10 Ways DMX Shifted The Landscape of Hip-Hop Music – 3 mins ago Debuting in 1998 with his multi-platinum debut, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, DMX would go on an unprecedented run through the rap game, breaking and setting numerous records throughout the peak years of his career. Photo Credit: KMazur/WireImage via Getty In […]
30 Essential Q-Tip Guest Verses You Need to Hear [Playlist] Music – 2 hours ago Photo by C Brandon/Redferns via Getty Images Featuring is Okayplayerâs new playlist series celebrating guest appearances from hip-hopâs most iconic artists. For our inaugural edition, we focus on Q-Tip. As A Tribe Called Questâs co-founder and frontman, Q-Tip has been the […]
The Secret History Of DMXâs âItâs Dark and Hell Is Hotâ Music – 3 days ago Photo Credit: Jonathan Mannion for Def Jam We spoke with Ruff Ryders founder Joaquin âWaahâ Dean and producer Dame Grease about Itâs Dark and Hell is Hot, DMXâs classic debut. Having spent most of his childhood in and out […]
Best Songs of The Week: ft. Tierra Whack, Navy Blue, and More [Playlist] Music – 1 hour ago Source: Youtube/Interscope The Round-Up is Okayplayerâs weekly playlist of the best songs in the worlds of hip-hop and R&B. This weekâs set features new music from J.PERIOD, Navy Blue, Tierra Whack, Benny Sings, Queen Naija, and more. […]
Milwaukee Rapper Lakeyah Is The Newest Artist Quality Control Is Betting On Music – 4 hours ago Photo Credit: Chad Lawson On the lineup of female rappers that sheâs joined since she started taking her craft seriously, she shares, âIâm blessed and excited to be a part of such a moment in hip hop.â She […]
An A.I. Program is Making âNewâ Songs by Dead Music Icons Music – 4 mins ago Photo by Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images A Toronto-based non-profit fed the songs of Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, and The Doors, to Googleâs Magenta A.I. program. The troubling (and frankly, pointless) A.I. era of music creation has added […]
Legendary Rapper DMX Dead at 50 Music – 30 mins ago Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Live Nation DMX, one of the most successful rappers of all time, has died at the age of 50. DMX, the gruff, Yonkers, New York rapper, who during the late â90s was considered to be one of hip-hopâs […]
Photo courtesy of Westside Gunnâs Instagram Weâre here to document every 10-minute track that sees two New York state rappers squash an inconsequential beef. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Watch as Douglas Martin hits the flying knee on lesser writersâ dome pieces. Over the holidays, a photo circulated on […]
When it comes to R&B, Montreal offers tons to explore, and weâre here to help you get started. Here is a list of 10 Montreal R&B singers you should know about. Toronto has had enough shine. The dominance of Drake has done wonders for many Canadian artists, but the country has far more talent beyond […]
Is OutKast Better Than The Beatles? Twitter Seems to Think So Music – 39 seconds ago Photo by Kevin Winter/ImageDirect via Getty Images 2 Dope Boys square up with The Fab Four in a social media standoff. Another day, another raging Twitter debate over the back catalogs of music giants. This time around, itâs OutKastâs […]
Photo courtesy of Pascal Siakamâs Instagram There are 21 games left in the NBAâs regular season, but weâve been giving you playoff level performances on the digital page all year long. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Abe Beame still gets nauseous whenever he sees the Brooklyn Netsâ Basquiat uniforms. […]
Ari Lennox and Queen Naija Link Up For Sensual New Single âSet Him Upâ Music – 42 seconds ago Photo Credit: Universal Music Ari Lennox and Queen Naija feed off of one anotherâs energy on their latest single. The track is set to appear on Queen Naijaâs deluxe edition of her debut album. Ari Lennox […]
Photo courtesy of Mixcloud The only place on the world wide web that youâll find personalized playlists introducing you to manele. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa strictly watches A24 movies with the sound off. From the birth of recorded music, itâs been the historically […]
Orchestral J Dilla Tribute Concert âSuite for Ma Dukesâ Set for First Vinyl Reissue Music – 20 mins ago Source: Mochilla Miguel Atwood-Fergusonâs legendary J Dilla tribute is headed back to wax. After more than a decade, Miguel Atwood-Fergusonâs orchestral J Dilla salute, Suite for Ma Dukes, is returning to vinyl. The 2009 performance was inspired […]
How Rick James & His Hardworking Band Crafted His Breakthrough Album âStreet Songsâ Music – 3 mins ago On April 7, 1981, Rick James’ Street Songs was released. It peaked at number three on the Billboard charts. The album spawned two chart-topping singles, âGive It to Me Babyâ and âSuper Freak.” Photo by Mark Weiss/WireImage […]
Freddie Gibbs is Bringing Madlib and Alchemist Together for His Next Album Music – 25 mins ago Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage via Getty Images âItâs gonna be the best produced album that I ever made.â Already touting an enviable portfolio of collaborative projects, Freddie Gibbs appears ready to outdo himself once again. In a new […]
Photo courtesy of Vince Kaichan Please support our efforts to aggressively catalog the worldâs best music by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Sam Ribakoff is campaigning to be the resident DJ of The Watts Coffee House, but you have to help save the landmark first. Yaera â âElavoko 1â Elavoko 1 by […]
Retro Neo: KeiyaA on How Erykah Baduâs âGreen Eyesâ Changed Her Life Music – 2 mins ago The debut album from KeiyaA, Forever, Ya Girl, is 42 minutes of crushing barriers. Photo Graphic: Okayplayer Retro-Neo is an interview series where we speak with future trailblazers of neo-soul about their connection to the genre. For our […]
Dave Chappelle Is A Narrator On J. Periodâs New Single âAll In Your Headâ Music – 4 hours ago Photo Credit: Artwork by Dan Lish Dave Chappelle will be serving as the narrator for J. Periodâs forthcoming project Story To Tell (Chapter One). J. Period has released the first single from his upcoming project Story To Tell […]
A Documentary On Clyde Stubblefield, Most Sampled Drummer In Hip-Hop, Is In The Works Music – 5 hours ago Photo Credit: Robin Little/Redferns Titled Give The Drummer Some, the documentary will not only explore who Clyde Stubblefield was as a person, but also highlight his impact on hip-hop culture and music. Clyde Stubblefield and his drumming […]
16 years of independent rap journalism with no end in sight. Keep it that way by supporting Passion of the Weiss via a subscription to our Patreon. Michael McKinney wants you to know that a year spent in quarantine only made his synesthesia stronger. Clubs may be shuttered across much of the world, and their […]
The Best Moments From The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fireâs Legendary âVerzuzâ Battle Music – 24 mins ago Photo Credit: Instagram Spanning decades, both The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire have hits that stick like grits. Thereâs no denying that their singles and albums are held in high esteem. Thereâs no […]
Mixtape Monday: Bruiser Wolf, Alecs DeLarge, SONNYJIM x Kev Brown, Bxnjamin + More Music – 57 mins ago Photo Credit: Artist Bruiser Wolf, Alecs DeLarge, SONNYJIM x Kev Brown, Bxnjamin and more wreck shop this Mixtape Monday. Bruiser Wolf kicks off with Dope Game Stupid, Alecs DeLarge drops FLOWERS, SONNYJIM and Kev Brown team for […]
Photo courtesy of Gavin Zirkle Help our staff fight the collective incoming carpal tunnel syndrome thatâs assuredly on the way from typing these stories for you. Support real, independent rap journalism by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Harley Geffner thought thereâd be more Frank Ntilikina references in rap songs by now. Bris […]
Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy Reunite for a Nine-Minute Easter Sunday Freestyle Music – 4 hours ago The rappers reconnect over a classic Wu-Tang Clan instrumental. Resurrecting an Easter Sunday tradition, Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy have reunited for a ferocious nine-minute freestyle. This time around, the duo use the searing soul loop from Wu-Tang Clanâs âHollow […]
Before Earth, Wind & Fire face off against the Isley Brothers on Verzuz, read about how the legendary collective recorded their seminal album I Am. While working as a session drummer for Chicago-based label Chess Records in the 1960s, the richly talented Maurice White played on several songs for label standouts like Rotary Connection, Etta […]
Best Songs of The Week: ft. Westside Gunn, Kiefer, and More [Playlist] Music – 1 day ago Source: Youtube The Round-Up is Okayplayerâs weekly playlist of the best songs in the worlds of hip-hop and R&B. This weekâs set features new music from Westside Gunn, Kiefer, Freddie Gibbs, Jamila Woods, and more. Scroll through selections […]
DMX is on Life Support After Suffering a Heart Attack Music – 1 day ago Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage via Getty Images UPDATE 6:27pm : According to ABC7, DMXâs attorney, Murray Richman, has confirmed the rapper was put on life support at a White Plains hospital after suffering a heart attack last night. Send up a […]
First Look Friday: AKAI SOLO Demystifies New Yorkâs Rap Renaissance Music – 2 days ago Photo of Artist by Michael Petrow In this monthâs First Look Friday feature, AKAI SOLO surveys a New York rap boom thatâs deeper and far more decentralized than it appears. At a glance, New Yorkâs current roster of rap renegades […]
15 New Hip-Hop & R&B Albums You Should Listen To Right Now (Week Of April 2nd) Music – 2 days ago Photo Credit: Daniel Prakopcyk This weekâs new albums features an R&B comeback after 20 years and a set of debut EPs. Every week here at Okayplayer, we round up the best albums of the […]