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10 OF THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN HIP-HOP 2023
Photo Credit: Andre 3000 - getty | xxlmagcom--December 31, 2023
It's a wrap on 2023, a year in hip-hop that featured some dope albums, fire production and some standout moments that hip-hop fans will never forget.
20 OF THE BEST NICKI MINAJ VERSES
Photo Credit: getty | xxlmag.com--December 5, 2023
When they play that new Nicki, all the Barbz gon' go crazy, and rightfully so. Throughout her 15-year career, Onika Maraj has proven that not only is she one of the best female spitters in hip-hop history, but also one of the greats regardless of gender when it comes to bars. Since bursting onto the scene with Playtime Is Over in 2007, the Queens, N.Y. rapper has shown a knack for delivering top-notch verses. She's also been very vocal and taken pride in penning her own rhymes.
Latto, Flo Milli, Monaleo, Maiya The Don and Mello Buckzz Unite for a Real Conversation About Women in Hip-Hop
xxlmag..com--December 5 2023
Hip-hop has a tired history of keeping its women in the shadows. Until the late 2010s, there had never been more then one female superstar at a time, and the remaining MCs were often pitted against each other or sequestered to their narrow lanes. With all that in mind, as Latto, Flo Milli, Monaleo, Maiya The Don and Mello Buckzz all sit nestled beside each other in New Jersey's Hudson River Studios, it's clear they understood this history. The women came together for the XXL Cypher Lab, presented by the Starz Original Series Power Book III: Raising Kanan, in October to show off their skills. The coinciding interview proves they all support each other despite the competitive nature of what they do.
Kota the Friend - Grateful
HIP-HOP SONGS TO INSPIRE BEING GRATEFUL
xxlmag.com--November 25, 3023
It's that time of year that everyone and their mother loves: the holiday season. While the end of summer is always bittersweet, the arrival of fall is upon us and once the leaves hit the ground there is no turning back.
Elizabeth Acevedo On the Importance of Family Bonds & Breaking Generational Curses
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Elizabeth Acevedo discusses ‘Family Lore’
Photo Credit: getty | twincities.com--November , 2023
Dominican-American author and spoken word artist best known for her young adult novel-in-verse
“The Poet X,” winner of a National Book Award, discusses “Family Lore,” her first novel for adults
about a woman who can predict,
to the day, when someone will die.
In MELSA metro libraries Club Book. Free. 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. Virtual/streaming at facebook.com/ClubBook.
Elizabeth Acevedo - I use my poetry to confront the violence against women
Jovan Landry - Embracing Your Unique Sound
Jovan Landry - New Beginning | Live Performance
13 Poet Rappers You Need In Your Life
Photo Credit: Michael Salisbury | gehenpress.com--September 23, 2023
Through music comes the power of storytelling, of giving space to those who seek universal liberties and demand a deeper understanding from those around them. Music is one of the most widely used devices in the toolbox of society,
spanning across generations and cultures, with musical instruments that date back to 43,000 ago.
Today, in the spirit of activism and social change, we’ve put together 13 artists skilled in rap and spoken word poetry.
Some are more recognizable than others— such as Grammy nominated Fever 333 and three time winner Chance the Rapper...
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Chicago Renaissance man Malcolm London blurs his roles together on Right Away Series
Photo Credit: David Huzieran | chicagoreader.com--September 24, 2023
Chicago’s Malcolm London juggles more roles at once than some people can list on their entire resumés:
he’s a poet, activist, rapper, and educator.
How does he do it? “I’ve come to the conclusion
that I have to be my whole self at all times,”
Malcolm London - The Power of Black Voice
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Jamila Woods’ Ethereal ‘Good News’ Was Actually The Inspiration Behind Her Third Album’s Title
uproxx.com | September 24, 2023
On October 13, Chicago soul singer-songwriter Jamila Woods will release her third studio album, Water Made Us.
The album’s title, which refers to the way water “always runs back where it came from,” is inspired by a line
from one of its songs, “Good News” — a song Woods shared today as the project’s third single.
Missy Elliott made Hip-Hop 'Supa Dupa Fly'
Photo Credit: gettyimages.com | npr.org--
September 24, 2023
In the 1990's, many of the women in rap videos were scantily clad (if they were clad at all.)
But Missy Elliott took a different approach. In her first music video, she wore a comically large black body suit that was inflated like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon.
You want curves? Here's your curves.
Beyond her fashion sense, the music she and her partner Timbaland produced was unlike anything else.
On Morning Edition, cultural critic Kiana Fitzgerald looks back at some of the game-changing moments in Hip-Hop. One of her choices: Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott's 1997 debut album, Supa Dupa Fly.
Spoken Like a True Poet
Art by Adeshola Makinde | poetryfoundation.org--
September 23, 2023
In Joshua Bennett’s history of spoken word,
poetry is alive and well thanks to a movement
that began in living rooms and bars.
Early in Spoken Word: A Cultural History (Knopf, 2023), Joshua Bennett assures the many parties keeping vigil over poetry that the ancient art remains alive and well in the United States. “Spoken word is the best possible rejoinder to anyone claiming that poetry in this country is dead or not relevant to younger generations,” he writes. The curiously evergreen and SEO-friendly question of whether poetry matters has been posed so often this millennium that, in 2014, the Los Angeles Review of Books responded with an essay titled
“How Much Does ‘Does Poetry Matter’ Matter?”
After a ‘hectic’ few years, Chance the Rapper finds new life in a 10-year-old mixtape
latimes.com--September 24, 2023
There was hardly a better time to be an aspiring rapper coming out of Chicago than 2012.
That year, label scouts began flocking to the city like never before, allured by Chief Keef’s thunderous “Finally Rich” mixtape, along with buzzing music by King Louie and Sasha Go Hard. While drill music ran the city,
heading the left-of-center-scene was a squeaky-voiced talent named Chance the Rapper,
who’d just turned a suspension from high school into a breakout mixtape, “10 Day.” Learn More
Rapper kei embodies freedom through rage and hip-hop
Phote Credit: OJ Slaughter | wbur.org--
September, 24, 2023
When Dorchester rapper kei took the stage at the Forward Future Festival in 2021, she was pretty nervous. She'd never performed in front of a crowd before
and her debut project, "baby steps," was still new at the time. "There was a lot going on. I'm usually very timid," she said, laughing. "There were changes in when
I was supposed to go on and how the set
was supposed to run." Discover More
Mick Jenkins on his latest album 'The Patience'
Photo Credit: gettyimagies.com | npr.org--
September 24, 2023
NPR's Scott Simon talks with musician and rapper Mick Jenkins about creative freedom and his latest album, "The Patience."
Follow this step-by-step guide to become a Slam Poet
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With the birth of hip-hop, I found a fashion and cultural identity I could call my own
Art by gettyimagies.com | cbc.ca--September 24, 2023
This First Person piece was written by Duke Eatmon,
a music columnist in Montreal.. Read More
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