In the words of the legendary Notorious B.I.G., “you never thought that hip hop would take it this far.” And Wednesday night at Cipriani Wall Street proved exactly that: Hip hop isn’t only going far, ...

The 1980s were a decade when artists pushed boundaries and challenged social norms through provocative lyrics. While some tracks became cultural touchstones that sparked important conversations about ...

NBA player and team drops have been a part of hip-hop lyrics for more than 50 years. Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; photos: Leon Bennett, Ezra Shaw, George De Sota, Emilee Chin / Getty ...

To get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day, here are some of The Root’s favorite rap love songs. While hip-hop is often characterized by its bravado and aggression, the genre has also flourished ...

"Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta" cast members Scrappy, Karlie Redd, Yandy Smith, Kirk Frost Rasheeda Frost, Spice and Joc (Courtesy of MTV) MTV’s “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” has set a February premiere date ...

It was the best of hip-hop times. It was the worst of hip-hop times. Ha! 2025 was a rollercoaster of rap music’s highs and lows. The duality was so real. I can’t recall a year with such a wide array ...

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 don’t always feel cycles; we live through them. Sunsets on this spinning rock we inhabit aren’t the end of days — they’re just signs of another trip around the sun, a reset. Rap is no different; it ...

We asked some of our favorite culture creators to give us their best-of lists for 2025; the rest of James Gunn's top 50 alternative rap songs of the year can be found right here. Easily my favorite ...

We’re at the end of yet another year where commentators and fans speculated on the health of the rap world. In October, it was reported that, for the first time in 35 years, there were no rap songs in ...

Wyclef Jean once explained to me the thinking behind blending pop and hip-hop. He called it “Beauty and the Beast.” It’s similar to the quiet verses and loud choruses that defined alternative rock in ...