Artists
Imagine how many cigarettes, beers, tour dates, international flights, all-night drives, backstage shenanigans, countless hours in a van, low-budget hotel rooms, notebooks filled with lyrics and endless hours of recording sessions have been consumed, experienced and sustained by Atmosphere over the… (Read More)
In today’s super-crowded rap game, it’s not too hard to forget who paved the way for the “players” of today, but in order to really “keep it real,” the truth must be told. Before the rise of the Notorious B.I.G. and… (Read More)
Bionik Brown is the ultimate DIY artist. Not many others have been able to tour nationally and internationally and move thousands of cd’s without major label push. Bionik is the artist, the CEO and the street team (all in one incredibly… (Read More)
Self-described “everyday brothers,” the Bay Area native Xavier Mosley (Chief Xcel) met the San Fernando Valley native Tim Parker (Gift of Gab) at John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento, California in 1987, and immediately struck up a friendship over hip-hop… (Read More)
For a short period in the early 90’s the parallel worlds of hip-hop and skating went askew and converged. At the time both were still perceived by the mainstream as antisocial behaviors and temporary fads. Hip-hop was not “real music.” Skating… (Read More)
Coming to you from the historical streets of Detroit, Michigan, Critical Bill is the latest offering in a long legacy of musical Innovators from the Motor City. This five piece urban rock outfit features Powerdise on vocals (son of Motown legend… (Read More)
What happens when you combine trained musicians from the world-renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston, with an articulate emcee and breathtaking beat-wizard both born and raised in sunny, southern California? Crown City Rockers, that’s what – a genre-blending hip-hop sollective… (Read More)
With what Spin Magazine calls “Outkast’s tragicomic poignancy”, Deacon The Villain and Kno follow in the footsteps of artists like Goodie Mob, Witchdocter, Ya’ll So Stupid, Geto Boys and the aforementioned ‘Kast, as well as recent southern indie artists such as… (Read More)
De La Soul is a Grammy-award winning hip hop group from Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap subgenre. The members are… (Read More)
That voice is unmistakable, so just be glad that Debbie Harry isn’t going anywhere. The lead singer for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Blondie is back with her Eleven Seven Music/ADA debut, Necessary Evil, her sixth solo album, and… (Read More)
Hailing from Oakland, California, Del and his crew, the Hieroglyphics came out as a markedly non-gansta response to a burgeoning West Coast scene. After being put on at the tender age of 17 by his cousin Ice Cube, Del released two… (Read More)
As hip-hop culture (DJing, MCing, b-boying, graffiti art and beatboxing) evolved in the late 1970s and early 1980s, two things were hallmarks of the movement: DJing and lyrical excellence. In the last several years, no rap group has done more to… (Read More)
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Dirt Nasty started rappin’ on karaoke machines at the age of 14. He grew up listening to Too Short, Geto Boys, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Terence Trent D’Arby, and Sade. Never having a father figure… (Read More)
Drummer/producer Ahmir Thompson is a living link between the digital science of modern hip-hop and the flesh-and-blood textures of vintage R&B. He co-founded The Roots, universally hailed as one of the most sonically inventive hip-hop acts. Meanwhile, his collaborations with such… (Read More)
As one of the original members of the seminal ‘90s rap crew the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah (aka Tony Starks) made an impact before he released his debut album, Ironman, late in 1996. Like all members of the Wu-Tang Clan, the… (Read More)
DJ Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five were hip-hop’s greatest innovators, transcending the genre’s party-music origins to explore the full scope of its lyrical and sonic horizons. Flash was born Joseph Saddler in Barbados on January 1, 1958; he… (Read More)
Introducing…..the new and improved Guru, Version 7.0. Guru reinvented is nothing nice so don’t let the boyish, good looks fools you. This upgrade comes with 10 times the wit and the physical attributes to smoke stages across the globe. High-energy performances… (Read More)
The Oakland-based Hieroglyphics are an underground rap collective who, at their best, combine an offbeat sensibility with a strong grounding in battle rhyming, freestyling, and other hip-hop traditions. All the members enjoy their own separate careers—founder Del tha Funkee… (Read More)
Tone Tank tried to be normal. He tried to live a normal life. He had moved from Brooklyn to sunny Phoenix, Arizona. He bought a house, moved in with his girlfriend and their two dogs, and there may have even been… (Read More)
Born in a military hospital in South America, Immortal Technique was brought to the United States in the early 80’s while a civil war was breaking out in his native Peru. The US supported puppet democracy and Guerilla factions were locked… (Read More)
Denver, we have a rising star in our midst. After just one listen of Input’s third full-length release A Radio With Guts, it’s hard to believe this artist has been at this game called music writing for only two years, having… (Read More)
When Chicago native Jabari Evans began developing his literary gift in elementary school, he’d write short stories, poems, and anything else that would come to mind. By fifteen, he was deep into what would turn out to be his first published… (Read More)
KRS-One (born Kris Parker) was the leader of Boogie Down Productions, one of the most influential hardcore hip-hop outfits of the ‘80s. At the height of his career, roughly 1987-1990, KRS-One was known for his furiously political and socially conscious raps… (Read More)
Ky-Mani is a fitting name for a charismatic artist whose East African name means Adventurous Traveler. The only child of table tennis champion Anita Belnavis and reggae icon Bob Marley, Ky-mani Marley was born in Falmouth, Jamaica. At the age of… (Read More)
What if a young woman could storm the rap world with a fresh sound and a hard-hitting message? What if her songs were so catchy and thought-provoking they had your feet fighting your brain for dominance? What if she proved… (Read More)
VURSATYL and JUMBO the Garbageman, the MCs and heartbeat of LIFESAVAS, were drawn together by fate and necessity. They first met playing basketball and rippin’ freestyling sessions in Portland, Oregon city parks. Working different projects out of the same makeshift studio… (Read More)
The evolution of Lyfe Jennings was bound to happen. With his authentic, soulful voice, innovative, creative style and undeniable talent, Lyfe is ready for a change. He’s ready to establish an even deeper connection with his fans and garner new ones… (Read More)
Mac Lethal thinks Nikes are obscenely trendy. He also wears them from time to time. After putting in over a decade of hip-hop elbow grease; he one day realized he has put entirely too much time into honing his craft. The… (Read More)
