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Mixtape Madness is hosted by Southern California's MizBehavin. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Compton, MizBehavin's life has always been all about music: the daughter of a radio station employee, her uncle taught her how to scratch and spin records at a young age, and later in life she worked for KKBT FM-92.3 The Beat, one of LA's top hip hop and R&B stations, where she learned the ins-and-outs of the industry.

"That scene in Straight Outta Compton where Dr. Dre lies on the floor with the records spread about resonated so deeply with me... I cried. I still do that!," MizBehavin says. She grew up surrounded by her family's massive record collection, which included the works of music legends like Al Green, Shalamar, Luther Vandross, Rick James, T

This week's Spotlight Artist is LX BEATS, born Lauri Pihlman, coming to us all the way from Finland. He is seen on the #RAP50 countdown with last week's Spotlight, Akrobatik, on their collaborative track “Migrate” featuring M-Dot. LX Beats took the time to sit down to talk about his experience in producing and working with Akrobatik, and making their album Antihero together. They make one dope collaboration and with his beats, Akrobatik couldn't pass up working someone who is putting in as much work as LX Beats is.

RAPstation (Kianna Woods): How did you get into production?

LX Beats: My childhood friends played me AMG - Bitch Betta Have My Money and Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers al

During the second night of this year's OVO Fest in Toronto, Drake brought out Kanye West as a special guest. The two proceeded to perform “Pop Style” for the cheering crowd, however, Kanye West made an interesting announcement afterwards.

“Toronto, I got one question for you,” Kanye West said after they wrapped up the performance. “Is you all ready for this album? I'm not talking about Pablo. I'm not talking about VIEWS. I want to ask y'all, y'all ready for this album.”

Drake then echoed Kanye's sentiment, saying “What my brother was asking before was, are you ready if we make an album? That's what he was asking.” As of right now, we have no more details about this

Grandmaster Melle Mel is the original hip hop MC, and is rightfully celebrated as one of the pioneers of rap. Rap Mind, a site focused on socially conscious rap, was recently given the rare opportunity to speak with Melle Mel, and the Grandmaster gave his opinions on everything from Donald Trump to what he thinks is the true essence of hip hop.

“Love. That was the true essence of hip-hop and that might have been the sixth element.  None of it started with money.  If you were a b-boy you did it because you loved it.  If you were a graffiti artist, you weren’t going to be famous.  If you deejayed, you did it because you loved it," Melle Mel said.  "When you hit the mic, you did it because you loved what you were d

Legendary emcee Rakim recently teamed up with Stephen “Ragga” Marley’s on Revelation Pt. II: The Fruit of Life album, dropping a slew of knowledge and wisdom on the song “So Unjust,” which also features Canadian MC Kardinal Offishall.

While demonstrating his extraordinary lyrical prowess, Rakim rhymes about the current cultural climate with lines like, “Since history, it’s been depression and misery, racism, greed, deception and bigotry/They make you choose/You a prisoner or a soldier, but once you fall victim to the system/then you over.”

It’s not the first time one of Bob Marley’s sons has collaborated with a legendary hip hop artist. Step

Today is the 56th birthday of not one, but two members of Public Enemy: both Chuck D and Professor Griff are celebrating their birthdays today. The two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were instrumental in giving PE it's distinct sound and message.

Public Enemy's socially conscious rap and innovative production style have made them one of the most important and influential hip hop groups in history, inspiring a future generation of artists, ranging all the way from Kanye West to Nirvana to Bjork. A big part of the band's appeal came from Chuck D, with his booming voice and his smart, witty lyrics, and the band's Minister of Information, Professor Griff, who fueled Public Enemy's political activism. The combined effort of the two have ensured that Public