Lil Wayne is already the hottest thing in Hip-Hop and for the past few years he has only gotten more and more popular. Now the rapper has plead guilty to gun charges associated with a 2007 arrest.   While he has yet to be sentenced, insiders speculate he will serve about eight to 12 […]

“Kill the track, annihilate the sequel”   – Dilated Peoples   People, people, people.   Something needs to change.   Quickly.   This year, we have seen a dangerous trend overtake our genre and upend it into near oblivion. A trend that seems to grow with each passing month. A trend that may cause the […]

GUCCI MANE’S PRODUCER IS DOING BEATS FOR JEEZY TOO   Peep this:   Zaytoven Beats just landed Jeezy’s new single “Trap or Die 2.” You probably already know that Zaytoven is Gucci’s producer, and along with “Bricks,” Zay is also responsible for the song that started the Gucci/Jeezy beef – “So Icey.” Anyway, everyone on […]

It could be easily forgotten that the tracksuit was once used for function, not fashion. It was meant to be a "warm-up suit", worn over athletic apparel, until Adidas re-introduced it as lounge wear during the 60s. The tracksuit didn’t quite become a fashion trend until the 80s. It was taken to another level by the booming […]

“All comedy comes from a dark place.”   -Katt Williams   In his new DVD, Pimpadelic, Katt Williams often refers to his once illustrious career as a stand up comic, a legacy that still resonates with fans. However, the video now may be one of the last documents to chronicle his stand up life now […]

As a Hip-Hop junkie that has never once considered detox, I have to admit that Hip-Hop has been subject to mountains and mountains of Bad Ideas. That is the theme of this new column that examines this re-occurring theme with rap.   Hip-Hop is no different than than other genres, which have seen a number […]

“All things come to an end. … Now, the spirit of Hip-hop will always be alive… as long as there’s inner cities, there’s ghettoes, and there’s poor people.” —Nas[1] Last week BBC News featured a report couched in questioning: “Has hip-hop grown up?”[2] Besides the obvious condescension, we learned next to nothing (!) about what […]

With the east coast U.S. expecting possibly the coldest winter in a decade, you’ll want to make sure you’re armed with stylish and cozy knits and fleece.   The cardigan made a big comeback and is here to stay. Although the “grandpa” styles are hot as well, many brands have updated the classic cardigan with […]

Check out Bill Cosby, and four African American men about race, family, music and a myriad of other matters in the community.Bill Cosby has been a lightening rod in the Hip-Hop community. He’s been a positive force for years, as an entertainer, comic and as an activist. Still, with his intentions in recent years have […]

There is nothing like a pair of fresh raw denim jeans.   They might be a little stiffer than soft vintage denim, but they have that new crisp look that automatically cleans up a casual outfit.   Mos Def in Too Black Guys   Where does raw (or dry) denim get its name?   It […]

Whether you like it or not, one trend that is hot on the runways and streets this season is double denim.   Along with acid wash and bleach splattered denim, its another one from the seemingly never ending 80s.   William Rast Fall 2009   This trend definitely seems to be difficult to digest for […]

    Developer/Publisher: 2K SportsPlatform: XBOX 360   Players: 1 – 10 (Online)Release Date: 10/6/09   Rating: A-   In the world of gaming, few releases fill the calendar with a yearlong hype until it hits the street. From role playing, first person shooters, sandbox adventure to driving; every genre has that one franchise title […]

I do this for Hip Hop! VH1 Hip Hop Honors celebrates 25 years of Def Jam I have yet to be officially invited to the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. Yes, I know many of you are sitting there with your mouths open and a cloud with a question mark over your heads wondering how such […]

 I’m sure there are quite a few people that are going to disagree with me on this, but I am going all out.   There is a very big issue with Hip-Hop.   Not enough weirdos in the game to sustain the voyeurs and the Hip-Hop head itching for something that doesn’t look like it […]

“I’m a bluesman moving through a blues-soaked America, a blues-soaked world, a planet where catastrophe and celebration… sit side by side. … Like my fellow musicians, I’ve got to forge a unique style and voice that expresses my own quest for truth and love. … I must unapologetically reveal my broken life as a thing […]

We noticed that when we’re talking about current trends in men’s urban fashion, it ignites a lot of passionate criticism here! Mostly because these trends have been leaning on the feminine side for some time now – slimmer fits, typically girly colors like pink and purple, “murses”, etc. The looks are coming back and being […]

As featured in this month’s issue of Complex magazine, ska style is making its way back this season and we want to show you how to get the look!     A tad edgier than the skater look and more relaxed than your typical punk rocker, the ska trend stems from a music genre that […]

  Rating: Near Classic   It’s why black women sit under those big, hot machines for hours and why black girls sometimes sit by the bedside worshipping white Barbie dolls: good hair. Chris Rock channels his inner Ken Burns, giving celebrities, hair stylists and clients, and public figures the third degree about their hair practices, […]

  Developer/Publisher: Rockstar GamesPlatform: SONY PSP Players: 1Release Date: 9/29/09 Rating: A-   Have you ever found yourself kicking back to some tunes thinking you could do better? Whether a casual listener or a long time music lover, chances are the thought of producing has come across your mind once or twice. But production equipment […]

“I spit the truth in lethal/ … It’s not the mic; it’s the mind I speak through/” — KRS-One & Buckshot, “Connection,” Survival Skills, 2009. Hip-Hop as a whole, as a cultural community, has always had a problem accepting criticism—whether constructive or conjured, exact or exaggerated. It’s in our bloodline. We suffer no critics, antagonists, or […]