Hip-Hop and Rap

Hustle and Grow

Travis Barker Calls His Critics Nazis

​Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is not responding well to those who have critiqued his new solo album, Give the Drummer Some, according to Spinner.Many fans of his work with Blink-182 have recently expressed that they don't particularly care for his solo work. Barker responded by calling his crit ... More >>

Tony Morales, What Are You Listening To?

Tony Morales​Tony Morales Morales is the pit master at Big Earl's BBQ and owner of Desert Smoke BBQ. Cheer him on at the Arizona Barbecue Festival this Saturday, March 26 at the Scottsdale Waterfront. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? ... More >>

B.o.B. Burns Odd Future on 'No Future'

​A fresh rap rivalry is brewing! This time it's B.o.B. and Odd Future that are throwing down, according to Billboard.B.o.B. has just dropped his hot new diss track "No Future," in which he's quite adamant about standing his ground as an established rapper."Body blow, upper cut, I do more than brui ... More >>

Murs @ The Clubhouse Music Venue

​A fresh rap rivalry is brewing! This time it's B.o.B. and Odd Future that are throwing down, according to Billboard.B.o.B. has just dropped his hot new diss track "No Future," in which he's quite adamant about standing his ground as an established rapper."Body blow, upper cut, I do more than brui ... More >>

Talib Kweli

​A fresh rap rivalry is brewing! This time it's B.o.B. and Odd Future that are throwing down, according to Billboard.B.o.B. has just dropped his hot new diss track "No Future," in which he's quite adamant about standing his ground as an established rapper."Body blow, upper cut, I do more than brui ... More >>

Lil Wayne at U.S. Airways Center Last Night

Maria VassettLil Wayne performing at U.S. Airways Center last night.​Lil Wayne US Airways Center, Phoenix Tuesday, April 19, 2011 Lil Wayne has entertained the idea of morphing from a rapper into a full-fledged rock star for a few years now. Why would one of the world's most successful rappers wa ... More >>

Lupe Fiasco at Mesa Amphitheatre Last Night

hile using a band for a live hip hop show is no longer unorthodox -- The Roots, Lil Wayne, Atmosphere have all done it -- Lupe's show was unique. The Roots jam. Atmosphere's tour band jams. Lupe's band rocked.

Diddy's Rise From Booger-Eater to Insurance Hawker to Superstar

hile using a band for a live hip hop show is no longer unorthodox -- The Roots, Lil Wayne, Atmosphere have all done it -- Lupe's show was unique. The Roots jam. Atmosphere's tour band jams. Lupe's band rocked.

Hip-Hop Massacre's "Death to Bin Laden" Flier

​Everyone had a reaction to last weekend's downing of terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden, even the superstars of hip-hop.Rappers ranging from Public Enemy's Chuck D to Soulja Boy had something to say about Bin Laden's death via Twitter. For instance, Lupe Fiasco tweeted "Osama Dead!?! Afgha ... More >>

Lil Wayne's "John" Video Premieres Today, Showcasing Spare Tires, Knife-Wielding Strippers, and Rick Ross in a Wheelchair

Wikimedia Commons/RJ ShaughnessyLil Wayne​Lil Wayne's new video, "John," premieres today. Weezy's latest visual opus finds the rapper in an abandoned warehouse, outside on a dock, on top of a mountain of car tires, and surrounded by bats, while guest rapper Rick Ross rolls around in a wheelchair ... More >>

Devin the Dude Is Content to Light Up Another Cannabis Anthem

Wikimedia Commons/RJ ShaughnessyLil Wayne​Lil Wayne's new video, "John," premieres today. Weezy's latest visual opus finds the rapper in an abandoned warehouse, outside on a dock, on top of a mountain of car tires, and surrounded by bats, while guest rapper Rick Ross rolls around in a wheelchair ... More >>

DMX Reportedly Granted Early Release from Prison

One of DMX's many mug shots.​Troubled hip-hop star DMX, whom we profiled just after he was sentenced to a year in the clink last December, will be released on July 1, according to the website hiphopwired.com. DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was on the comeback trail last year when he was sentenced ... More >>

Aceyalone @ Club Red

One of DMX's many mug shots.​Troubled hip-hop star DMX, whom we profiled just after he was sentenced to a year in the clink last December, will be released on July 1, according to the website hiphopwired.com. DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was on the comeback trail last year when he was sentenced ... More >>

T-Pain Parts Ways With Auto-Tune, Does the World a Favor

​The world is now a better place thanks to T-Pain. He recently declared that he has sworn off using auto-tune, according to Prefix.He better keep his promise! If he doesn't, Jay-Z will have something to say about it. Along with his new vow to do away with auto-tune came the unfortunate introductio ... More >>

DJ Solarize Passes Away at 26

Leon Botha, who is often associated with Die Antwoord, has passed away from complications with progeria, according to Stereogum.Botha is also known as DJ Solarize. He's known for being a prominent visual artist in Cape Town, South Africa, as well. He appeared in South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoor ... More >>

The Top Ten Lamest, Most Overplayed Hip Hop Songs from the Late 90's

Can't stop, won't stop​​Inspiration comes from many different places, the radio being one of them. While carousing around town in my hooptie the other day, the Notorious B.I.G./Puff Daddy/Mase 1997 classic "Mo Money, Mo Problems" came on over my speakers, much to my odd delight. After I was done ... More >>

The Highly Influential (and Mostly Unknown) Hip-Hop Past of She Wants Revenge

Scott DudelsonJustin Warfield​On hip-hop supergroup The Roots' 2002 album, Phrenology, there's a track called "WAOK (Ay) Roll Call," wherein the band gives shout-outs to 230 of their favorite and most influential music artists, including Grandmaster Flash and Common. At the very end of this illus ... More >>

Rapper Wiz Khalifa's at the Forefront of Rap's Internet Democracy

Scott DudelsonJustin Warfield​On hip-hop supergroup The Roots' 2002 album, Phrenology, there's a track called "WAOK (Ay) Roll Call," wherein the band gives shout-outs to 230 of their favorite and most influential music artists, including Grandmaster Flash and Common. At the very end of this illus ... More >>

Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music Label Signs Deal With Def Jam

​Kanye West's label G.O.O.D. Music has signed a "longterm worldwide label agreement" with Island Def Jam, according to MTV News.G.O.O.D. Music is now officially a subsidiary of Def Jam. Many future G.O.O.D. Music releases will see release under Def Jam's name, including Big Sean's F ... More >>

Tyga @ The Venue Scottsdale

​Kanye West's label G.O.O.D. Music has signed a "longterm worldwide label agreement" with Island Def Jam, according to MTV News.G.O.O.D. Music is now officially a subsidiary of Def Jam. Many future G.O.O.D. Music releases will see release under Def Jam's name, including Big Sean's F ... More >>

Money Power Respect Entertainment Pushes Local Hip-Hop on a Large Scale

Cahleb Branch, head of Money Power Respect, works at his desk.​How much does it cost to book GZA from Wu-Tang Clan? Or Lil Jon? Or Nicki Minaj?Cahleb Branch knows, because his company, Valley-based Money Power Respect Entertainment, books international shows for them, among a slew of other well-kn ... More >>

Yo Gotti @ Celebrity Theatre

Cahleb Branch, head of Money Power Respect, works at his desk.​How much does it cost to book GZA from Wu-Tang Clan? Or Lil Jon? Or Nicki Minaj?Cahleb Branch knows, because his company, Valley-based Money Power Respect Entertainment, books international shows for them, among a slew of other well-kn ... More >>

E-40 @ The Venue Scottsdale

Cahleb Branch, head of Money Power Respect, works at his desk.​How much does it cost to book GZA from Wu-Tang Clan? Or Lil Jon? Or Nicki Minaj?Cahleb Branch knows, because his company, Valley-based Money Power Respect Entertainment, books international shows for them, among a slew of other well-kn ... More >>

Happy Birthday, MTV: 30 Videos to Celebrate 30 Years

I want my MTV back​Music Television turns 30 today, but the network doesn't look a day over 16 and Pregnant. Well before MTV started exploiting the incredibly difficult lives of irresponsible teens expecting a first child and balancing high school algebra, the Viacom-network played music vid ... More >>

Five Songs Sampled by A Tribe Called Quest to Celebrate Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

​Michael Rapaport. Not to be a dick, but when we think of the C-list star, shit films and even crappier television are the first things that pop into mind. However, after watching Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, our opinion has totally shifted -- Michael Rapaport is a ... More >>

Beats, Rhymes, & Life: Michael Rapaport Observes a Tribe Called Quest Vibe and Checks Out the Scenario

​Michael Rapaport. Not to be a dick, but when we think of the C-list star, shit films and even crappier television are the first things that pop into mind. However, after watching Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, our opinion has totally shifted -- Michael Rapaport is a ... More >>

Numbers: Phoenix Hip-Hoppers Explain "Attack of the Robots"

​Numbers is an Arizona hip-hop duo, comprised of producer Izzy and rapper I.P.. The duo's recent EP, Nerds Getting Paper: Attack of the Robots, released in May, indeed finds the group "getting paper," but the "nerds" part seems a bit self-deprecating. The album features guest spots from Mr. Mirand ... More >>

Lil Wayne: Rap's Most Dependable Weirdo Coming to US Airways Center

​Perma-stoned New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne has been hip-hop's eccentric golden boy for five years now. On the heels of his magnificent breakthrough album Tha Carter II, Wayne went apeshit, releasing mixtape after groundbreaking mixtape. Some of them, like 2006's Dedication 2 and Lil Weezyana, ... More >>

Gucci Mane @ Celebrity Theatre

​Perma-stoned New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne has been hip-hop's eccentric golden boy for five years now. On the heels of his magnificent breakthrough album Tha Carter II, Wayne went apeshit, releasing mixtape after groundbreaking mixtape. Some of them, like 2006's Dedication 2 and Lil Weezyana, ... More >>

Lil Wayne

​Perma-stoned New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne has been hip-hop's eccentric golden boy for five years now. On the heels of his magnificent breakthrough album Tha Carter II, Wayne went apeshit, releasing mixtape after groundbreaking mixtape. Some of them, like 2006's Dedication 2 and Lil Weezyana, ... More >>

Nappy Roots @ Red Owl

​Perma-stoned New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne has been hip-hop's eccentric golden boy for five years now. On the heels of his magnificent breakthrough album Tha Carter II, Wayne went apeshit, releasing mixtape after groundbreaking mixtape. Some of them, like 2006's Dedication 2 and Lil Weezyana, ... More >>

Black One on Sampling Artists, Kanye West, and Why Phoenix's Hip-Hop Scene Reigns Over Tucson's

​Expat RecordsJason Ikner is Black One​I had never met a rapper who claims to like Adele, the Black Keys, and dubstep. That is, until I spoke to local hip-hop artist Jaron Ikner, commonly known as Black One. Black One draws from different sections of the record store than your average backp ... More >>

Murs @ The Clubhouse Music Venue

​Expat RecordsJason Ikner is Black One​I had never met a rapper who claims to like Adele, the Black Keys, and dubstep. That is, until I spoke to local hip-hop artist Jaron Ikner, commonly known as Black One. Black One draws from different sections of the record store than your average backp ... More >>

Tech N9ne @ Marquee Theatre

​Expat RecordsJason Ikner is Black One​I had never met a rapper who claims to like Adele, the Black Keys, and dubstep. That is, until I spoke to local hip-hop artist Jaron Ikner, commonly known as Black One. Black One draws from different sections of the record store than your average backp ... More >>

This Has Been a Good Week For Black Star Fans

Black Star Performing on Colbert Report​It's been a really great week for Black Star fans -- and I'm one of them. Black Star, the 1998 collaboration between Mos Def and Talib Kweli is one of my favorite hip-hop albums. The duo performed "Fix Up," produced by the nearly always awesome Madlib, on Th ... More >>

Yelawolf

Black Star Performing on Colbert Report​It's been a really great week for Black Star fans -- and I'm one of them. Black Star, the 1998 collaboration between Mos Def and Talib Kweli is one of my favorite hip-hop albums. The duo performed "Fix Up," produced by the nearly always awesome Madlib, on Th ... More >>

Happy Birthday Snoop! See You at the Fair Tonight.

​Today, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., better known to the world as Snoop Dogg, turns 40. He's scheduled to share his birthday in Phoenix, performing at the Arizona State Fair tonight. Both of these things say a lot about how rap has changed since Snoop's debut record, Doggstyle, hit record store ... More >>

DMX: Going Old School on New Album?

​There's a glimmer of hope that Up On The Sun's DMX Rap Sheet will finally be put on the back burner as the hip-hop artist returns to the music world, determined, reportedly sober, and with new management headed up by Jason Fowler of J Mike Management & Entertainment, based in Mesa. And it' ... More >>

Das Racist Are Just Joking (But They're Not Joking)

​There's a glimmer of hope that Up On The Sun's DMX Rap Sheet will finally be put on the back burner as the hip-hop artist returns to the music world, determined, reportedly sober, and with new management headed up by Jason Fowler of J Mike Management & Entertainment, based in Mesa. And it' ... More >>

AraabMuzik @ Bar Smith

​There's a glimmer of hope that Up On The Sun's DMX Rap Sheet will finally be put on the back burner as the hip-hop artist returns to the music world, determined, reportedly sober, and with new management headed up by Jason Fowler of J Mike Management & Entertainment, based in Mesa. And it' ... More >>

Tucson MC Savant Doesn't Create Standard Hip-Hop

​There's a glimmer of hope that Up On The Sun's DMX Rap Sheet will finally be put on the back burner as the hip-hop artist returns to the music world, determined, reportedly sober, and with new management headed up by Jason Fowler of J Mike Management & Entertainment, based in Mesa. And it' ... More >>

Pusha T @ Clubhouse Music Venue

​There's a glimmer of hope that Up On The Sun's DMX Rap Sheet will finally be put on the back burner as the hip-hop artist returns to the music world, determined, reportedly sober, and with new management headed up by Jason Fowler of J Mike Management & Entertainment, based in Mesa. And it' ... More >>

Holiday Gifts for Your Hip-Hop Cousin

​Alright, slacker. There's no more denying it: the holidays are here, and you need to get on that shopping list. Luckily, Up on the Sun has caught gift guide-fever, and over the course of this week we'll be offering you suggestions for the entire family. Yo yo yiggity yo, son. Christmas is u ... More >>

Five Major Musicians That Left Us in 2011

Gil Scott-Heron​Each year, we regretfully feel obligated to make this list. Musicians that touch our hearts and change our lives come and go. Some of these musicians had long, fruitful careers, while others seemed like they were just getting started. Gil Scott-Heron Poet-musician Gil Scott-Her ... More >>

Most Outrageously Offensive Outfits of 2011

​Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun's 2011 Review. We've been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a look at 2011's most outrageously offensive musical outfits. Enjoy! We're not particularly renowned for our sense of ... More >>

Ash Avenue Comics Staff on Galapagos, Faces, and Drainbow

Clockwise from top left: Galapagos, Drew Sully and Adrienne Osuch of Ash Ave Comics, Faces, Drainbow​Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix ... More >>

Rick Ross Is Rap's Opulent King

Clockwise from top left: Galapagos, Drew Sully and Adrienne Osuch of Ash Ave Comics, Faces, Drainbow​Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix ... More >>

Rapper One Be Lo Has a Way With Letters

Clockwise from top left: Galapagos, Drew Sully and Adrienne Osuch of Ash Ave Comics, Faces, Drainbow​Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix ... More >>

Hip-Hop Hybridist Moe'Z Art Isn't Short on Ambition.

Clockwise from top left: Galapagos, Drew Sully and Adrienne Osuch of Ash Ave Comics, Faces, Drainbow​Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, in which Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix ... More >>