Editors Picks
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2 Entertainment Lawyers Break Down Kanye West’s Recording Contracts
“Would I advise a client to sign Kanye’s current deal? Yes.”
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Hip-Hop in 2020 Is Full of Greek Mythology
“Rappers, especially in our modern times, represent all the feelings a person is faced with in pursuit of their personal legend.”
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We Must Honor Raekwon, Rap’s Godfather
“When we got that record deal, I went back and told my moms, ‘Yo, I got a job, Ma.’”
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There’s Privilege in Protecting Kanye’s Politics
“Humoring Kanye’s political rhetoric doesn’t just reflect a lack of education and disenchantment with electoral politics, but the luxury to be apathetic.”
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“The Breaks” at 40: Kurtis Blow, Crazy Legs & the Breaks That Bind
Forty years on from “The Breaks,” emcee Kurtis Blow and b-boy Crazy Legs cast their minds back to their milestone release.
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The Iconography of Cars & Heartbreak Through Our Favorite Artists
Consider this piece less of an investigation and more of a candid observation
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Why English Speakers Love Foreign Language Music
“There are myriad emotions our acute sense of collective irony has muted, and earnestness may be chief among them.”
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JAY-Z’s “Beach Chair” Set the Stage for the Second Act of His Career
“Beach Chair” was the moment JAY-Z finally let go of his youth, marking his journey into the philosophical elder statesman we celebrate today.
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16 Vignettes for Isaiah Rashad’s ‘The Sun’s Tirade’ Summer
In celebration of Isaiah Rashad’s sophomore album, we present a series of vignettes for a ‘The Sun’s Tirade’ summer.
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“The World Is Endin’”: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’ Premonition Came True
“With every fresh listen, ‘DAMN.’ sounds more and more like a premonition of the end of days, an album made for this exact uncertain and imperfect world.”
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A Frank Ocean Song for the Morning After a Bar Fight
“Within Frank’s fresh hell, he finds his heaven.”
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Kenny Mason Is the Sound of Change
Kenny Mason’s “Firestarter,” from his debut ‘Angelic Hoodrat,’ is the perfect song for my emotional moment.