Lists

Something really awesome happened recently. The legendary Jimmy Page, from rock outfit Led Zeppelin, mashed his own Led Zep track “Ramble On” with the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize.” You don’t always see that type of inter-mingling happening between the world of rock and rap, but it's usually special. For a while, Led Zeppelin has b...

Chemistry plays a big role between rapper and producer. Dr. Dre and Eminem, Prodigy and Havoc, Kanye West and Jay Z. All of these pairs gave each other their signature sound that helped place them among an elite group. While they’re viewed as legendary producer/rapper collaborations, there is a new crop of duos in the game working hard to achieve similar success. ...

Yesterday, the ten-year anniversary of The Black Album was celebrated. Looking back at Jay’s “last album” and its cultural impact, there’s a lot to say about how Jay transitioned from his hustling days to the hip-hop mogul of today. What’s even more telli...

It comes as no surprise to anyone that Rick Ross makes his presence felt. His stature, his growl, his often shirtless existence—these are all things that Ross uses to notify the world that the Bawse is in the building. But what about on the track? A...

Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2 is undoubtably a hit. The album is most likely on its way to being the highest selling hip-hop album of the year and it's currently sitting atop the charts. It's selling so much that old Eminem albums are getting a sales bump from it...

The word “exotic” is a huge misnomer sometimes, but it’s probably the only word you can possibly use to describe the sound of hip-hop mixed with a hint of some dholki or bansuri. Those are Indian instruments in case you didn’t know, but adding those sounds along with the multi-linguistics of Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, etc. bring a certain someth...

They say hip-hop is a young person's game. Old school artists might rightfully complain about fans cruelly forgetting their accomplishments  but hip-hop's eternal fascination with the fresh and new gives vital sustenance into the hip-hop ecosystem. You...

Live performances in hip-hop are a shaky subject to discuss, often resulting in conflicting opinions of what a “good” show actually consisted of. Where one rapper will orchestrate an entire production with their live shows—making them as cinematic as possible—another artist will stand on stage with a mic yelling, with their hype men friends yelling as well. Truth be told, Eminem ...

It’s not that Eminem doesn’t like you, it’s just that he hates you. Okay “hate” is a strong word, but there is a lot of misguided-slash-guided anger towards many a celebrity woven throughout Eminem’s bars. Perhaps he’s not angry at all; he ...

The 50 Best Eminem Verses

It’s that time again. With every big release, XXL has put it on constant repeat to unearth some interesting facts and numbers. Before Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP 2 officially hit stores on Tuesday, we took in the project and found that he hasn’t steered too far away from his former self. Historically, Em’...

"Once upon a time not long ago/When people wore pajamas and lived life slow," rapped Slick Rick on "Children's Story" off The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, conjuring up one of hip-hop's most iconic and lasting images with 15 simple words...