Alongside the ranks of Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, rambunctious trio Migos represents the next-generation of Atlanta emcees reaching mainstream. It’s easy to conclude that Drake’s guest verse on the “Versace” remix was a turning point for Quavo, Offset and Takeoff. However, the three...
Richmond, California-based artist and entrepreneur Rich Cole has been building a steady buzz throughout the Bay Area for several years thanks to his heavy usage of social media. As CEO of The ABiatorz Music Group, he’s released a slew of mixtapes and solo projects to...
The year was 1998. While New Orleans, Houston and Atlanta pretty much monopolized the conversation of Southern Hip Hop’s eventual rise to dominance, Miami seemed to be stuck in an era of 2 Live Crew and the over-the-top sexual exploits of Luther Campbell. Then came...
One of the most daring bands to emerge from LA’s contemporary music scene is Odd Future offshoot, The Internet. Originally consisting of Syd tha Kid and Matt Martians, the two made quite a stir when they dropped 2011’s experimental soul album Purple Naked Ladies. Featuring controversial...
Producer, composer and now label owner Adrian Younge is almost an anomaly in contemporary music. Having a breakout year in 2009 thanks to his work on theBlack Dynamite soundtrack, Younge eventually became the go-to producer for anything involving vintage soul. That includes collaborative projects with everyone...
How does one turn down an opportunity to work on tour with Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez to become the creative director for a television show in China? When you’re acclaimed vocal coach, producer, motivational speaker and entrepreneur Nicholas Cooper, the answer is simple. “You...
Past midnight, 93-years-old jazz icon Clark Terry lays on a bed as he mumbles (no pun intended) his almost academic doodle tongue technique to twenty something-year-old pianist Justin Kauflin. Nasal cannula assisting with oxygen flow, the man who served as Miles Davis and Quincy Jones’...
Akil, Zaakir, Marc 7, Chali 2na, DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist are back. Seven years has passed since the release of Jurassic 5’s fourth and “final” album, Feedback,sans Cut Chemist. As this year marks the 20th Anniversary of the group’s first project, the Los Angeles-based collective...
2013 saw the untimely deaths of two very influential people in my life; my biological mother Mary Ann Holmes and legendary film critic Roger Ebert. Both losing their battle with cancer, similar fighting spirits and graceful acceptance of the end showed fearlessness in character. Those...
There wasn’t a sound that represented black music and its crossover marketability more than 1960's Motown. Detroit’s crowned jewel of course gave birth to The Jacksons, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross & The Supremes among others who went on to break various racial and commercial...
