RapStation

On the #RAP50 Countdown this week is our Spotlight Artist, Aesop Rock, with the song "Rings" from his 2016 album The Impossible Kid. Born Ian Bavits on June 5th, 1976, Aesop Rock is a rapper, songwriter, musician, visual artist, poet, and producer who was born in New York but currently resides in Portland, Oregon. This multi-talented artist has had a career spanning two decades, during which he landed a deal with Run the Jewels' El-P's Definitive Jux label.  Aesop Rock has been officially making music since he was a college student in the 90's, and has been a member of the groups The Weathermen, Hail Mary Mallon, The Uncluded, and Two of Every Animal.

After playing a character named Aesop in a film he made with friends, Ian st

Public Enemy's Chuck D appeared on multiple 24 hour news networks today to defend the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of renewed criticism following last week's shootings in Dallas. Chuck explained the purpose of the movement, and went into detail about why so many young people of color feel alienated and distrustful of a system that continues to allow police brutality to happen.

"The situation in Dallas is the worst thing that ever happened... after the worst thing that ever happened... after the worst thing that ever happened," Chuck continued. "When it comes down to a movement like Black Lives Matter... these people were born after Rodney King... they see these [police] acquittals... and brutality. People feel that Black Lives Matter is this v

Fresh on the heels of celebrating the 20th anniversary of their classic album Stakes Is High, De La Soul have released a new single, “Action,” in tandem with Rovio's new Angry Birds Action game.  “Action” sees the Long Island trio rapping over a thumping, upbeat, funk-inspired beat that is reminiscent of the lighthearted music they released early on in their career.  While the song is certainly a playful one, it definitely demonstrates that De La Soul are still formidable emcees after all these years.  

Interestingly, Plug 1, Plug 2, and Maseo will be appearing in the game in bird-like form for the next week, with a press release mentioning that will be giving players special powers.  While it was initially necessary to

Blak Madeen, the Boston rap duo known for their intelligent, thoughtful lyrics and powerful flow, have released a music video for "Main Attraction."

The black and white video juxtaposes images of celebrities, political rallies, and Donald Trump against Al-J and Yusuf's powerful lyrics about religion, culture, and xenophobia. The group has garnered a fair amount of attention and acclaim for offering a unique, Muslim-American perspective in hip hop at a time when outright Islamophobia is increasingly acceptable behavior in Conservative America.

"Main Attraction" is a track off of Blak Madeen's latest album, "Supreme Aftermath,," which was released earlier this year. 

Blak Madeen will be performing in their hometown o

Last week, Schoolboy Q finally released Blank Face, his highly anticipated new album.  Prior to the release, Schoolboy Q started dropping a series of lushly filmed, visually-arresting, cinematic trailers as a way to drum up excitement for the the album.  While the first two trailers were released in the preceding weeks, Q just released the final installment today.

The new trailer features a dreamlike sequence of events with the song “Black Thoughts” playing in the background.  This visuals in this video depict Schoolboy Q being released from jail after being arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time amid the fallout of a pawn shop robbery.  Q is seen coming home to his daughter, only to step back onto a prisoner transport

Tonight (July 11th), is the night that the VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail The Queens will shine the spotlight on one of ‘the industry’s’ iconic ladies Queen Latifah, who has helped contributed in finding a place for women in the hip hop scene over the past few decades. VH1 Hip Hop Honors is making a comeback after a six year break which will produce an anticipated performance’s in tribute to Latifah by Common, Naughty By Nature, Da Brat and MC Lyte – with the show being hosted by rapper Eve. Along with Queen Latifah, the other honorees that were previously announced were other very talented women in hip hop; including Missy Elliott, Salt-N-Peppa and Lil Kim.

The show is set to have other performances Rah Digga, Suga T and Yo-Y