RapStation

Public Enemy, The Roots, and Living Colour performed this weekend at the opening ceremonies for the Smithsonian Institute's brand new National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

The new museum opened its doors to the public this weekend, following an opening ceremony that featured a speech by President Obama. “African American history is not somehow separate than the American story. It is not the underside of the American story. It is central to the American story,” Obama said. The museum is dedicated to giving visitors an "unvarnished" education on African American history, starting with the role African Americans played in the founding of the country, the struggle of slavery and The Civil War, all the way up to their influenc

Atlanta-based rapper, Scotty ATL's had a tremendously rough season. Over the last year, the rapper's endured the loss of nine loved ones, including the tragic passing of a close friend, Bankroll Fresh. Despite his losses, Scotty ATL dropped his latest album just a few days ago, and the finished product is pure magnum opus.

“It feels wonderful to get this project out of my body, mind, and spirit,” Scotty explained in an interview with XXL, “I had to overcome a lot just to get it out. With this particular project, I wanted for people to see my growth as an artist and as a lyricist.”

There's an unmistakable feeling of pain and despair, but that feeling loses its weight at the amount of inspiration and positivity Scotty som

In 2014, a young East Harlem rapper by the name of Dave East earned top draft pick under Mass Appeal Records, chosen by the man, Nas, himself. In less than a week, East is scheduled to release his latest mixtape, which he boasts as his “best work to date”.

September 30^th marks the debut of his Kairi Chanel. Named after East's own daughter, the proud Harlem artist describes it as a lyrical translation of his greatest and most defining moments in life, which he aspires to utilize in sparking a modern Hip-hop renaissance:

“I want my Freshman year to be remembered as when New York City woke the f—k back up again,” East explained to XXL during the Freshman cover session, “Legends always d

Love is a pretty cliche trend, don’t you think? We’ve seen love with its petty face, misused and abused by those unversed in its true beauty. We’ve seen love at its finest, unconditional and often times irrational. Love… cliche, yet absolute, and the definitive goal.

With so much hate televised and publicized in the modern-world, one simply must raise the question: Where and HOW does love weave into all this? Can love still flourish with so much hate? Chicago-based rapper Mick Jenkins would have a word to say, with his debut album The Healing Component.

“Love is a conversation that we don’t really have at all. Especially not in rap,” explained Jenkins to The Fader. Bu

We’re living in an age with technology and social media so high, artists don’t even have to see the light of day to produce good music. Hip-hop’s Kendrick Lamar, on the other hand, seemingly disagrees with this method. Top Dawg Entertainment’s producer, Sounwave, affirms Lamar’s beliefs: “The whole process of this album [To Pimp A Butterfly] is you literally had to be in the studio with us to get the sound we’re trying to portray.”

On a similar note, prominent jazz artist Kamasi Washington sat down with Marc Maron on a segment featured on his popular WTF with Marc Maron podcast, and narrated an interesting anecdote pertaining to Washington’s work with the the Top Dawg star.

“Day one, he wa

Slaine’s accomplished a pretty decorated career. As an entertainer, he’s moved from young Boston rapper, to sharing screens with Top-grade stars like Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, and most recently, Kevin Hart, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

As an emcee, Slaine’s catalog includes collaborative records with several titans of the Hip-hop world; Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Raekwon, and Wu-Tang’s U-God to list a few—not to mention founding the rap supergroup, La Coka Nostra, along with Everest, DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Non-Phixion’s Ill Bill.

Underneath his success, fans came to know Slaine for his introspect storytelling rhymes, each story seemingly sucking you into a dark world of drugs, violence, love and loss, dreams and night