Abir Has A Voice, And She’s Not Shy About Using It
Abir Haronni grew up in Arlington, Virginia. But the D.C. suburbs didn’t offer enough hustle for her. “New York is…
Tag: Hip-Hop
Maryland’s Nature Boi And Brain Rapp Go Back And Forth On ‘Jada & Styles’
Lox-heads view Jadakiss and Styles P as two of the greatest practitioners of back-and-forth rapping, which is a bit of…
From Its Studios On Georgia Avenue, Listen Vision Brings D.C. Music To The World
Directly across from the entrance to Howard University, a series of small businesses lines a strip of Georgia Avenue. Nestled…
Broccoli City Fest Announces Big 2016 Lineup
The smoothie enthusiasts of L.A. “organic lifestyle” group Broccoli City brought their first music festival to D.C. in 2013. It…
Experience The Stoner Nerdery Of Hip-Hop Oddballs The Rope Goat Clan
When high art and trashy pop culture meet, absurd things tend to crop up — like the Rope Goat Clan….
24 Women Rappers Use A Hip-Hop Classic To Tackle Violence And Sexism
In 1989, an esteemed group of East Coast rappers united behind the mic to record a funky PSA: “Self Destruction,” a plea…
Rapsody: Tiny Desk Concert
In 2015, the young rapper had her big moment. This year, she’s seizing it. Watch Rapsody perform three songs from Beauty And The Beast, recorded live at the NPR Music offices.
Pusha T: ‘This Is What I Like To Make’
The Virginia Beach denizen spoke about the reverse troll he laid on Def Jam, what it’s like to go back and forth with Puffy, the fallacies of textbooks and the perils of ignoring the youth.
Ras Nebyu: The Singing Rapper Spreading ‘Slizzatrism’ Across The World
Ras Nebyu is awake, but he doesn’t necessarily call himself a “conscious rapper.” “I can’t put all of my talents in the…
Kendrick Lamar And Taylor Swift Lead Grammy Nominations
Kendrick Lamar scored 11 nominations and Taylor Swift was nominated for seven awards, including album, song and record of the year. The Weeknd also received seven nominations.
A Brickmason In Maryland, K.A.A.N. Is Also A Crazy-Skilled Rapper
K.A.A.N. (an acronym for “Knowledge Above All Nonsense”) never really set out to make music. But after catching a performance…
Once An Outsider, R&B Vocalist Reece Finds Admirers Online
Passion or practicality: It’s a choice faced by many teenagers as high school winds down and the road to adulthood…
T-Pain Is Playing A Concert At NPR — Get Tickets
T-Pain, the patron saint of Auto-Tune, is returning to NPR. The R&B/hip-hop artist is scheduled to perform a “surprise” concert…
Listen To The New Album From Logic, Maryland Rapper Gone Big
Wale is not the only famous rapper out of Maryland: Next to him is Logic, the 25-year-old Gaithersburg native who…
Logic: ‘Do Something For Yourself’
“I’m telling the fans what I’m trying to tell myself because nobody was telling me at the time,” says the rapper, who hails from Maryland.
A Villain From ‘Dexter’ Inspires A New Track From MC Ardamus
In 2010, Fort Totten rapper Ardamus survived a violent robbery. “It was situation where I could have ended up dead,”…
The Art Of The ‘Clean Version’
When songs have profanity, sex or drug references removed for broadcast, it’s a process known as clean editing — and it can get complicated. Priska Neely spoke with one of the masters of the form.
GoldLink’s Debut Album Is Here Early
One of the most promising artists out of the D.C. region, rapper GoldLink released his debut album today, the followup…
Get Free Tickets To Hip-Hop Doc ‘Stretch and Bobbito’ At NPR
Update: These tickets have been claimed. Thanks, folks! Nas before Illmatic. A young Jay Z and Notorious B.I.G. Members of…
D.C.’s Music Scene Now Has Its Very Own Chili Cookbook
D.C.’s newest cookbook has one seemingly high-maintenance rock star to thank for its conception: Jack White. When White’s tour rider…