From the category archives:

Opinion

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Lord Have Mercy, This Is New York Hip Hop

Nothing says “underground hip hop” more than the Hip Hop Subway Series. Well, except maybe for the unexpected performance by a 50 year old panhandler in the cipher. Now THIS is New York hip hop!

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God Damn You, Joe Budden!

Joe Budden comments on Tahiry. That’s the cliche blog thing to point out. But wait! There’s more!!

Pay It No Empire State of Mind

Is Jay-Z/Alicia Keys smash hit appropriate choice for unofficial NYC anthem?

What If 50 Cent’s Before I Self Destruct Was Leaked On Purpose?

Could the Before I Self Destruct leak be a planned event? What could the benefit be?

Re-Birthplace: Documenting New York’s (Hopeful) Hip-Hop Resurgence

In recent times, the murmuring of a NY rebirth has been slowly gaining in volume. Could a new era be upon us?

What If A Middle Eastern Rapper Released “Negro Money”

We attempt to recreate Busta’s Arab Money, (perhaps just a bit tounge-in-cheek), as if it were presented by a Middle Eastern rapper with the same slightly-warped fascination with a similarly glorified, but not entirely accurate, vision of urban American reality. Then we ask, “What if a Middle Eastern rapper released “Negro Money” with these lyrics?”

How Hip-Hop Helped Elect Barack Obama

While it is important to never lose sight of the painfully difficult times in our nation’s history, we can also afford to realize and be thankful that 18-40 years olds have been alive during a time where there has been an exponential acceptance of the ideals of racial and cultural integration, in no small part fueled by the general public’s exposure to, involvement with and acceptance of hip-hop music and culture.