Category: Rap and Hip-Hop

How Did These Strange Songs Hit No. 1?

Melanie’s “Brand New Key” is just one of many weird songs that somehow topped the Billboard charts.
Female Rappers in the Spotlight Make Room for Motherhood

As their influence and success continue to grow, artists including Sexyy Red and Cardi B are destigmatizing motherhood for hip-hop performers.
YFN Lucci Pleads Guilty to Gang Charge Ahead of Trial

The rapper was part of an indictment brought by the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., who is pursuing a separate racketeering case against Young Thug and YSL.
21 Savage Returns to No. 1 With ‘American Dream’

Kali Uchis’s “Orquídeas” opens at No. 2, giving the Colombian American songwriter her highest chart position yet on the Billboard 200.
Is ‘J Christ’ Lil Nas X’s Final Troll?

The rapper and singer has always been a master of the internet, not of music. But with his latest release, “J Christ,” he’s lost his grip on virality, too.
Ariana Grande’s House-Groove Kiss-Off, and 9 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Lil Nas X, Waxahatchee, serpentwithfeet and others.
What Songs Would ‘Saltburn’ Characters Have Spun in 2007?

The soundtrack to Emerald Fennell’s movie has been a talker. Hear tracks by M.I.A., Girl Talk, Nelly Furtado and others that would have been a good fit.
T.I. and Tiny Are Accused of Rape in Lawsuit

The Atlanta rapper and his wife, who have denied the allegations, are accused of drugging and assaulting a military veteran around 2005 in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Mixtapes, T-Shirts and Even a Typeface Measure the Rise of Hip-Hop

New books collecting objects central to rap’s physical history demonstrate the importance of celebrating these relics before they vanish.
Tales of the Black Underworld Fuel Rap. ValTown Recounts Them.

ValTown, an account on X and other social media platforms, spotlights gangs and drug kingpins of the 1980s and 1990s — and how crime and celebrity often intersect.
Kanye West Apologizes for Antisemitic Comments With Post in Hebrew

“I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” wrote the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who is releasing an album next month.
12 Notable Boxed Sets From 2023

Whitney Houston’s gospel music, Future’s prolific mixtape run, a chunk of Joni Mitchell’s archives and a soundtrack of Brooklyn’s early discos arrived in new packages this year.