Madeintyo’s Brand Is Simple, Global, And All His
The synths at the beginning of almost every track on Thank You, Mr. Tokyo sound like how the project's cover art looks: a peaceful young Black...
Drake is Michael Jackson, Kendrick is Prince
To many, it's a shame that mass appeal gives some artists more fame than true artistry. But in the music industry, the effects of...
Donald Glover is a Folk Artist
The scope of a Childish Gambino song can be as focused as a simple love song, or as vast as the known...
A Brief History of Anime in Hip-Hop
Rappers are influenced by all kinds of social and cultural factors. Any worthy hip-hop fan can name a few artists heavily inspired by comic...
YouTube Will Start Charging, You’re Fucked
Have you seen the offers for YouTube Red?
For you, thirsty free-content consumers of the Internet, expectations will have to adjust soon.
The value of content hubs like...
Same Old Story: Hip-Hop Artist Narratives
Having a consistent story is crucial in hip-hop. But is it cool to base an entire career on one set of stories and experiences?
I've noticed...
Where did Future’s new hype come from?
He's always had hits. He's always been an astronaut. He's always been poured up.
Even back when he was A1's freshest face and had Rocko...
The Term “Rapper” Sucks. Hip-Hop Needs Subgenres
"Rapper," a monolithic term
People feel threatened by hip-hop's latest rising stars because we don't have the language to explain how all these different artists are...
A Brief History of Drill Music, Globally
The eruption of Chief Keef and Chicago’s drill movement in 2012 was instant rap lore. However, no one could imagine this hyper-real,...
Album-equivalent units are not “cheating”
Music streaming records get broken every full moon these days, which makes the novelty of album-equivalent units (AEUs) hard to judge. And unless you...