OutKast

Label of the Month: The EDM Pioneers Behind Ghostly International

Welcome to our Label of the Month feature, where we'll expound on some of our favorite music manufacturing companies, the folks that help mold the entire picture for amazing artists and shoot those ideas out into the world. This month, we're aiming our sights on Ghostly International, the Ann Arbor, ... More >>

Yang Tough

Portland Cello Project @ Crescent Ballroom

Phantogram's Josh Carter on Sticky Fingers, Coachella, and the "Mouthful of Diamonds" Cocktail

​Phantogram is hitting the road in support of the follow up EP, or "mini-EP" as guitarist Josh Carter likes to call it, to the group's dynamic debut LP, Eyelid Movies. Last year, this trip-hop group played a packed show at Rip's Ales and Cocktails for Sticky Fingers. This time around, the ban ... More >>

The Knux Kick Off US Tour at Scottsdale's Rogue Bar

​It's a pretty common complaint around town that awesome acts often skip Phoenix on tour. Well, here's a story that argues the opposite. New Orleans-based rap duo The Knux are kicking of their tour here in the Phoenix Metro, at Scottsdale's Rogue Bar on Tuesday, November 8. The band often gets c ... More >>

Music Videos Beavis & Butt-Head Should See

​Beavis & Butt-Head makes its triumphant return to MTV on Thursday, October 27 at 10/9c, and quite frankly, we can't wait. This preview of "Holy Cornholio" looks promising, but one thing is missing--music videos! Half the fun of watching Beavis & Butt-Head was listening to the duo's commentar ... More >>

DJ Element on Timing, DJ Quik, and Repping the Southwest

​DJ Element is one busy cat. Just a few weeks ago we wrote about his FreeStyle Sessions mixtape release, an now we've got work that Element and DJ Pickster, both resident DJs at the popular Thursday night Blunt Club party, are taking their sounds on the road.Making a name for yourself in the DJ w ... More >>

Ten Strange Names Rock Stars Gave Their Kids

Wikimedia CommonsMama, don't let your babies grow up to be Bronxes -- or Diezels or Moon Units.​On Monday night, singer Jewel and her husband, Ty Murray, had their first child, a boy they named Kase Townes Murray. And while "Kase Townes" isn't that bizarre of a name, it's not as traditional as say ... More >>

Phoenix Hip-Hop Duo The New F.O.'s Nab Licensing Deal with MTV Networks' Hype Music

The New F.O.'s EP Real.Life.Feel.Good.​According to its own polished hype, the aptly named Hype Music is "a remarkable talent-incubating, hybrid, music licensing company fueled by some of the world's hottest, emerging, independent artists." But Hype may just live up to its name. The comp ... 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 Ten Best Last Songs on an Album

Time to party, then​According to Christian radio host/old-timey nutjob Harold Camping, the Rapture will occur this Saturday, May 21. On Saturday, all of Camping's followers -- an estimated 200 million -- will be taken into heaven as God's chosen people after earth is ravaged by a massive earthquak ... More >>

Valentine's Day Songs That Tell it Like it is

Not everyone is either totally head-over-heels in love or bitter and lonely on Valentine's Day.Some people are a little more realistic -- a little more down to earth -- about things.What about the rest of us? Whether you recently got dumped, have a crush, or just wanna get laid, there's a song out t ... More >>

2 Tone Lizard Kings, Everlast, the Gay Blades, and More in This Week's Issue

2 Tone Lizard Kings: Spicing up the AZ ska scene.​Although there isn't particularly an abundance of ska bands in Arizona, local ska band the 2 Tone Lizard Kings are keeping the genre fresh. They incorporate the energy of Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore, a maturing sound, and the vibes of a raucous ... More >>

John Mayer Leaves Twitter For Good

​John Mayer is the type of guy who has better things to do than tweet, so maybe it's no surprise that social media has gotten him into some trouble in the past.Despite his busy schedule, I've always imagined Mayer to be this solo artist who has all day to think about whatever kind of nonsensical r ... More >>

Alkemé Talks She-Jays, Carl Jung, Outkast, Sade, Fuse Fridays, Tom Novy, and More

​Name: Elizabeth Quintanilla AKA: Alkemé Current club nights: Thursdays: Azúl at San Carlos, Fridays: Fuse at Bar Smith, Saturdays: Z Girl Club. Guest spots at other venues such as Cream Stereo Lounge. Genres spun: All that encompasses sexy...mmm, I love me some sexy. Yet, I love what gets ... More >>

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 fil ... More >>

Coachella Artists Start Leaking

The first batch of bands for the hottest music festival around, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, has been leaked. Confirmed Artists: the Killers, the Airborne Toxic Event, the Bug, Buraka Som Sistema, Crystal Castles, Drop The Lime, Fleet Foxes, Flying Lotus, Girl Talk, the Hold Steady, ... More >>

Rolling Stone: Still Blowing Bob Dylan

Rolling Stone, that music magazine that felt it necessary to feature the ladies from MTV's The Hills on the cover of its May issue, just released its list of top 50 albums of 2008. Wouldn't you know it; they put Bob Dylan at number two. Why not number one, Rolling Stone? Maybe because they realize ... More >>

Rebel Rouser

DJ mashes beats from South Beach to South America

Change of Art

Rock icon goes . . . hip-hop?

It Came From YouTube: Covers by Local Bands

Tilly and the Wall

OutKast's Andre 3000 acts up with Will Ferrell in Semi-Pro

Valley musician Mat Weddle gets props from Howard Stern

Hang the DJ

These mix masters won't play "Hey Ya!" -- promise

Betty Davis

They Say I'm Different/Betty Davis
(Light in the Attic)

Obadiah Parker

The covers that reveal

PHX Hold Em

Is Z Trippin'?

About a Boi

OutKast’s Depression-era hip-hop musical has a loving respect for the old South

A Pack of Mutts

Music's "designer dogs"

Blackalicious

The Craft
(Anti)

Funky Bunch

Oddly, it's not so bad

Literary Crunk

SF author Tamara Palmer digs deep into the Dirty South's rap explosion

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures

BEST HIP-HOP RADIO STATION

KKFR-FM Power 92.3

Goodie Mob

One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
(Koch)

No Doubt

With Blink-182 in tow, No Doubt prepares for a massive show

Home Grown (Local)

BLACK - Digging for Beats

Aside from OutKast, most of 2003's best black music bubbled underground

A Tale of Two Beats

In 2003, a rockist retread ruled techno, while a new beginning hijacked hip-hop

Ghetto Musick?

OutKast partners Andre 3000 and Big Boi diverge wildly on their two-CD duel Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Kentucky Fried

Drinkin' Grand Marnier, smokin' pot. It's the life God chose for Nappy Roots.

Various Artists

Africa Raps: Senegal, Mali, and the Gambia (Trikont)

Various Artists

Constant Elevation (Astralwerks)

Perfect Truth

Cee-Lo breaks from the Mob in a solo quest to save hip-hop

Hopping Up the Hip-Hop

Timbaland and Organized Noize are making the music go bang, and rap radio's never sounded so good

The Next Movement

The Roots return to the Valley, fresh off an effort helping to bridge the gap between electronica and hip-hop

Critical Mass 2000

Our panel of writers offer up their takes on the top discs of Y2K

Dr. Cynic's Revenge

Beat Angel Brian Smith's 10 Greatest Atrocities in '96