Hip-Hop : NPR

Meek Mill's Judge Declines Request To Recuse Herself

Meek Mills performs in Atlanta, Ga. in November 2015. Marcus Ingram/Getty Images hide caption

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Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

Meek Mill's Judge Declines Request To Recuse Herself

April 2, 2018 • Judge Genece Brinkley denied the request from Mill's lawyers to recuse herself from the case, which has drawn attention not only for the celebrity at its center but the system surrounding it.

Octavian Harnesses His Vulnerability On 'Hands'

Octavian Jamie Fernbeck/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jamie Fernbeck/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Octavian Harnesses His Vulnerability On 'Hands'

March 30, 2018 • The U.K.-hailing NPR Slingshot artist experiments with his sound and strikes a vulnerable chord on his latest single.

A Tribe Called Quest's Last Video Paints A Grim, Gripping Reality

A Tribe Called Quest recontextualizes "The Space Program" with a conceptual look at the future. Apple Music/screenshot by NPR hide caption

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Apple Music/screenshot by NPR

A Tribe Called Quest's Last Video Paints A Grim, Gripping Reality

March 29, 2018 • In a high-concept film directed by Warren Fu and featuring many hip-hop heavies, "The Space Program" is really code for the systematic removal of black people.

First Listen: Dr. Octagon, 'Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation'

Dr. Octagon's first album in 22 years, Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation, comes out Apr. 6 on Bulk Recordings. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen: Dr. Octagon, 'Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation'

March 29, 2018 • The first Dr. Octagon project to reunite Kool Keith with Dan the Automator in 22 years picks up right where they left off, as weird and warped as ever.

Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation

45:30

Buy Featured Music

Song
Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation
Album
Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation
Artist
Dr. Octagon
Label
Bulk Recordings
Released
2018

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Watch WebsterX Get The Crowd Jumping On 'Until I'

88nine Radio Milwaukee

March 23, 2018 • The Milwaukee rapper is an arts activist involved in community engagement. The NPR Slingshot artist's charisma and passion paints his high-energy performance.

Are Kanye West And Michael Scott From 'The Office' The Same Person? Yes.

Kanye West performs at The Meadows Music & Arts Festival October 2016 in Queens, New York. Taylor Hill/Getty Images hide caption

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Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Are Kanye West And Michael Scott From 'The Office' The Same Person? Yes.

March 23, 2018 • The Internet has a great way of merging pieces of pop culture that may seem disparate — to wit, one Kanye West fan is using scenes from the hit NBC comedy to review the Chicago rapper's discography.

Roxanne Shante Smells Her Flowers With 'Roxanne Roxanne' Biopic

Roxanne Shante attends a special screening of Roxanne Roxanne March 19, 2018 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Netflix hide caption

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Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Netflix

Roxanne Shante Smells Her Flowers With 'Roxanne Roxanne' Biopic

March 23, 2018 • The new Netflix film chronicles the rapper's early career.

Roxanne Shante Smells Her Flowers With 'Roxanne Roxanne' Biopic

Listen · 7:59 7:59

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On 'Everything's Fine,' Jean Grae & Quelle Chris Are The Ultimate Tag Team

Jean Grae & Quelle Chris' Everything's Fine comes out Mar. 30 on Mello Music Group. Mindy Tucker/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mindy Tucker/Courtesy of the artist

Review

On 'Everything's Fine,' Jean Grae & Quelle Chris Are The Ultimate Tag Team

March 22, 2018 • The recently engaged creative partners give birth to a wellspring of sociopolitical satire on their new collaborative LP.

Run-DMC, Pauline Oliveros, 'Rumours,' Chic And Beethoven Added To Library Of Congress

Run-D.M.C. backstage at the Grammy Awards in March 1987. The hip-hop group's 1986 album Raising Hell is one of 25 new inductees to the Library of Congress Recording Registry. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Record

Run-DMC, Pauline Oliveros, 'Rumours,' Chic And Beethoven Added To Library Of Congress

March 21, 2018 • This year's batch of inductees bring the Recording Registry up to 500 entries.

Run-DMC, Pauline Oliveros, 'Rumours,' Chic And Beethoven Added To Library Of Congress

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SXSW 2018 Recap: Hip Hop, Latin Folk and Mexican Barbecue

Sudan Archives Robb Klassen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Robb Klassen/Courtesy of the artist

SXSW 2018

SXSW 2018 Recap: Hip Hop, Latin Folk and Mexican Barbecue

March 19, 2018 • NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael and Felix Contreras dish about their favorite new discoveries at South by Southwest 2018 over a plate of barbecue.

SXSW 2018 Recap: Hip Hop, Latin Folk and Mexican Barbecue

Listen · 4:35 4:35

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Beyonce and Jay Z perform at the Grammy Awards in January 2014. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Record

On The Run Again, With More Baggage

March 14, 2018 • Jay-Z and Beyonce have been on the run before, but don't expect the hip-hop power couple to perform the same song and dance they did four years ago on this year's upcoming tour.

Craig Mack, Hit Rapper With 'Flava In Ya Ear,' Dead At 47

Craig Mack in New York City, 2004. Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic hide caption

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Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic

The Record

Craig Mack, Hit Rapper With 'Flava In Ya Ear,' Dead At 47

March 13, 2018 • The rapper, who turned away from his early success for a life of seclusion and religion, died on March 12 at his home in South Carolina.

The All Songs Considered SXSW Preview, 2018

Clockwise from upper left: Descartes A Kant, Chloe Foy, Dave B, Pale Waves, Nailah Blackman Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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All Songs Considered

The All Songs Considered SXSW Preview, 2018

March 12, 2018 • For this episode, Bob Boilen, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson listened to songs by more than a thousand bands that'll be performing at SXSW, and picked some of their favorites to hear and see.

The All Songs Considered SXSW Preview, 2018

Listen · 1:02:20 1:02:20

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Pop, Rock And An Onslaught Of Rhythm: The Songs Of SXSW

English duo IDER blends synth with piano arpeggios on the dreamy electro-pop ballad "Body Love." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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SXSW 2018

Pop, Rock And An Onslaught Of Rhythm: The Songs Of SXSW

March 11, 2018 • This five-song primer bridges electro-pop, R&B, rock, and rhythmic rap from up-and-coming artists performing at SXSW this year.

Pop, Rock And An Onslaught Of Rhythm: The Songs Of SXSW

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In Promising To Go Away, Vince Staples Reveals Another Strong Play To Stay

Vince Staples released "GTFOMD" after a masterful marketing rollout presented in the form of a GoFundMe campaign. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Panorama hide caption

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Review

All Songs Considered

In Promising To Go Away, Vince Staples Reveals Another Strong Play To Stay

March 10, 2018 • The Long Beach rapper calls out NPR, and the media in general, in a new song that finally combines his online persona with his singular artistic temperament.

Review: Meshell Ndegeocello, 'Ventriloquism'

Meshell Ndegeocello's Ventriloquism comes out Mar. 16 on Naive. Charlie Gross/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Charlie Gross/Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen

Review: Meshell Ndegeocello, 'Ventriloquism'

March 8, 2018 • The cover album becomes an unlikely site for deconstructing gender norms — and R&B's staid '80s tropes — in Ndegeocello's genre-bending care.

PRhyme's PRhyme 2 comes out Mar. 16 on PRhyme Records. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review

First Listen

Review: PRhyme, 'PRhyme 2'

March 8, 2018 • Royce 5'9" and DJ Premier bridge the ageist divide with a sophomore release worthy of definitive hip-hop statesmen.

Sam Sanders Corey Seeholzer/NPR hide caption

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Corey Seeholzer/NPR

World Cafe

World Cafe Guest DJ: Sam Sanders

XPN

March 6, 2018 • The host of NPR's 'It's Been a Minute' joins Talia Schlanger to share his incredible breadth of music knowledge.

Guest DJ Sam Sanders On World Cafe

42:00

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