rap music

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2 Live Crew May Soon Be Getting Their Records Back

Rappers lost control of discography in '90s; jury ruling paves way for them to retake some albums

(Newser) - Miami's 2 Live Crew helped redraw the legal landscape around what hip-hop could be, pushing the boundaries of free speech and taste with their provocative and sexually explicit recordings that led to landmark court decisions protecting the rights of artists. But for decades the hip-hop legends haven't had...

Rap Battle Song Hits No. 1, and 'It's a Bit Disconcerting'

Andre Gee of 'Rolling Stone' muses on lyrics in Lamar's diss track on Drake

(Newser) - Earlier this month, Andre Gee declared in Rolling Stone that Kendrick Lamar "won the great rap war " between himself and Drake, a long-running feud that has resulted in a recent slew of diss tracks—including Lamar's "Not Like Us," which ascended to the No. 1...

Nicki Minaj Fans Target Rival's Dead Mom

Security boosted at grave of Megan Thee Stallion's mom as former collaborators spar

(Newser) - Sometimes when rappers feud, even the dead need security. As Megan Thee Stallion trades barbs with arch-rival Nicki Minaj, a Texas cemetery has increased security to protect the grave of the former's mother, who died of brain cancer in 2019, TMZ reports. After Megan dropped a new track Thursday,...

A 'Magical Art Form' Turns 50
A 'Magical Art Form' Turns 50
Aug 11, 2023 9:16 AM CDT

A 'Magical Art Form' Turns 50

On Aug. 11, 1973, 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc put hip-hop music on the map

(Newser) - It was born in the break, all those decades ago—that moment when a song's vocals dropped, instruments quieted down, and the beat took the stage. It was then that hip-hop came into the world, taking the moment and reinventing it. The music was something new, coming out of...

Major Gang Takedown Snags Drill Rapper Sheff G

He was among 32 people indicted by the Brooklyn DA

(Newser) - Rappers Sheff G—born Michael Williams—and Sleepy Hallow, AKA Tegan Chambers, are well-known in the popular New York drill music scene, having racked up more than 100 million views and plays on YouTube and Spotify. On Tuesday, they racked up something else—charges. The New York Times reports the...

Hip-Hop Legend Coolio Is Dead


A Hip-Hop
Legend
Is Dead
at 59
obituary
Sep 29, 2022 12:01 AM CDT

A Hip-Hop Legend Is Dead at 59

'Gangsta's Paradise' rapper Coolio dies in Los Angeles

(Newser) - The rapper Coolio, one of the biggest hip-hop stars of the 1990s, has died at age 59, reports the AP . The rapper—real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr.—is best known for his monster hit "Gangsta's Paradise" of 1995, featured in the Michelle Pfeiffer film Dangerous Minds....

Music Visionary Who Put Ed Sheeran on the Map Dead at 31

Mom of UK's Jamal Edwards said he died after a sudden illness

(Newser) - Jamal Edwards, a British music entrepreneur who championed UK rap and grime and helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, and Stormzy, has died. He was 31. His mother, broadcaster Brenda Edwards, said Monday that her son died the day before after a sudden illness but...

Rapper Whose Music Touched on Her Addiction Dies at 25

Philly performer Chynna Rogers is gone

(Newser) - Chynna Rogers, the Philadelphia rapper who had breakout hits with 2013's "Selfie" and 2014's "Glen Coco," has died at the age of 25. "Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed," her family wrote in a statement, per Pitchfork . Rogers' manager tells...

In Rare Chat, Eminem Opens Up About Daughter
In Rare Chat,
Eminem Opens
Up About
Daughter
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW
Mar 31, 2020 11:47 AM CDT

In Rare Chat, Eminem Opens Up About Daughter

Rapper tells 'People' he's proud of 24-year-old Hailie

(Newser) - If you've ever listened to the Marshall Mathers discography, it soon becomes apparent that he's obsessed with someone named "Hailie." That someone is his daughter, and the rapper more commonly known as Eminem just opened up about her in a rare interview. "It definitely is...

With 'Oprah's Bank Account,' a Record for Drake

Canadian rapper has his 208th song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

(Newser) - The cast of Glee had a good run, but Drake's now taking over. The AP reports that the Canadian rapper's latest single, "Oprah's Bank Account," performed with Lil Yachty and DaBaby, debuted at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it his 208th...

Public Enemy Boots Flavor Flav —Over Bernie Sanders

Maybe the weirdest headline to come out of Election 2020 yet

(Newser) - In 1970, Yoko Ono (supposedly) broke up the Beatles. In 2020, Bernie Sanders broke up ... Public Enemy? While rap battles are common, this is one of the weirder ones to emerge, with Flavor Flav now kicked out of the iconic group he helped found. Per the New York Daily News...

Diddy Speech Is Making Headlines
Diddy Speech Is
Making Headlines
Jan 26, 2020 1:15 PM CST

Diddy Speech Is Making Headlines

Sean Combs slams the Grammy Awards for failing to include black music

(Newser) - Sean "Diddy" Combs called out the Grammy Awards for dissing rap and R&B stars in its major categories in a blazing speech that earned him a standing ovation from Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and several other music industry players, the AP reports. At the end of his 50-minute speech Saturday...

Diversity Training Follows Rap Video a la Michael Scott

Manulife Financial apologizes for video featuring senior management

(Newser) - The CEO of John Hancock's parent company apologized, then hosted an employee forum on diversity, after a video was released showing senior management rapping in hoodies and dark shades, in a scene that wouldn't be out of place in The Office . The video shared on the company's...

Teacher's Halloween Get-Up Gets Him Put on Leave

Unidentified instructor raps while in blackface in class at California high school

(Newser) - A California high school teacher is on administrative leave following the "inappropriate, unprofessional, and insensitive" decision to wear blackface for Halloween. A student posted a video to Twitter on Friday showing the Milpitas High School teacher in blackface at the front of a classroom while dressed as rapper Common,...

His Girlfriend Disappeared, and He Rapped About a Burial

Robert Camou charged in killing of Amanda Custer

(Newser) - A man who was allegedly filmed rapping about burying a woman in the hours after his girlfriend went missing is now charged in her killing. Police say Robert Anthony Camou, 27, killed Amanda Kathleen Custer, 31, in late July after taking her against her will from the home they shared...

He Played Rap Music in His Car. A Man Nearby Felt 'Unsafe'

Cops: Michael Paul Adams says he fatally stabbed 17-year-old whose music scared him

(Newser) - By Michael Paul Adams' own words, cops say, 17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin didn't say or do anything threatening to the 27-year-old man in a Peoria, Ariz., convenience store on July 4: It was simply the rap music Elijah was listening to in the parking lot that prompted Adams to suddenly...

How 'Old Town Road' Sparked a Boy's 'Miracle'

Minnesota mom Sheletta Brundidge couldn't believe it

(Newser) - "I was crying so hard that tears were dropping on his head. I was like, 'This is the beginning. This is the light!'" So says a Minnesota mom after the hit song "Old Town Road" appeared to transform the life of her autistic son Daniel,...

Hip-Hop Artist's Song Got Rejected. Enter Billy Ray Cyrus

Lil Nas X releases a remix of "Old Town Road"

(Newser) - Lil Nas X seems to be asking, Am I country enough now? The Atlanta hip-hop artist just released a remix of his rappy cowboy song "Old Town Road" with Billy Ray Cyrus as guest vocalist—after Billboard kicked the original Cyrus-less version off its country chart , the New York ...

Teen's Plan to Get to Concert Involved Plane He Couldn't Fly

Zemarcuis Scott wanted to get from Arkansas to Chicago to see Famous Dex, apparently

(Newser) - An Arkansas teen has pleaded guilty to trying to steal a commercial plane so he could fly to Chicago to attend a rap concert, the AP reports. Per the Texarkana Gazette , Zemarcuis Scott of Texarkana pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted theft of property and commercial burglary and was sentenced to...

Putin: Let's Crack Down on Rap
Putin: Let's Crack Down on Rap
Dec 15, 2018 2:20 PM CST

Putin: Let's Crack Down on Rap

Russia's president says it promotes 'sex, drugs, and protest'

(Newser) - Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music, the AP reports. Putin says "if it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it." But...

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