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Mac Miller in Los Angeles in September. Note the Beats, Rhymes And Life tattoo on his right wrist.

Mac Miller in Los Angeles in September. Note the Beats, Rhymes And Life tattoo on his right wrist. G L Askew II for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption G L Askew II for NPR

Conversations

Mac Miller: 'It's OK To Feel Yourself'

"It's liberating to realize you have the freedom to make mistakes. You have the time," says the Pittsburgh rapper, who lifted himself out of a dark period. "Because you're so small."

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Masta Ace in New York in July.

Masta Ace in New York in July. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

Conversations

Masta Ace: 'I'm Still Trying To Prove Myself'

Masta Ace had his first drink at a Cold Chillin' Christmas party. He began his career surrounded by the greats, and he continues to push himself to operate on a higher level.

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Large Professor earlier this year.

Large Professor earlier this year. Sun Bronx/Courtesy of Distrolord hide caption

itoggle caption Sun Bronx/Courtesy of Distrolord

Conversations

Large Professor, Part 2: 'I Really Live Through This Music'

"In Flushing, Queens, where I came from, we're right down the block from this fair, the Globe. Something about that town, it's just Olympic, Olympiad kind of a — we wanted to jump the highest."

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Large Professor at an event in New York City in April, 2013.

Large Professor at an event in New York City in April, 2013. Cindy Ord/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Conversations

Large Professor, Part 1: 'We're Living In The World of Hip-Hop'

One of the foremost architects of New York rap has been decorating this planet since the late '80s.

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Vince Staples onstage in Sacramento in May.

Vince Staples onstage in Sacramento in May. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Conversations

Vince Staples: 'My Job Is To Keep My Sanity'

The Long Beach, Calif., rapper made his debut album, Summertime '06, so that people who hear it will know how he felt then. "That's when we understood the power we had in fear," he says.

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Ali Shaheed Muhammad onstage during Microphone Check's live interview with Father in Atlanta in May.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad onstage during Microphone Check's live interview with Father in Atlanta in May. Amanda Greene for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Amanda Greene for NPR

Conversations

Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Part 2: 'We Still Have The Forgotten People'

The musician and NPR host on his motives, his rituals, Lucy Pearl and his one regret.

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Father onstage at Terminal West in Atlanta May 18.

Father onstage at Terminal West in Atlanta May 18. Amanda Greene for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Amanda Greene for NPR

Conversations

Microphone Check Live: Father

We spoke to the rapper, producer and head of Awful Records, while we were in Atlanta in May. Our onstage conversation was brief but covered a lot of ground fast.

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Microphone Check onstage with Organized Noize in Atlanta. From left to right: Frannie Kelley, Ray Murray, Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Microphone Check onstage with Organized Noize in Atlanta. From left to right: Frannie Kelley, Ray Murray, Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Amanda Greene for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Amanda Greene for NPR

Conversations

Microphone Check Live: Organized Noize

We went to Atlanta to talk to the three-man production team behind some of the greatest songs ever: Ray Murray, Rico Wade and Sleepy Brown.

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Ali Shaheed Muhammad at NPR's New York City studio in March.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad at NPR's New York City studio in March. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

Conversations

Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Part 1: 'I Walk A Different Walk'

We put our legendary co-host in the hot seat and he spoke on how he evaluates music, how his faith influences his work ethic and how much he cares about getting credit. And that's just the first half.

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Julian Petty.

Julian Petty. Courtesy of Nixon Peabody hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Nixon Peabody

Conversations

Industry Rules No. 1-4079: A Conversation With Lawyer Julian Petty

Once he was an aspiring rapper, now he represents Ali, Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples and the estate of Biggie Smalls. He's also worked with Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder.

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Iamsu in NPR's New York studio in March.

Iamsu in NPR's New York studio in March. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

Conversations

Iamsu: 'I Heard That Beat Totally Different'

When we sat down with Iamsu, the Bay Area rapper had just as many questions for Ali Shaheed Muhammad as we had for him.

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Amber London during her interview with Microphone Check during SXSW in March 2015.

Amber London during her interview with Microphone Check during SXSW in March 2015. Katie Hayes Luke for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Katie Hayes Luke for NPR

Conversations

Amber London: 'I'ma Show You How It's Done'

The Texas rapper's experiences as, at once, a member of an all-girl posse, the only woman in the room and a person strangers underestimate are fundamental to her formidable style.

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Video still from a Microphone Check interview featuring OverDoz. Shot during SXSW Music Festival in March 2015.

Video still from a Microphone Check interview featuring OverDoz. Shot during SXSW Music Festival in March 2015. NPR Music Video hide caption

itoggle caption NPR Music Video

Conversations

OverDoz: 'It Just Showed Us How Much Power We Had'

A lighthearted chat with the four-man crew at SXSW 2015 turns into a deep conversation about social responsibility and self-determination for black artists.

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Hank Shocklee, of Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad, in Austin, Texas for an interview with Microphone Check.

Hank Shocklee, of Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad, in Austin, Texas for an interview with Microphone Check. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

Conversations

Hank Shocklee: 'We Had Something to Prove'

Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee talks about hip-hop's often overlooked influence on technology and the current state of the genre with Microphone Check.

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Heems at SiriusXM New York City Studios in March.

Heems at SiriusXM New York City Studios in March. Robin Marchant/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Conversations

Heems: 'If Someone's Got To Do It, It Should Be Me'

"It's when you step out of the community that you get to look at it through a lens where you might be able to help," says the Queens rapper. "But then you're so far out of it, how do you get back in?"

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Malcolm Spellman after an interview with Microphone Check in Austin, Texas, during SXSW 2015.

Malcolm Spellman after an interview with Microphone Check in Austin, Texas, during SXSW 2015. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

Conversations

Malcolm Spellman: 'The Real, You Just Can't Beat It'

A writer and producer of Empire spoke to Microphone Check about which subplots on the TV show come from hip-hop history and the ways its central storyline is particularly American.

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Jean Grae in Brooklyn.

Jean Grae in Brooklyn. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

Conversations

Jean Grae: 'It's Not Just For Me. It's For You Guys.'

Jean Grae is a rapper, a singer, a writer, a comedian and an actress. She doesn't run out of ideas. Her most recent album is called That's Not How You Do That: An Instructional Album For Adults.

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Earl Sweatshirt in Austin, Texas, during SXSW March 21, 2015.

Earl Sweatshirt in Austin, Texas, during SXSW March 21, 2015. Mito Habe-Evans /NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Mito Habe-Evans /NPR

Conversations

Earl Sweatshirt: 'I'm Grown'

"This is the first thing that I've said that I fully stand behind," the 21-year-old rapper says of his new album. "I've never been this transparent with myself or with music."

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ASAP Ferg in New York City in February.

ASAP Ferg in New York City in February. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

Conversations

ASAP Ferg: 'I Want This Moment To Last Forever'

The pillar of New York's ASAP Mob speaks about his aesthetic choices, the way he imagines our far off future and what he's learned from Missy Elliott.

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Leila Steinberg at a benefit for A.I.M., the organization she founded that produces workshops meant to foster emotional literacy, in 2008.

Leila Steinberg at a benefit for A.I.M., the organization she founded that produces workshops meant to foster emotional literacy, in 2008. Brian To/FilmMagic/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Brian To/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Conversations

Leila Steinberg: 'With Earl, It's A Journey'

Steinberg began managing Tupac Shakur in the late '80s and stepped away from that role in 1993. She didn't manage another musician for almost 20 years, until she started working with Earl Sweatshirt.

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Big Sean at NPR's Los Angeles bureau.

Big Sean at NPR's Los Angeles bureau. Emily Berl for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Emily Berl for NPR

Conversations

Big Sean: 'I Stuck With My Gut'

"I made a promise to myself," says the Detroit rapper. "I would never ever not follow my heart again. That way if I rise or fall, sink or swim, it's by my own choice and my own decisions."

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The panel at our screening of The Spook Who Sat By The Door (from left to right): Dr. Greg Carr, Jamilah Lemieux, Cedric Shine and K. Nyerere Ture.

The panel at our screening of The Spook Who Sat By The Door (from left to right): Dr. Greg Carr, Jamilah Lemieux, Cedric Shine and K. Nyerere Ture. Frannie Kelley for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Frannie Kelley for NPR

Conversations

Microphone Check Live: 'The Spook Who Sat By The Door' Screening

In honor of Black History Month we went down to NPR's Washington, D.C., headquarters to show Sam Greenlee's 1973 film and host a conversation about its resonance.

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Terrace Martin.

Terrace Martin. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Conversations

Terrace Martin: 'Everything Got A Little Bit Of Funk In It'

The producer and multi-instrumentalist on the Kendrick Lamar album he's working on, Snoop and love.

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DJ Quik onstage at his album release party at SOB's in New York City on Oct. 7, 2014.

DJ Quik onstage at his album release party at SOB's in New York City on Oct. 7, 2014. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

Conversations

DJ Quik: 'Flamboyant? Every Now And Then'

After 24 years in the music business, the producer and rapper from Compton, Calif., knows what's going on. He told Microphone Check studio secrets, a Rick James story, and all about the funk.

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AraabMuzik at work.

AraabMuzik at work. Erez Avissar/Courtesy of Distrolord hide caption

itoggle caption Erez Avissar/Courtesy of Distrolord

Conversations

AraabMuzik: 'I Have So Much Music, It Doesn't Make Sense'

The Rhode Island-born producer and DJ tells the story of the father/son talk he once had with Cam'ron, delineates EDM and hip-hop and calls out the whole music industry for being flaky.

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