Hip Hop and Rap Culture
Artists, producers, and the business of the genre.
West Coast G-Funk Revival 2026 Pulls California Rap Back to Its Synth Roots
Three decades after Dr Dre, Snoop, and Warren G defined a sound, a new generation of LA, Long Beach, and Inglewood rappers is rebuilding...
Another Rapper Shot in Public and We Keep Acting Surprised
Offset was shot outside a Florida casino this week, and the response followed the same exhausting cycle we have seen too many times before.
Snoop Dogg Is About to Drop One of the Most Anticipated Albums of the Spring and Nobody Is Talking About It Enough
Snoop Dogg's "10 Til' Midnight" arrives April 10 with a stripped-back West Coast sound that proves longevity in hip hop is not about...
Pusha T Hit With Ghostwriting Allegations and the Irony Writes Itself
The rapper who built a career calling out ghostwriting is now facing the same accusations, and the internet is not letting it slide.
Pooh Shiesty Denied Bail After Federal Judge Reviews Kidnapping Evidence
A federal judge in Texas ordered Pooh Shiesty held without bail on kidnapping charges tied to an incident at a Dallas recording studio...
Kendrick Lamar Swept the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards and Nobody Was Surprised
Kendrick Lamar took home Hip-Hop Artist, Album, and Song of the Year at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, capping a run with GNX that has...
Country Rap Is Not a Novelty Anymore. It Is a Lane With Real Numbers Behind It
Shaboozey, BigXthaPlug, and a wave of artists working the country rap crossover are putting up tour grosses, streaming counts, and chart...
Drake Just Crossed 5 Billion Spotify Streams in 2026 and ICEMAN Has Not Even Dropped Yet
Drake has surpassed 5 billion Spotify streams in 2026 before releasing his ninth studio album, and the ICEMAN rollout is entering its final...
Concrete Boys Are Quietly Becoming One of the Most Important Rap Collectives of 2026
Lil Yachty's Concrete Boys label has spent the last two years building a roster, a sound, and a release pace that has it positioned as the...
Diddy's Legal Team Makes Its Case for Early Release at April 9 Hearing
Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorneys appeared in court on April 9 to argue that the rapper and mogul should be released early from his 50-month...
Atlanta Trap Is Back at the Center of Hip Hop in Spring 2026 and the Lineup of Albums Coming Through May Tells You Why
Future, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Young Thug, and Gunna all have either announced or rumored projects between now and the end of June. The five...
Hip Hop Vinyl Sales Just Hit a 30 Year High and the Artists Making It Happen Are Not Who You Would Guess
RIAA and Luminate data through the first quarter of 2026 show hip hop vinyl sales up 58 percent year over year, the biggest jump in the...
Pooh Shiesty, Big30, and Seven Others Arrested for Kidnapping Gucci Mane at a Dallas Recording Studio
Federal charges allege a coordinated armed takeover at a Dallas music studio where Gucci Mane was held at gunpoint and forced to sign a...
Nelly and Metro Boomin Are Bringing the St Lunatics Back After 25 Years
Nelly announced at his Black and White Ball that Metro Boomin will executive produce a new St. Lunatics album scheduled for a 2026 release....
Southern Hip Hop Is Reclaiming the Album of the Year Conversation in 2026
The early 2026 release slate has already produced three critically serious southern hip hop albums that belong in the year end...
Atlanta Producers Are Quietly Shaping the Sound of 2026 Rap
A new cohort of Atlanta-based beatmakers is running point on the biggest rap records of the year, and the sound they are building blends...
Detroit Rap Quietly Has the Deepest Bench in the Country Right Now and the Streaming Numbers Just Caught Up
Detroit rap quietly has the deepest bench in American hip hop right now and the streaming numbers just caught up with what the city has...
Offset Sits Down with DJ Akademiks and Opens Up About His Run-In with Lil Tjay
In a wide-ranging conversation with DJ Akademiks, Offset detailed a confrontation with Lil Tjay and offered a rare unfiltered look at how...
DistroKid Hit a $2 Billion Valuation and the Story Is Really About What Independent Rap Has Become
The company exploring a $2 billion sale is not just a business story. It is the clearest signal yet that independent music distribution has...
Lyrical Rap Is Having Its Biggest Commercial Moment in a Decade and the Numbers Prove It
Substance is winning. The artists who invested in their pen game are now topping charts, sweeping awards, and outselling the trend chasers.
Kendrick Lamar Adds North American Dates to the Grand National Tour for Late 2026
After a sold out European leg, Kendrick Lamar has confirmed 27 additional North American dates with SZA, Doechii, and a guest slot Drake...
J. Cole Is Closing His Studio Career With a Double Disc. Here's Why That Decision Says Everything.
J. Cole announced that The Fall-Off will be his final studio album, a double-disc project he has been building toward for years. At a...
GloRilla's Sophomore Album Rollout Is the Cleanest in Rap Right Now
After Glorious went platinum, the Memphis rapper has been quietly setting up her second album with a roll out that other artists should...
Tyler the Creator Wraps Chromakopia World Tour at $89 Million Gross and Sets Camp Flog Gnaw 2026
Tyler the Creator wrapped his 73-date Chromakopia World Tour Saturday in Auckland with a $89 million gross according to Pollstar boxoffice...
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