RapStation

OVO Sound’s young founder has shown a rather cryptic way of encrypting messages to the media. It appears that certain “Drake Billboards” are becoming a trend, often seen in LA streets and on the social media posts via curious passers.

The most recent, however, presents itself in a straightforward sentence. Fashioned against an all-red backdrop and branded with OVO’s symbolic owl, the sign reads “Let’s all get along like they do in Canada”.

Drake’s blunt billboard statement perhaps alludes to his initial reaction to the growing issues of violence and social injustice becoming more rampant across the nation. Just this summer, the young rapper posted on Instagram what appeared to be a direct response to the Alton Sterling

Professional angry man and singer/songwriter Chris Brown was freed yesterday, after putting up a quarter of a million dollars in bail and a fourteen hour standoff with police. Depending on who you ask, this is either the latest attempt by the media and police to villify Brown, or it's simply the next chapter of Chris Brown being Chris Brown.

Brown's latest run in with the law began a couple days ago, when police showed up at Brown's home to question him about allegedly assaulting a woman (again.) Brown refused to let the police in, and after a fourteen hour standoff, he finally relented after police obtained a search warrant. Brown was then arrested on suspicion of assault for a deadly weapon, and was released after posting bail.

Brown is accused of assua

September begins with the Bronx—and by that I mean, Bronx-born Latino rapper, the one and only, Don Cartagena, aka Fat Joe. And what better way to kick off the beginning of the ber-months, than listening to Cartagena’s self-entitled third album.

On this day, 18 years ago, Fat Joe released Don Cartagena, the third collection after his debuting Represent album, and the 1995 hit Jealous One’s Envy—both of which are also highly-recommended listen-to’s by the way.

Released under Terror Squad, Mystic, Big Beat, and Atlantic Records, Don Cartagena entered the Hip-hop scene with much gusto. The album debuted at #7 for the Billboard 200, and peaked on Top R&B

Boston emcee Slaine is back with a new EP, on which he discusses his long battle with drugs and alcohol and his path to sobriety.

Slaine has appeared in hit movies like Gone Baby Gone and The Town, and has worked with acts like DJ Premier, Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, and Raekwon, but in 2014 the La Coka Nostra rapper temporarily walked away from all of his previous success to focus on kicking his drug and alcohol addictions. This year, Slaine is making his triumphant return to both acting and music; he appeared in this summer's action-comedy hit Central Intelligence, and now he's preparing his first album in two years, Slaine Is Dead, which will be released on September 23rd.

In the new video f

The Get Down isn't the only hip hop influenced show on Netflix's line-up -- this month, Luke Cage, Marvel's street level African-American superhero, will be getting his own thirteen episode series on the steaming service. The character is beloved by many rap artists, and in turn, the new live-action adaptation is heavily influenced by hip hop music.

"All the episodes are named after Gang Starr songs," said Cheo Hodari Coker, the showrunner for Luke Cage, in a new promotional video fo

Last week’s Artist Spotlight introduced a very distinct voice in Hip-hop’s UK Underground scene. Yes, distinct, meaning one-of-a-kind because this rapper takes the words persistence and realism, and cranks them to insane heights. RAPStation seized the opportunity for a lengthy chat with the British artist, which led to this very detailed interview with MURDS himself. 

What’s the story behind the name?

“I was pretty dedicated to grinding and jumps on my skates as a teenager. One of my skating hero's was Mike 'Murda' Johnson. Due to trying to skate like him and being a bit of a naughty teen, I got nicknamed 'Murda'. The name has stuck