Rachel Chesbrough

Gone are the days when Big K.R.I.T. would hint at his supremacy using the gold coronal logo, his acronym (King Remembered In Time), or song and mixtape titles littered with the word “king.” With the release of his sophomore album, Cadillactica, insinuations are left in the dust as he peels out in his drop top spaceship bellowing “King of the South” in no uncertain terms. The Def Jam MC makes a...

Joell Ortiz has some of the most loyal and enthusiastic fans in the game; an allegiance that’s born of the rapper’s skill and constant candidness. With every project he brings the listener further into his hood, his career, and his mind state. Hits like ...

Roscoe Dash knows things that other people don’t, and he’s made a living off of most of it. We recognized it first with 2010's "All the Way Turnt Up," when he had the foresight to popularize a terminology that became ubiquitous not just in rap, but in pop culture at large. Next we sa...

This time last year, albums from Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, J Cole, Mac Miller and Wale—with a Jay Z album right around the corner—had already dropped, providing hip-hop heads with plenty to talk about at the halfway mark of the year. In 2014, t...

When Murs signed with Strange Music earlier this year, it raised more than a few eyebrows. How would this West Coast MC with a famously relaxed and buoyant flow, fit in with such an infamously dramatic crew? With the release of his first album on the independent label, a collaboration with the Strange-signed Miami band ¡Mayday!, the...

Bay Area rapper/producer Iamsu! has made himself easy to respect as we’ve watched him follow the come-up blueprint faithfully; floods of solid mixtapes, a grip of national performances, and eventually, co-signs and features with some of the industry’s big names. Consequent...