Subject: Hip-Hop and Rap

• Wall of Sound

  March 19, 2009

• Notorious Makes B.I.G. Just B.L.A.N.D.

  January 15, 2009

• R&B Is “Rap & Bullshit”

  January 15, 2009

• Ma$e Gave Up a Career as Puff Daddy’s Protégé to Rap for God – the Weird Thing Is He Stuck with It

  January 22, 2009

• T.I.

  February 12, 2009

• Is The Game Over?

  February 19, 2009

• Paul Wall

  March 19, 2009

• Coolzey

  March 26, 2009

• Yo, Stephen Hawking Raps

  The world already has its share of ridiculous ring tones, but now, thanks to a company called FunMobility, you can hear the voice of famed physicist Stephen Hawkings rapping "Baby Got Back" whenever that special someone calls your cell phone.

  January 16, 2009

• Madlib, Blatz, Deerhunter, and Crystal Stilts are Part of What's Selling at East Side Records in Tempe

  Otis Jackson Jr. (a.k.a. Madlib) wins the award for the coolest bedroom ever.With apologies to Russell Simmons, Madlib's arguably the hardest working cat in hip-hop.Besides creating his own jams and flows under a few different noms de guerre (Quasimoto, Sound Directions, Yesterday's New Quintet), the California-born MC and DJ has produced albums and tracks for a number of marquee-level artists, including De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, and MF Doom. He's also collaborated more than a few times wit

  January 20, 2009

• E-40, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, and Lil' Rob are Part of What's Selling at Circles Records and Tapes

  E-40, the self-described "King of Slang" and "Ambassador of the Bay." Hyphy sure has faded quite a bit in popularity over the past couple years (check out this story in our sister publication SF Weekly as to the reasons why). The rambunctious and uptempo Bay Area hip-hop subgenre, which helped introduce "ghost riddin' the whip" into the national consciousness, blew up massively in 2006 thanks in part to E-40 and his Lil' John-produced hit single "Tell Me When to Go." Both the track and the alb

  January 27, 2009

• Lil Wayne Very Late, Very Predictable at US Airways Center

  Robert Brandon Martinez Things I witnessed while waiting nearly two hours for Lil Wayne to perform at US Airways Center on Wednesday night: An impromptu routine by all of opener T-Pain's assortment of dancers, including two midgets, a fire-eating contortionist, two dudes with their faces painted like Juggalos and two of (what appeared to be) Gwen Stefani's former harajuku girls. T-Pain saying, "I'm gonna tell y'all the truth, promise y'all won't get mad.... The reason my fat ass is still up here

  January 29, 2009

• Paul Wall and Slim Thug

  June 4, 2009

• Rapper DMX Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail; Can't Own Animals or Firearms for 18 Months

  Earl Simmons, better known as the rapper DMX, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for abusing his dogs and theft-related charges. He's scheduled to be released on April 30.DMX also received 18 months of supervised probation, during which time he can't own firearms or animals, according to a news release from Maricopa County Andrew Thomas' office.It'll be tough for the scofflaw rapper to stick to those requirements and other terms of his probation, we imagine -- he proved what he thinks of the le

  January 30, 2009

• Hip-Hop Artists Invade the PHX During All-Star Weekend

  Snoop Dogg is scheduled to appear at Scottsdale nightspots Club Rain and Barcelona during All-Star Weekend. If we learned anything from the hullabaloo over last year's Super Bowl in Glendale, it's that the actual sporting event is almost secondary to the slew of celebrations that take place. It seems like every major hip-hop and R&B artist was in town for both the big game and the celebrity-laden festivities. And it's turning out to be the case with next weekend's All-Star Game in downto

  February 13, 2009

• Snoop Dogg uses MTV to Release New Album

  Rap star and Mary Jane-toker Snoop Dogg will bring his new variety talk show "Dogg After Dark" to MTV at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 17. The new weekly variety show, which will air on MTV for seven weeks, was filmed in an LA nightclub and features Snoop chatting up celebs and musicians as well as sketch-comedy segments and musical performances.The music mogul - who recently announced that he parted ways with his record label Geffen/Interscope after 10 years - has also signed a global distribution

  February 11, 2009

• Hip-Hop Artists Take Aim at Sheriff Joe Tonight in Tempe

  Underground hip-hop star One Be Lo and his friends will be dissing on Sheriff Joe hardcore at tonight's "Stop the Circus" event. When Verbal Kent first heard about how Sheriff Joe Arpaio paraded 200 shackled Hispanic inmates through the streets of downtown Phoenix last week, the enraged Chicago-based hip-hop artist took action immediately. Kent phoned his friends in the Valley, the promoters behind the weekly GALLERY BLU re:DEF hip-hop night at the Stray Cat in Tempe. The gu

  February 10, 2009

• The 1st Annual Porn Star Ball: The Breast of Times, the Wurst of Times

  Jonathan McNamaraSee more shots in our Arizona Porn Star Ball slide show.We gotta admit it: the 1st Annual Arizona Porn Star Ball wore us out.The feral festivities started at 9 p.m. and lasted well beyond last call. The list of special guests was longer than John Holmes' tool, and included adult film stars Pharyn Sparxxx, Mya Lee, Taryn Thomas, Priya Rai, and Sophia Rossi; hip-hop artists Justus, Pokafase, Baby Bash, and Too Short; and members of the Arizona Cardinals. The scene was low-key at 9

  February 12, 2009

• The Lowdown on All-Star Weekend's Biggest Parties

  Nelly will attempt to fill Chris Brown's shoes during this weekend's All-Star festivities. The Valley's about to get a little "derrty." Universal Records rapper Nelly is doing the Nix's hip-hop fans a solid by filling in at the two gigs that Chris Brown abandoned eartlier this week due to the recent legal problem's the R&B singer has become embroiled in. As a result, tomorrow night's party at the Corona Ranch in Laveen and Saturday night's shindig at Club Rain (both of which were scheduled

  February 13, 2009

• Sonny Long Is a Legend in His Own Mind

  June 4, 2009

• T.I. Proves Why He's the King

  Luke HolwerdaIt's been an interesting career for Bankhead/Atlanta-based rapper T.I. He's currently weathering the brunt of charges brought against him for illegally owning three unregistered firearms, a part of his life he was not shy to mention while onstage at the Celebrity Theatre on Sunday night. He's not stupid and he knows his fans aren't, either -- he knows they follow his career through the good times ("My Love" with Justin Timberlake, his multiple Grammy Awards) and the bad (being arres

  February 16, 2009

• "Suge" Knight, Famed Rap Producer, Hurt After Scuffle at Scottsdale's W Hotel

    Famed gangsta rap producer "Suge" Knight (right) sure knows how to keep it real. The founder of Death Row Records, former home to legendary rappers Tupac and Snoop Dogg, used his face as a battering ram against another man's fists early this morning during a fight at the W Scottsdale Hotel. Police say Knight is at the hospital getting help for his injuries. Cops busted two men (that's them in the police mug shots below) after the fight: Robert Carnes Jr., who claimed he is

  February 16, 2009

• N.A.S.A.: Fun Concept, Boring Reality

  That is some pretty awesome album art for a pretty average albumAs we come right smack into another Tuesday rife with new releases, I will choose to focus my energies on one particular release, N.A.S.A.'s The Spirit of Apollo. N.A.S.A. (North America/South America) is the collaboration between DJ Zegon (Ze Gonzales) and Squeak E. Clean (Sam Spiegel). Apollo has been hotly anticipated, due to its rather unique lineup of guest vocals. The album features the vocals of M.I.A., Lykke Li, Kanye West (

  February 17, 2009

• The Game: Slower Than Baseball, the Excitement of Curling

  Jonathan McNamaraSee more shots in our The Game Slide Show.Even to those of us who aren't huge proponents of mainstream rap, The Game's second album, Doctor's Advocate, was hugely influential a few years back. Advocate was a note-perfect throwback to gangsta rap's halcyon days of the early '90s and quite possibly the best mainstream rap album since, well, pretty much since everyone started making these distinctions between "mainstream/commercial" rap and "indie/underground" hip-hop in the first

  February 23, 2009

• The Roots' Things Fall Apart: 10 Years Later

  10 years later and this album cover still gives me chillsToday marks an important day in the vibrant history of hip-hop music. 10 years ago, Philadelphia hip-hop pioneers The Roots released their breakthrough album, Things Fall Apart. Bolstered by the strength of the irresistible single "You Got Me," featuring the vocals of Erykah Badu,Things Fall Apart became The Roots' most fully realized work to date, marrying the sophisticated instrumental stylings of the band with their adamant penchant for

  February 23, 2009

• DMX Assaults Prison Guard Over Bad Food, Jail Staff Says; Probation Status Now in Doubt

  Rapper DMX, who's serving 90 days in jail for animal abuse and theft, faces an assault charge following a tiff with a jail guard -- a legal problem that could send him to prison. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was first put in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Tent City jail after his January sentencing. Staff recently moved him to "lockdown" at the Towers jail in downtown Phoenix because he wouldn't stop swearing at guards, says Lisa Allen, spokeswoman for the sheriff's offi

  February 25, 2009

• Power 98.3's Sexy Saturdays Moves to Chinese Cultural Center

  Hip-hop mixmaster extraordinaire DJ M2 will work the wheels at the Golden Buddha during Power 98.3's Sexy Saturdays. If you're looking for a place to get your swerve on this weekend, we advise you to seek out the Golden Buddha. No, we're not dispatching you on some spiritual journey to seek out enlightenment a la Siddhartha, but instead are urging you to head for the Chinese Cultural Center for a night of drinks, dames, and dope music. Hip-hop station Power 98.3's moving their Sexy Saturd

  March 27, 2009

• Afrika Bambaataa Visits Bar Smith's Pinky Ring on April 22

  The Godfather himself, Afrika Bambaataa. Bar Smith's Wednesday night electro affair Pinky Ring has featured a bangin' array of guest DJs over the past six months (including local hero Z-Trip). And now the organizers behind PR are about to add another big name to the list: Afrika Bambaataa. The Bronx-born hip-hop pioneer (who's also considered by many to be "the Father of The Electro Funk Sound") will be the guest of honor at Pinky Ring on Wednesday, April 22. Benjamin Cutswell, one of the

  March 27, 2009

• Hail to the King

  February 26, 2009

• Boom Boom Room

  February 26, 2009

• KonGeror Dreams of Post-Rap Glory in the Frigid North Woods

  February 26, 2009

• To B-Boy or Not to B-Boy

  April 23, 2009

• Rapper Greydon Square Is an Atheist Icon

  April 30, 2009

• Pride vs. Power

  May 14, 2009

• Rapper DMX Released From Jail After Serving 90 Days; Still Faces Another Charge

    Earl Simmons, better known as Rapper DMX, left the Maricopa County Jail after serving 90 days on theft and animal cruelty charges. He could be back soon. While in jail, DMX allegedly assaulted a guard, resulting in another criminal charge. Though the sentence on those charges has been fulfilled, DMX still had to post a $10,000 bond for the alleged assault. He's scheduled for a May 19 pre-trial hearing on that charge, court records show. DMX supposedly wants to start a Chris

  May 14, 2009

• No Jail for DMX: Rapper Sentenced to Supervised Probation

  Wikimedia Commons DMX has avoided more jail time in Phoenix.Earl Simmons, better known as rapper DMX, will not have to do more jail time in Phoenix.The hip-hop star, 38, was sentenced to supervised probation by the Maricopa County Superior Court today, for a charge stemming from his previous incarceration. In May, Simmons completed a 90-day sentence at the Maricopa County jail for theft, drug possession, and animal cruelty. While incarcerated, DMX was charged with attempted aggravated ass

  June 8, 2009

• Willy Northpole Wants Hip-Hop Fans in Phoenix to Feel Tha Connect

  June 11, 2009

• Just Announced: Mudvayne, Reel Big Fish, Method Man, The Horrors, Starlight Mints

  Are you in dire need of a Wu Tang fix? It's been months since a Wu-related act rolled through town, but fear not, we've got Method Man, Redman, and Ghostface Killah at the Marquee in August. Who else is coming through just a little too soon? Read on for full slate of show  announcements.

  June 12, 2009

• Phoenix City Councilman Michael Johnson Honors Willy Northpole as "Friend of the City"

  William OgluinWilly Northpole: "Friend of the City"Phoenix-born hip-hop artist Willy Northpole can add another accolade to his growing resume of accomplishments on Monday, June 22, as Phoenix District 8 Councilman Michael E. Johnson honors Northpole as an official "Friend of the City."Northpole grew up in central Phoenix, where he spent his formative years freestyle battling on the streets and became involved with the Broadway Gangstas gang. He did some time in jail for armed robbery, and emerge

  June 18, 2009

• Arizona on the Grind

  June 25, 2009

• Rick Ross

  June 18, 2009

• Hip-hop Hootenanny

  April 16, 2009

• Passing the Torch

  August 6, 2009

• Fresh

  August 6, 2009

• Lil Wayne at Cricket Wireless Pavilion In Photos

  Luke HolwerdaLil Wayne on stage at Cricket Wireless Pavilion​Lil Wayne and his entourage fired up Cricket Wireless Pavilion with pyrotechnics, giant screens and all the hot dance moves they could Flash for the "America's Most Wanted Tour" on Wednesday. Check out shots from the show in our Lil Wayne slide show.

  August 13, 2009

• Violence Breaks Out After Lil' Wayne Concert in Phoenix; Who Woulda Thought?

  www.weallscheme.com Lil Wayne​Rapper Lil Wayne brought more than beats and bling to the Valley when he performed here last week; police say the hip-hop hood also brought along a little drama.After a concert at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion last Wednesday, police say Lil Wayne and his "posse" got in an altercation at an apartment complex near the venue, where at least one gunshot was fired.According to police, several women were seen getting on and off one of the rapper's four

  August 19, 2009

• Fat Joe

  August 27, 2009

• Rapper DMX: "Stay the (Bleep) Out of Arizona" and "(Bleep) Sheriff Joe

  ​ Rapper DMX has some choice words of advice for his fans: "Stay the f- out of Arizona." He also appears to harbor a grudge against the sheriff of Maricopa County: "For the record, f- Sheriff Joe." The video aired by gossip Web site TMZ.com has all the cuss words bleeped out, but DMX's points aren't lost. The rap star, who last year became a fugitive from Arizona justice for a short time, was apparently chatting about Arizona to a fan (or paparazzi) following a recent restaurant outing

  August 27, 2009

• Civil Disobedience Part 2

  October 1, 2009

• Phoenix MC Random Juggles Teaching, Rapping, and Superhero-Dom

  October 29, 2009