Hip-Hop and Rap

Top Ten Female Rappers, From Trina to Lauryn Hill

BET Hip-Hop Awards 2012 Nominations: Rick Ross Gets Trampled by Kanye West

And the nominees are ... Kanye West, a handful of other MCs, and seven websites. During 106 and Park last night, actor-comedian Mike Epps announced that he'd be reprising his role as host of BET's annual Hip-Hop Awards, airing October 9, and revealed some of this year's nominees. Yeezy was nomin ... More >>

The 20 Richest Rappers: From Pitbull to Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Kanye, Jay-Z, and Dre Day

As the country sits waiting for the release of a certain Welsh cake eater's tax returns, other high-profilers are happy to let the whole world know how swole their pockets were this year. Forbes released its latest list of haha-they-have-more-money-than-you musicians. And this time, we're talkin' t ... More >>

Nicki Minaj Not Registered to Vote, Mitt Romney Endorsement Nullified

See also "Nicki Minaj Goes Republican, 'Voting For Romney,' Calls 99 Percent 'Lazy Bitches.'" Even if Mitt Romney may have Nicki Minaj's endorsement, the Republican Party's presidential candidate can't count on her vote. She's not registered. As noted by Hip Hop Wired, the alleged Young Money Mit ... More >>

Listen to the Miami Heat's Juwan Howard Rapping Alongside Rick Ross and Trina

Thirty-nine is a pretty old aged to start getting into the rap game, but perhaps Juwan Howard is starting to think about his post-NBA career. The Miami center who won his first NBA championship with the Heat last year but isn't guaranteed to come back for next season appears on a new rap album pairi ... More >>

Flo Rida and NFL Vets Give Back to Miami Instead of Blowing Cash at Clubs

Flo Rida and NFL Stars Step Up To Help Kids In Overtown and Liberty City

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke gives props to a local rapper and four football players giving back to the neighborhood.It's a shame more pro athletes and hip-ho ... More >>

Top Ten Female Rappers Ever: From Trina to Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, and Lauryn Hill

The rap game is tough. Some might say it's no place for a lady. But those people would be chauvinistic douche popsicles. The truth is it takes a tough lady to top the charts. At the top, it doesn't matter if you're sexy. You're judged by the content of your lyrics and the freak of your flow. Only ... More >>

Sneaker Pimps: Iggy Azalea, Ace Hood, Honey Cocaine at Grand Central Miami, August 24

See the full 40-photo slideshow of Sneaker Pimps at Grand Central -- plus "Iggy Azalea Ain't All "Pu$$y": Five Secret Facts About the Aussie Rapper." Sneaker Pimps' Tenth Anniversary Tour With Iggy Azalea, Ace Hood, Honey Cocaine, and others Grand Central, Miami Friday, August 24, 2012 Better Than ... More >>

Gunplay 101: The Human L.A. Riot's Nine Best Tracks

See also "The Quotable Gunplay: 'Hos,' 'Pills,' and the 'Gift and Curse of Being Under Rick Ross.'" Gunplay has been a known commodity on Miami's rap scene for years thanks to his association with Rick Ross and Maybach Music Group. But only recently have mainstream audiences started warming up to ... More >>

Rick Ross Called "BS" By Freeway Ricky Ross, Still the Motherf#&king Bawse, Though

"Freeway" Ricky Ross, the reformed drug dealer who is not actually a freeway, has once again accused rap superhero Rick Ross of being a bullshit Bawse. Freeway's argument is that Rozay's rap success is entirely due to the "original" Rick Ross's notoriety as a legendary coke peddler. But it just so ... More >>

Maybach Music's Gunplay on His Swastika Tattoo, His Escort Agency, and Becoming Don Logan

Maybach Music's Gunplay Talks Rick Ross, Triple C's, and Medellin

You Are Legend

Gunplay on His Swastika Tattoo, Escort Agency, and Rebranding Himself as Don Logan

See also "Gunplay: How Miami's Coke-Sniffin', Po' Pimpin' Maniac Joined Rap's Power Circle." Gunplay was consuming so many narcotics while making his aptly-titled debut mixtape Sniffahill in 2008 that he dubbed himself "five-drug minimum" on one of its freestyles. Actually, for meter's sake, he sai ... More >>

Waka Flocka Flame: Party Till You Piss Yourself at Revolution Live on November 14

What exactly does Waka Flocka Flame mean when he claims to go "Hard in Da Paint?" Let's start with what we know ... The ATL rapper and Gucci Mane protégé advocates a lifestyle built upon clear, consistent thematics: trappin', cookin', slangin.' And of course, keepin' the chickens in line. But no ... More >>

Snoop Doggy Dogg Lion and Six Other Musicians' Midcareer Name-Changes

If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Unless you're a millionaire musician with a megasuccessful career. And then fuck it, change your name completely. We're pretty sure that's how the old adage goes, and that's what you'd be led to believe by Crossfade's little list of moniker madness. When an artist ... More >>

Rev Run at LIV Nightclub August 3

Lil Wayne Re-Ups Retirement Rumors: "Rap Is Taking a Backseat to Skating"

Weezy is bored. Ever since Lil Wayne got outta the clink after serving eight months on Rikers Island for "attempted criminal possession of a weapon," he's been dropping clues about retiring to a life of chillin' with his kids, writing memoirs, watching 18 hours of ESPN per day, managing his $100-mi ... More >>

Gunplay: How Miami's Coke-Sniffin', Po' Pimpin' Maniac Joined Rap's Power Circle

As recently as a year ago, Miami rapper Gunplay was better known for a clip of him snorting cocaine outside a restaurant in Medellín than he was for his music. In recent months, however, the co-founder of Rick Ross's Carol City Cartel (AKA Triple C's) has flipped his image as an unhinged goon. Hi ... More >>

MTV Announces Video Music Awards Nominees, Snub Rick Ross

Like the History Channel, MTV is lying about itself. Despite their respective names, programming is anything but historical or musical. For example, Teen Mom and Snooki and JWoww are reality-ish shows, and they're light-years away from MTV's traditional business model built around a 24-hour music ... More >>

It's a Trap! An 11-Part History of Trap Music, From DJ Screw to Gucci Mane to Flosstradamus

Trap music. It's superhuge right now with the cool kids and it's overrunning Soundcloud. Yet despite its growing popularity, a lot of people have one basic question ... What the fuck is trap? Because of recent EDM trends, many people would tell you it's the "new dubstep" or the "new moombahton." ... More >>

Daddy Rap! Ten Hip-Hoppers Who've Gone From Bitches to Babies

Being a famous rapper is awesome. You get all the fancy cars, expensive champagne, and bad bitches your icy heart desires. It's all part of the job description. And for once in your life, you're doing it wrong if you don't brag about it to everyone! So what happens when shit gets real and a hip-hop ... More >>

French Montana, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and Drake's "Pop That Pussy" Pool Party: An Extremely Detailed Breakdown

Shit is poppin' and it ain't no Redenbacher. French Montana is back with another boobie-shaking music video featuring Drake, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and one sick-ass 2 Live Crew sample. In true Miami pool party fashion, there's plenty of near-nude bitches, squirt-gun violence, product placement, and ... More >>

TenDJiz Talks Soviet Jazz and Hip-Hop Mashup Album CommoNasm

TenDJiz is a Russian-born producer and engineer in Miami on an Extraordinary Ability in the Arts visa. He owns a studio on Miami Beach, and he's the mastermind behind an awesome mixtape series that mashes Soviet jazz instrumentals with American hip-hop. The first two releases were De La Soulviet, ... More >>

DMX at Revolution Live July 6

Radio One Fest at Bayfront Park's Klipsch Amphitheater July 7

Rick Ross Cleared by Paternity Test, Accuser's Search for Baby Daddy Continues

See also "Rap Music's Top Six Paternity Suits." The Boss got plenty to celebrate about in 2012. Earlier this year, MTV ranked him as hip-hop's hottest MC, beating out some of the game's biggest names like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. And his highly anticipated record, God Forgives, I Don't drops in just ... More >>

Flo Rida, Cee Lo Green, and B.o.B. on the R U on the List Tour July 3

Run-D.M.C.'s Rev Run Preaching the Word at LIV Miami on August 3

In the church of hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash is the father and Run-D.M.C. are the apostles who broke onto the scene in Hollis, Queens, some 30 years ago to spread the word of rap music one verse at a time. But in the Pentecostal church, Run's the chosen one. And Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons' knack for ... More >>

50 Cent in Hospital After Mack Truck Crashes Into his SUV

Nearly seven months ago, an emo 50 Cent was texting about death, admitting that, "I don't think I'm gonna live much longer." A few months after that, the rapper tweeted a picture of himself laying helplessly in a hospital bed surrounded by stuffed animals as he prepped to go under the knife. For ... More >>

Schoolboy Q at Grand Central June 21

Ace Hood's Fisker Karma and Seven Other Hip-Hop Eco-Whips

Recently, Ace Hood was back in town shooting the video for his feature on DJ Absolut's "Untouchable." And like most ballers, Ace was driving a sick whip. But what's notable is he was driving a Fisker Karma, a hybrid that can get 52 miles per gallon. Between money and marijuana, hip-hop was already ... More >>

Schoolboy Q Slanging Next-Level West Coast Rap at Grand Central Miami on June 21

Historically, West Coast rap is the homeland of gangsta rap. From cop killing to drug dealing, every horrifically real element of life in the hood has made it into song, for better or worse. While the game hasn't changed much since its earliest pioneers, the message and the messenger has. And at t ... More >>

Top Ten Rap Felons: Shoot Outs, Beat Downs, and Face Eating

In the gritty rap game, honor is everything. And honor usually means a bag full of automatic weapons at an airport. Alright, not every rapper's got a rap sheet. But if you talk the talk, you're expected to do the time. A mean MC with a big mouth is just a poser without a felony charge. And getting ... More >>

Lil Wayne Kills Summer Jam Set After Hot 97 DJ Says Nicki Minaj's "Starship" Is "Bullshit"

In 1994, Hot 97 became the country's first true rap station. Nearly 20 years later, FM rap music's holiest institution is using its annual Summer Jam festival as a forum to diss one of contemporary hip-hop's most powerful crews, Young Money. Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg was addressing a large crowd ... More >>

Crunk Call

Best of the Best 2012: Fabolous, Meek Mill, Ace Hood Make Some Noise on Memorial Day

See the full 51-photo slideshow from Best of the Best 2012. Best of the Best 2012 With Fabolous, Meek Mill, French Montana, Fat Joe, 2 Chainz, Ace Hood, and others Klipsch Amphitheater at Bayfront Park, Miami Sunday, May 28, 2012 Better Than: If you know what this was better than, "MAKE SOME NOIII ... More >>

Memorial Day 2012: Fifteen Best Rap Parties in Miami and South Beach

See also "Memorial Day 2012: Six Best Electronic Music Parties Around Miami." The Beach is about to get flooded, son. At this very moment, there are 250,000 rappers, DJs, celebs, porn stars, strippers, and regular people packing the Hummer full of champagne, cash money, and 12 changes of clothes. ... More >>

DJ Khaled and French Montana's Memorial Day 2012 Party at Cameo Miami, May 24

DJ Khaled and French Montana Cameo Miami Thursday, May 24, 2012 Better Than: We want to say anything, because "We da best!" and all. But we would have much preferred to see Khaled do work. Yeah, Memorial Day weekend is upon us. And last night, we were all pumped up and ready to pop bottles at Came ... More >>

Future at Revolution Live May 29

Best of the Best 2012 at Bicentennial Park May 27

Top 15 Memorial Day Weekend Parties in Miami

Rick Ross and P. Diddy Party at Cannes: An Extremely Detailed Breakdown

Fact: Rick Ross is a jet setter, a 300-plus pound globetrotting A-lister with more stamps in his passport than the Secretary of State. Naturally, Ross is kicking it with all the other A-listers on the French Riviera this week for the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival. And last night, the Maybach Mu ... More >>

Young Buck and Five Other Rapper Evictions or Foreclosures

Just two months after he was the target of a drive-by shooting in Nashville, Young Buck has come under fire yet again. But this time, it's Uncle Sam pulling the trigger and blowing smoke up Buck's ass. According to TMZ, the Internal Revenue Service is demanding that the former G-Unit rapper fork ... More >>

Radio One Fest With Waka Flocka Flame, T.I., Fat Joe Comes to Miami on July 7

Just three days after the United States turns the big 2-3-6, BlackPlanet Radio, the U.S. Army, and other sponsors are throwing a post-Independence Day bash in Miami-Dade County featuring performances by some of America's biggest rappers. It's called the Radio One Fest and it'll be going down Satur ... More >>

Best of the Best 2012: A Five-Part Guide

Since the mid-'90s, Miami Beach has welcomed some of hip-hop's biggest names during Memorial Day Weekend for an alcohol-fueled, four-day throwdown, commonly referred to as Urban Beach Week. It began as a South Beach fashion event and eventually became an intercity celebration of black culture, com ... More >>

Was Tupac Shakur a Homophobe? Three Signs Makaveli Loved Gay People

At six feet, four inches and nearly 300 pounds, Suge Knight was once hip-hop's most respected feared label executive. The Death Row Records capo was often ruthless and his questionable business practices regularly involved physical violence. Rumors that he threatened to throw Vanilla Ice off a hot ... More >>

Betty Wright's Mother's Day Concert With Monica at the James L. Knight Center May 13

King of Diamonds: How America's Favorite Black Strip Club Won Its Crown

Click for King of Diamonds cover shoot outtakes.