have sold six figures during a quiet stint with Koch Records, the group won over the resurging ear of Swizz Beatz in his 2005 comeback, and he got behind the group. Based off of the Mariah Carey […]

Mathematics has been in the shadows of greatness. Joining 4th Disciple as the producers to fill in for RZA, Mathematics has pounded out such hits as Ghostface’s “Mighty Healthy” and GZA’s “Labels.” Those credits, along with the Long Islander’s own album have made him a cult favorite amongst Wu fans, but relatively undiscovered to the […]

“I wanna be a muthaf**kin’ hustla!” Those were the opening words on Snoop’s classic, Doggystyle and they were voiced by a then eight-year-old Lil” Bow Wow. Strange hearing those curse words from a youngster’s mouth, but 14 years later, Bow Wow is now old enough to talk any way he wishes. Dreams of being a […]

You read Part One of Dame Dash’s exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, here’s the fiery Part Two… AllHipHop.com: You said earlier that once you reach a certain point that you have to change, evolve and expand. A lot of the criticism that I’ve heard in relation to you is that it seems like in the past […]

AllHipHop.com: Where are you getting your inspiration from for your new music? Mele Mel: Crowds. My whole thing is that if you watch and see what motivates a crowd – that’s your motivation. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t have nothing that you can add to the game for the people, then it’s […]

The old adage says, “out of sight, out of mind,” but when referring to Dame Dash, that depends on where one looks. After a highly publicized split with his long time Roc partner Jay-Z, the Harlemite seemed to vanish from the public eye that he once stunted in front of. For many, the talk has […]

Every time you lift up a tone-arm, for those DJs that still carry vinyl, Grand Wizard Theodore must be considered. This man pioneered the scratch you hear on Nas records, and the needle drop you hear nightly at every club. The Bronx-born Hip-Hop luminary has never stopped working in almost 35 years, and 2007 knows […]