Hip-Hop and Rap

Why Talk More About Jay-Z's Cuba Trip Than Rick Ross's Date Rape Rap?

Having solved all of the country's economic problems, come to an agreement on DOMA, and figured out what to do about gun control, the American government finally has time to focus on what really matters: where richer-than-God superstars Jay-Z and Beyoncé spend their obscenely luxurious vacations. ... More >>

Crunk in Public

Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark Lend Support to Blunt Club's Benefit for Artist Jules Demetrius

Local urban artist Jules Demetrius has never seemed to want when it comes to the friend department. Amongst his multitude of acquaintances and comrades, the 43-year-old painter and graphic designer are a horde of local creative types from both the music and art world, as well as some famous names li ... More >>

Yasiin Bey AKA Mos Def, Celebrity Theatre, 3/21/13

Mos Def/Yasiin Bey @ Celebrity Theatre|3/21/13It's clear that Yasiin Bey A.K.A. Mos Def is one of the most likeable guys in hip-hop history. The 39-year-old rapper is most known for his critically acclaimed album Black on Both Sides, as well as his work with fellow New York emcee Talib Kweli, as the ... More >>

Roots Drummer Questlove's Instagram Feed Is the Internet's Best

Yasiin Bey/Mos Def @ Celebrity Theatre

Masta Killa @ Yucca Tap Room

Questlove of The Roots Is So Much Better at Instagram Than You

Of all the stupid things we do with our phones, Instagram might be the worst. Not only has the app falsely convinced us all we're professional photographers, but it's done something even worse: It's encouraged our worst vainglorious tendencies. No one is Amaro-toning his or her real life. There are ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows in Phoenix This Week

It's Monday, and that means that the rotting corpse of the weekend has been trampled on and desecrated by another dadgum work week. But never fear -- the resistance is growing. You can recreate the carefree feelings of the weekend every night this week by attending our Top Five Must-See Shows This W ... More >>

Murs, The Insects, Fashawn, and Prof, Club Red, 2/5/13

Murs, The Insects, Fashawn, Prof @ Club Red|2/5/13It looks like it's that time of the year again, as Murs gathers a select group of rappers to embark on a nationwise tour leading up to his annual "Paid Dues" festival in March. The endeavor this year, aptly titled "The Road to Paid Dues," normally sh ... More >>

Z-Trip, Axis/Radius, 2/2/13

Z-Trip @ Axis/Radius|2/2/13Whatchu know 'bout Z-Trip? In all seriousness, if you asked this question to any of your local peers, I'm willing to bet that nine out of ten will know the ubiquitous DJ name, eight out of ten will know him personally, or claim to know him personally, from that one time a ... More >>

Arizona's Murs Bridges Hip-Hop's Divide

Murs Says Don't Write Music If You "Don't Have Shit to Say"

In this week's issue, we profile Arizona-based rapper Murs. Some great stuff got left on the cutting-room floor, so in this installment of Outtakes, we'll crack open the tape recorder and let a whole bunch of good material that didn't make the print edition see the light of day. One of rap's great ... More >>

Five Favorite Live Hip-Hop Venues in Metro Phoenix

Musicians traditionally get all of the glory, but what about the venues that house them? Arizona hip-hop artists are regularly lauded for their lyrical lexicon and dazzling deliveries, but they couldn't be heard if popping music houses didn't provide the dark digs, microphones, stages, and booming s ... More >>

Blaze Rock: Arizona Hip-Hop Veteran Shares Words of Wisdom

Editor's Note: We'd like to welcome local hip-hop artist and writer Jaron Ikner to Up on the Sun. You're probably familiar with his Black One project, and now he's bringing his voice to the music blog here at New Times. Salute! Longevity and consistency are two things that are considered a rare fi ... More >>

Four Artists Who Would Have Paired Well With The Game

New Phoenix Mixtape Pairs T.I., Lil Wayne, and E40 with Phoenix Rappers

Rapper T.I. must have seen something he liked when he stopped by Phoenix this past weekend. His Atlanta-based record label Grand Hustle is showing Arizona some love with a new mixtape, The Phoenix Edition Mixtape. The 17-track release showcases some of the Valley's up and coming hip-hop acts inclu ... More >>

The Game: Four Dead Rappers We Wish He Could Collaborate With

In hip-hop the past is a constant and idealization of one's forefathers-or mothers-is an uncrossable tradition. The Game might be hip-hop's most eloquent eulogizer. His 2005 hit "Dreams" spoke poignantly to that point; Game all but admitted that he'll never mean as much to the culture as his lordl ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Week

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we get it. Mondays suck (we've read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest -- our top five must-see shows this week.

Height With Friends: Not Freakishly Tall, Not Quite Hip-Hop

Baltimore MC Height (known by his mother as Dan Keech) got his start rapping with Wounds and Dogg and Pony and Keech's first solo show was opening for Animal Collective in mid-2000. Eight years later, Keech started collaborating with other Maryland musicians, starting Height With Friends. As part ... More >>

SensOne on Idolizing the Bombshelter DJs and How He Earned His Nickname "Power Surge"

It's a fact of life that everyone has a pratfall or accident now and again. Just ask Greg "SensOne" Voeller, who pulled a gaffe not once, but twice, during his DJ sets. Besides embarrassing the crap outta the local selector, it caused a few of his cohorts to give him a second nickname: PowerSurge. ... More >>

GZA @ Marquee Theatre

2 Chainz @ Celebrity Theatre

Phoenix Rapper Sar KAZum Says "F**K a Label"

When it comes to hip-hop, cadence is everything. Well, maybe not everything, but a rapper's flow is a damn big deal. Whether you're making a club banger or flexing your lyrical chops, delivery makes or breaks a jam. Phoenix emcee Sar KAZum knows this, so he looked to hip-hop heavyweights like KRS-O ... More >>

Ghostface Killah, Club Red, 8/23/12

See also: Ghostface Killah @ Club Red See also: Local DJ/Producer El-Jay Beats to Share The Stage with Ghostface KillahGhostface Killah @ CLUB RED | 8/23/12 Coming from rappers who know a thing or two about the power of the mixtape, last night's show featuring Ghostface Killah, Sheek Louch, and Sa ... More >>

Ghostface Killah @ Club Red

Five Must-See Shows This Week

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we get it Mondays suck (we've read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week.

The 10 Greatest White Rappers

See also: EL-P's Dystopian Hip-Hop is No Sci-Fi Fantasy See also: Asher Roth Is Bro Rap Incarnate, but Don't Hold It Against Him See also: Action Bronson @ Club Red See also: Ten Awesome Mixtapes To Download Right Now (NSFW) What are the first names to come to mind when we say "white rapper?" Vani ... More >>

Local DJ/Producer El-Jay Beats to Share The Stage with Ghostface Killah

See also: Phife Dawg at Club Red, 6/22/12 See also: Talib Kweli, Club Red, 7/21/12 See also: Elzhi and RoQ'y TyRaid, Chasers Bar & Night Club, 8/1/12 It's been a good time for Valley hip-hop fans lately. Over the last few weeks major rap players like Phife Dawg, Talib Kweli, and Elzhi have been al ... More >>

The Rewind, Lost Leaf, 8/7/12

See also: Arizona Hip-Hop Duo Numbers Continue Chasing Paper with New Album Well, I felt sheepish last night. When Phoenix rapper I.P. from local hip-hop duo Numbers, sent me a heads up about a Tuesday night show going on at The Lost Leaf, I figured a few loyal followers would make their way out ... More >>

Lifted Aims for Timeless Pop, Like His Boss Kanye West

Big K.R.I.T.'s Blowing Up, But the Rapper's Got Underdog Appeal

Glass Popcorn Drops "Goin' Hamburger" Video (The Beef Eating Jam of the Summer)

See also: Glass Popcorn: Is This High School Rapper "Destroying Hip-Hop?" If my previous ink on local 15-year-old cloud rapper Will Neibergall, aka Glass Popcorn, left too much to the imagination, the day has finally come for his YouTube chrysalis to crack. He has spread his high-def wings and prem ... More >>

Yang Tough

Phoenix's Jae E Teams with E40 to "Go Get It"

Southern rap is a ubiquitous force in hip-hop, a dominating sound that influences the rest of the nation. Phoenix-based rapper hails from New Orleans, where the sounds he heard profoundly influenced the sound displayed on "Go Get It," his collaboration with revenue retrievin' star E40 and Thaddeou ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Week

Curious about what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions as to how to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend.

Talib Kweli @ Club Red

The Gathering of the Juggalos 2012 Lineup Is Pretty Good. Really!

See also: Soulfly and Fear Factory to Play The Gathering of the Juggalos See also: Seven Awesome Things About The Gathering of the Juggalos 2011 See also: FBI Report Officially Classifies Juggalos a Hybrid Gang; Arizona Boasts "Strong Juggalo Presence" Okay guys, so hear me out. I.C.P.'s The Gather ... More >>

Fast Cars and Rap Stars: This Week's Cover Story Has Crime, Glitz, and a Whole Bunch of Hip-Hop

What do Eminem, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, 50 Cent, and Beyoncé have in common? The all make cameos in this week's cover story, "Fast Cars and Rap Stars: How a Sugar Daddy's Empire Crumbled on Everyone Involved," by Ray Sterns, telling the strange tale of Scottsdale's Coy ... More >>

Win Tickets to Talib Kweli's "Prisoner of Conscious" Show at Club Red

Talib Kweli doesn't seem to like downtime. Last year he released the celebrated Gutter Rainbows, and Idle Worship, a nu-soul collaboration with singer-songwriter Res, teamed with Yaslin Bay (his partner in Black Star) for the Colbert Report, and took to the streets for Occupy Wall Street. It's dif ... More >>

Renaissance Men

Phife Dawg at Club Red, 6/22/12

Phife Dawg Club Red Friday, June 22 If there was one point that was made clear in last year's documentary Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, its that the members of the influential hip-hop group won't be staging a reunion anytime soon. Although Q-Tip is on (relatively) cord ... More >>

El-P on His Cancer 4 Cure and American Dystopia

A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg Is Set to Play Club Red with a Grip of Local Talent

Some of Phoenix's premier rappers will have a unique chance to share the stage with a hip-hop institution when Phife Dawg of legendary outfit A Tribe Called Quest rocks the mic at Club Red in Tempe, this Friday, June 22. Not only is it a chance to revel in some of the best proprietors of the local ... More >>

The Sh!t Takes Hip-Hop to The Twilight Zone

In this week's issue of Phoenix New Times, we profiled 10 new(ish) bands we expect to dominate Phoenix iPods and boomboxes this long, hot summer. We'll be focusing more deeply on those artists over the next couple of days on Up on the Sun. See the entire list: 10 Phoenix Bands You Should Be Listeni ... More >>

Arizona Hip-Hop Duo Numbers Continue Chasing Paper with New Album

Hip-hop duo Numbers are continuing to prove that they are a formidable force in the Arizona music scene with their latest release, Nerds Gettin' Paper: The Establishment. The Establishment is a follow up to last year's Attack of the Robots EP, and continues to show off emcee IP's linguistic master ... More >>

NYC's Action Bronson Plays It Tough and Cool

A Hot Ghetto Mess of Hip-Hop, Art, and B-Boys: The 10-Year Journey of The Blunt Club

See also: Tempe's Wet Paint Artist Supply to Close in July If Adam Dumper is feeling a little melancholy right now, there's a good reason. This week has a bit of a "best of times/worst of times" vibe for the local hip-hop impresario and street artist, who's better known by his alter ego Dumperfoo. ... More >>

Drake's Club Paradise Tour, Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion, 5/10/12

Drake's Club Paradise Tour featuring Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, French Montana, Waka Flocka Flame, J. Cole, and Drake Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion Thursday, May 10 See also: Drake's Take Care Is a Conflicted, Compelling Statement Check out the complete Drake Club Paradise Tour slideshow There wa ... More >>

Waka Flocka Flame @ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion