“These artists weren’t just entertainers—they were educators, cultural critics, and community historians.” — Dr. Reiland Rabaka In Part 2 of our Hip Hop Studies series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores the ...

Gangsta Boo, rap pioneer and former member of Memphis hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, has died. She was 43. Gangsta Boo’s representative confirmed news of her death to Variety. No cause was given. On ...

Tupac Shakur was a fan of a style of music you might not expect during his formative years in the 1980s. This is the music ...

Gangsta Boo, the pioneering female emcee and an integral part of the legendary Memphis, Tennessee, rap group Three 6 Mafia, died on Jan. 1, 2023. She was 43. The death of the much-admired rapper, ...

From Run-DMC’s Queens classic to De La Soul’s subversive storytelling, to “Trap Christmas”…rap has always celebrated the holidays on its own terms. Christmas in Hip-Hop has never been ...

From a bookish, asthmatic child to mainstream hitmaker, the West Coast M.C. charted a distinctive path to hip-hop stardom. By Eduardo Medina and McKenna Oxenden To hear more audio stories from ...

As it celebrates its 50th birthday, we are mapping hip-hop's story on a local level, with more than a dozen city-specific histories of the music and culture. Click here to see the entire list. If you ...

Born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, she was one of the first female rappers to build off the gangster rap image and sound that took off in the 1990s. By Eduardo Medina Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, the Memphis ...

Coolio, a West Coast hip-hop star known for melding gangsta rap and pop music into memorable hits such as “Gangsta’s Paradise,” died Wednesday at the age of 59. The rapper, whose real name was Artis ...