In 1996, the Fugees burst on the scene with “Ready or Not,” and most listeners were not ready: for the ominous, eclectic, Caribbean-inflected production, the…
From a Bronx Party to a Global Force
Many, many people with an internet connection, including yours truly, spent a fair amount of time on 11 August 2017 entranced by a Google Doodle.…
The story of the funky drummer:
“Give the drummer some”, said the voice of funk soul pioneer James Brown as it rang out above his band on the 1967 recording…
A History of American Protest Music
On June 12, 1963, in the early morning after president John F. Kennedy’s Civil Rights address, activist Medgar Evers was shot in the back as…
The origins of hip hop
When we hear “hip-hop” or “rap” (we hardly hear just one of those term separately, because of their common origins), we talk about a musical…
#HipHopDance
How the B-Boy and B-Girl Became Choreographed Count-By-The-Numbers Dancers Prologue: Ihave a dilemma. Every time I pull up old clips of Def Comedy Jam’s first…
“All Hail The Queen – 30th anniversary
Itwas 1989 and I was eight years old when I arrived at the colossal red-brick building in Brooklyn where Mama, Daddy, and I lived. After…
So Misinformed – Snoop feat Slick Rick
Vorrei dire a questo signore e a tutte le altre persone / Che non sono state benedette dalla melanina / Per far loro capire ciò…
Grass is Greener
Incontri/«Grass Is Greener», il debutto alla regia di Fab Five Freddy, è un documentario sulla legalizzazione della cannabis. Il graffitista e conduttore tv coinvolge anche…
PHASE 2’s Party Flyers
In the South Bronx in the 1970s, hip-hop culture was just beginning to form at large musical gatherings called jams. In abandoned buildings packed with…