Marley Marl

Masters of production.

In celebration of their contributions to the culture, here are the greatest DJs in hip-hop history that every rap fan should know.

Today, Sept. 30, is the birthday of New York DJ and hip-hop innovator Marley Marl.

Previously: DJ Premier Remembers Jeru The Damaja’s ‘The Sun Rises In The East’ 20 Years Later DJ Premier Didn’t Like The Beat To Nas’ “Memory Lane” 15 Of The Greatest Rapper-Producer Duos Of All Time DJ Premier Wouldn’t Have Gone Back to Cleveland If He Were LeBron James

Believe it or not, but there's a host of hip-hop heads still in the game who are 50 years old and some even older. Check out a gallery of the few guys who have surpassed time and still manage to thrive in thing called hip-hop.

Last week, XXL brought you the 10 greatest rapping duos of all time, our unranked list of the ten one-two punches that we've seen work off each other lyrically and effortlessly. The Clipse, Mobb Deep, Jay and 'Ye—they're all in there, trading bars and swapping metaphors at the genre's highest level. We m...

Hip-hop pioneers DJ Kool Herc, Marley Marl and The Zulu Nation along with others are banning together for a month-long event called the 31 Days of Non Stop Hip-Hop. The Queens Library project will run during the month of May allowing fans to meet the some of hip-hop’s founding fathers as well as learn more about the art form...

Previously: Review: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib’s Chemistry Shines On Piñata

Last night, the 2nd Annual Global Spin Awards was underway at the NY Times Center. The awards show serve as a platform to honor all the DJs and their contributions in the game. With familiar faces such as Pete Rock and DJ Premier, A-Trak and Kendrick Lamar coming out to show support, it was all love and respect for hip-hop’s pivotal tastemakers...

One of the most important albums of hip-hop's golden era.

Over the past few years, autobiographies have become a staple in hip-hop side-hustles. Everyone from J-Zone to Jay-Z have penned memoirs, many of which went on to earn acclaim from critics and fans alike. Despite the bevy of autobiographical works available, there's a whole host of artists and industry figures sit down and pen their life stories for the fans...

From the XXL archives, a detailed account of the BDP legend's life and death...