HIP HOP HISTORY

The wisdom of Jim Jones runs deep.

In light of MC Ren's claims that rappers need to be aware of their past to qualify as "artists", we take a look at the validity of that statement and see if it holds weight in today's industry.

Chuck D managed to have an entourage member take his place during his absence.

How a cutting-edge record label would come to define an entire era.

A showcase of when country and hip-hop meet.

Taking a look back at the First Lady of Murder Inc.'s reign at the top of R&B and rap.

We take a look into the connections that surround the Chicago hip-hop scene and its most prominent artists.

"Sicko Mode" will go down in the history books!

Del The Funky Homosapien succumbed to the art of peer pressure.

From a Lil Wayne chorus to an inescapable cultural phenomenon, we reflect on the "Bling Bling" era.

A brief history for each of Eminem's 12 disses from his "12 Days of Diss-Mas" Shade 45 episode.

Tracing the roots of the high-pitched, sped-up sample.

We look at some of the stacked rap album release battles of the past and present.  

Two master storytellers cross paths.

We continue down memory lane, looking at the history of the interaction between rap and rock.

Nelly has a theory.

Michael Rapaport insists it's only a matter of time before a documentary about The Roots goes into production.

A$AP Rocky and Pusha T battle it out in our latest installment of the Debut Album Versus series.

Do you think you know hip-hop?