**For clarity, rap and hip-hop are used interchangeably throughout the article, as both represent the same space in music charts.** Additionally, in mid-September 2025, only four hip-hop songs were on ...

Raise your hand if you believe the 1990s were the golden age of rap music. Wow! We see a lot of hands in the air. And we agree with you. It was the decade with the most recognizable and talented stars ...

Nasir Jones is a storyteller. He makes that clear on “Illmatic,” an introspective and poetic album that set the foundation for rap music. With a smooth flow and contemplative lyrics over jazz-heavy ...

Rap in 2025 was all about experimentation. From the year’s first runaway hit, NBA player-turned-musician Gelo’s single “Tweaker,” to the maximalist ecclesiastics of Playboi Carti’s Music, or even in ...

We should address the elephant in the room: hip-hop did not have a strong year on the charts. In fact, rap music had its worst showing in years. Back in October, it made headlines when—for the first ...

What's going on with rap? After celebrating 50 years of legacy in 2023 with marquee moments like the Hip Hop 50 multi-headliner concert at Yankee Stadium, plus Kendrick Lamar's historic run – capped ...

The long-running debate over Hip-Hop and Rap continues to shape global music culture, yet many listeners still struggle to understand the true difference between the two. The world of music is often ...

I dedicate this article to Mark Fisher, whose writing on themes that run close to S.T.A.R.V.E.’s heart serves as another intertextual source of power for the LP. In 2014, Fisher wrote: "The pandemic ...

Hip-hop has been super volatile over the last couple of years. Given all the questions swirling around the genre during its 50th decade—who are the new stars? Where are the hit records? Is hip-hop on ...