On this day in Hip Hop history we celebrate the birth of one of Hip Hop and pop culture’s most recognizable icons, Snoop Doggy Dogg. Uncle Snoop was born Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. in Long Beach, California in 1971. Since then he has risen to become a household name of Hip Hop. His image and […]
On this day in Hip Hop history Eazy-E releases his second solo EP It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa. Released one year after his first EP and a long five years after his debut album Eazy-Duz-It, this album was a response to Dr. Dre’s prolific debut The Chronic. Tensions became high between the two NWA heavyweights and after the groups […]
Today in Hip Hop history Brooklyn trio Digable Planets released their sophomore LP Blowout Comb. Serving as a more politically charged follow up to their jazzy debut, Reachin’: A New Refutation of Time and Space, this album showed the group’s stance on Black nationalism and inner city living in the mid 90’s. Visit streaming.thesource.com for more information On this […]
On this day in Hip Hop history, we celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest MC’s of all time, Eminem. Aside from being one the most prolific pure lyricists in Hip Hop, Eminem was a pioneer for diversity in rap culture. As the first white rapper to gain international acclaim, Eminem forever changed rap […]
On this day in Hip Hop history Nas took the first steps of what would turn into an illustrious career by releasing his debut single “Halftime”. Under the name “Nasty Nas“, the single was put out as apart of the soundtrack for the film Zebrahead, two years prior to his celebrated Illmatic LP. The popularity […]
On this day in Hip Hop history Brooklyn rapper Mos Def released his debut solo LP Black on Both Sides. Coming off of the success of his debut, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, with fellow conscious rap legend and Soulquarian Talib Kweli, this album took the mainstream rap world by storm and was one of the […]
Queen Latifah, MIA, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, Tommy Genesis, Kamaiyah: these are just a few of the women who have been able to stake their claim for greatness in an industry riddled with male dominance and misogynist sexist themes. They have created a lane of their own, empowering women and girls […]
Today in Hip Hop history prolific South Bronx philosopher KRS-One released his second solo LP KRS-One (an acronym for Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone). With this album, the former Boogie Down Productions MC makes an attempt to reconnect with the younger scene in New York. The tone and style of this album fit more into the fold […]
On this day in Hip Hop History Chicago legend Common released his debut LP Can I Borrow A Dollar? Going under the name Common Sense, he delivered a debut that can be set apart from any other album he’s released. As one of Chicago’s first mainstream Hip Hop albums, this album exhibits an unorthodox approach to conscious rap.With […]
Today we celebrate the 59th birthday of Chairman and CEO Russell Simmons. Since the founding of Def Jam Recordings in 1983, Russell Simmons has been an instrumental part in the advancement of Hip Hop culture. Over his illustrious career Russell has launched the careers of multi-platinum artists (LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy to […]
On this day in Hip Hop history Oakland trio Souls of Mischief release their underrated classic album 93 Til Infinity. Hailing from Oakland’s Hieroglyphics camp, this conscious adolescent put together an LP that, despite their “inexperience”, held it’s own against the work of east coast artists thriving in New York’s Afrocentric boom-bap scene. Visit streaming.thesource.com for more information Quietly peaking at #84 […]
Jazz has again begun to find its way into mainstream Hip Hop. With the success of Kendrick Lamar‘s To Pimp A Butterfly, more artists have started to incorporate the classic brass and string jazz sound. On this day in Hip Hop history, one of the the first jazz fusion Hip Hop albums, Reachin’ (A New Refutation […]
On this day in Hip Hop history Craig Mack released Bad Boy’s second LP as a label Project: Funk Da World. This successful debut introduced Craig Mack as one of Bad Boy‘s original artists alongside The Notorious B.I.G., 112, Faith Evans, and Total. Visit streaming.thesource.com for more information Unlike like Bad Boy’s debut, Biggie’s Ready […]
On this day in Hip Hop history, Harlem legend Cam’ron released his sophomore LP Sports, Drugs, and Entertainment or S.D.E. for short. Coming off of a gold certified, chart placing debut, S.D.E takes a slightly more hardcore gangster approach than Confessions of Fire. Originally titled The Rough, Rough, Rough Album, S.D.E. puts a more blatant focus on Cam’s criminality rather than lyrical […]
Today in music history Hip Hop’s first Billboard Top 40 single “Rapper’s Delight” was released by Englewood, New Jersey’s Sugarhill Gang. As one of Hip Hop’s earliest relics, this single is credited with bringing the art of rap to a multicultural mainstream audience. Visit streaming.thesource.com for more information In the 70’s, disco and soul still reigned supreme […]
On this day in Hip Hop Big Daddy Kane released his sophomore album It’s a Big Daddy Thing. Along with being a successful follow up to Kane’s classic debut, this album was the first to suggest Big Daddy Kane to be Hip Hop’s sex symbol. Visit streaming.thesource.com for more information With a wider appeal than Long Live […]
On this day in Hip Hop history the late great Ol’ Dirty Bastard released his second LP Ni**a Please. Before it’s release, ODB was quoted saying that the then untitled album had two contenders for it’s name: “God Made and Dirt Don’t Hurt” and “The Black Man Is God, White Man Is The Devil”. Ni**a Please […]
In the two decades that have passed since 2Pac‘s untimely assassination, Hip Hop has developed a special type of separation anxiety. From the shameless advertising ploys, posthumous albums, and Machiavellian conspiracy theories, it is obvious that the culture has had a hard time accepting the fact that our beloved outlaw has finally crossed the threshold of that thug […]
The title of ‘super producer’ is not one to be taken lightly. For every era of Hip Hop there is a man behind the keys setting the tone. Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, RZA, Swizz Beats, Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Mike Will Made it, and Metro Boomin are among the few who have dictated what […]
What dictates cool? Originality, tenacity, courage, creativity? Is it the will to stand alone beside your own thoughts and ideas or simply just being the first and fliest to ever do”it”? Whatever the definition may be, Bedford-Stuyvesant’s own Fab Five Freddy was it’s embodiment throughout the 80’s and 90’s. As the host of Hip Hop’s […]
