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A docuseries Spotify's RapCaviar playlist is coming to Hulu
The show will feature the likes of Tyler, the Creator, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat and more.
Kendrick Lamar's latest music video includes deepfakes of Will Smith and Kanye
The latest Kendrick Lamar video is full of deepfakes that include Kanye West, Will Smith and Nipsey Hussle.
Facebook's BARS is an experimental TikTok-like app for rappers
Facebook's R&D division, the NPE Team, has released BARS, an app for aspiring rappers.
Recommended Reading: The battle to make the end of 'Game of Thrones'
'Game of Thrones' first look: Inside the brutal battle to make season 8 James Hibberd, Entertainment Weekly HBO's insanely popular epic concludes in April, but the battle to film the battles, and to keep them from being leaked ahead of time, was a constant struggle for the crew. Entertainment Weekly goes behind the scenes of the final season and offers a spoiler-free primer ahead of its debut in a few weeks.
A decade later, Drake's 'So Far Gone' mixtape hits streaming services
On the heels of his Grammy win for Best Rap Song, Drake revealed on Instagram that his 2009 mixtape So Far Gone is coming to streaming services for the first time. Though it was originally available for free online, this marks the first streaming availability for the 18-track collection that features cameos from Lil Wayne, Santigold, Trey Songz, Bun B and more. The mixtape also includes the single "Say What's Real," which was produced by Kanye West.
Apple hires another BBC veteran in its bid to rule hip-hop music
Hip-hop is quickly becoming a key battleground for streaming music services: companies like Spotify and YouTube have been poaching influencers in a bid to become tastemakers and lure millions of listeners. And Apple is certainly no exception to the rule. Music Business Worldwide has learned that Apple has hired Ryan Newman, the Editor for the BBC's hip-hop and grime-focused Radio 1Xtra. He was responsible for creating and implementing the station's strategy, suggesting he'll have a similar role at Apple Music for its on-demand streaming, its Beats 1 station or both.
Martin Shkreli is selling his $2 million Wu-Tang album on eBay
Martin Shkreli, for lack of a better/more accurate word, is a gigantic tool. The priapic "pharma bro" gained notoriety after he jacked up the price of an anti-toxoplamosis drug by 5,000 percent in 2015. Later that year, it was revealed that he was the guy who spent $2 million on Wu-Tang Clan's one-off Once Upon a Time in Shaolin as a kind of middle finger to music fans everywhere. Now Shkreli has listed the ultra-rare album on eBay. Here's the item description, verbatim. Emphasis ours:
'Up Next' is an Apple Music series highlighting new artists
Apparently Apple's Clive Davis documentary isn't the only music-related news from the tech juggernaut today. Apple Music has a new monthly feature series called Up Next as well. As the name suggests, it focuses on up-and-coming artists. The first installment looks at Atlanta rapper 6LACK (pronounced "black") with a mini-documentary, a spotlight on his latest album, a live performance and an interview with Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe (above) in addition to a few playlists. Like 9to5Mac noticed, the performance being named "Up Next Sessions" suggests we might see more of the live videos.
Legendary radio duo Stretch & Bobbito return as NPR podcasters
Throughout the 90s, a late night stop in the WKRC studios with Stretch and Bobbito was a requirement for many up-and-coming rappers. Now, in 2017 the pair are returning, but because it's 2017 they're doing it with a podcast on NPR. The rise and fade of their show, which featured names like Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Nas and many others, is documented in the 2015 film Radio That Changed Lives (now streaming on Netflix).
Spotify's latest show is basically 'Carpool Karaoke'
Apple already locked down a season's worth of James Corden's Carpool Karaoke, but Spotify isn't letting that stop it from developing a similar show of its own. The streaming service announced this week and it teamed up with Russell Simmons on Traffic Jams, a show that pairs a hip-hop artist and a producer who haven't worked together to create something new before they arrive at their destination. Oh yeah, they have to do so while sitting in rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles.
Sammus is somewhere between nerdcore and afrofuturism
Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo used to get the same question every time she set down the mic and stepped off the stage. She came to expect it after performing in crowded bars, big music festivals or comic book stores, and the question usually came from a well-meaning stranger or new fan of her music. "Who makes your beats for you?" This would happen right after she'd screamed into the mic that she was Sammus, a producer and rapper, and that everything she just did on stage was her work. The question would come in different forms -- "Where's your boyfriend?" was another staple -- but the sentiment was the same. People assumed Sammus didn't produce her own music.
The grandfather kings of nerdcore
In terms of popularity, nerdcore occupies a space somewhere between underground hip-hop and the end of the universe, according to rapper and educator Mega Ran. Nerdcore is a brand of hip-hop characterized by a focus on geeky things, which means its subject matter is as vast and varied as Tolkien's Encircling Sea. It's niche but limitless; visible but not known. It's big enough to support the musical careers of artists like MC Lars, MC Frontalot, Beefy and MC Chris, yet it's small enough that even the most fervent Star Wars fan may have never heard of it. Even in an age where geek chic is hot and "nerd" is no longer a vicious insult, nerdcore remains underground -- but its influence on popular culture is showing. More mainstream rappers like Childish Gambino, Danny Brown, Deltron 3030, RZA and Dr. Octagon regularly reference science fiction, astrophysics, video games and other traditionally geeky topics, at times while sampling the likes of Final Fantasy 7 and Pac-Man. Beyond the Billboard charts, Hamilton is a national phenomenon about American colonial history, and even Game of Thrones has its own mixtape.
Netflix's pricey Baz Luhrmann hip-hop drama arrives today
Of all the Netflix productions, including the critically panned, $90 million Marco Polo, none have had as difficult a gestation (and high a price tag) as The Get Down. You can now download the hip-hop drama, set in the Bronx of the 1970s and created by notorious perfectionist Baz Luhrmann. It reportedly cost $120 million and strained relations between its director, producer Sony Pictures and Netflix, but the end result is "both messy and wonderful," according to Variety.
Police think even a holographic Chief Keef concert is too risky
Midwestern authorities really don't like Chief Keef -- there are warrants for his arrest in the region, while Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has gone so far as to say the young man "promotes violence" when he performs. And apparently, that public safety concern also covers virtual performances. Police in Hammond, Indiana shut down a surprise holographic Keef concert (technically, a Pepper's Ghost trick) this weekend despite the flesh-and-bone star being 2,000 miles away in Beverly Hills, California. Officials had warned that they would clamp down if they saw Keef play, but a festival promoter argues that they didn't have a "real reason" why a hologram wasn't allowed -- especially since the musician was fundraising for victims of violence.
Algorithm determines which rappers have the slickest rhymes
The days of arguing over the worth of your favorite rappers might soon come to an end. Data mining student Eric Malmi has built Raplyzer, an algorithmic program that gauges the average length of a rap or hip-hop star's multi-syllable rhymes (the key to the "dopest flows," Flocabulary says) and ranks that person accordingly. Based on this math, the champions are a mix of veterans and relative newcomers. Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck is on top, while big names like Rakim, Earl Sweatshirt and ASAP Rocky are near the front.
HTC just started a rap battle with Apple and Samsung
Someone, somewhere thought it was a good idea for HTC to make its own hip hop music video. Whoever approved the project might be regretting that decision right now, but never mind -- at least we get a hilariously cringeworthy tune to stick on repeat for the rest of the day. If you're curious, the man dissing the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5 in equal measure is Greg Carr (aka "Doc G") of the musical group P.M. Dawn. He's actually the cousin of Attrell Cordes, or Prince Be, who used to lead the hip hop act during their heyday in the '80s and '90s. Oh, and if you're really interested in how this all came together, HTC has even put up an interview with the rapper himself. Now, just head past the break, sit back and enjoy.
Dead Island: Riptide's fake rap video stars real artist Chamillionaire
Dead Island is famous for having arguably the most dramatic, memorable advertisement of 2011, with its backward, slow-mo gore fest featuring an undead child. With Dead Island: Riptide, the marketing team is taking a decidedly different approach: They've decided on "No Room in Hell," a rap music video from in-game character Sam B, featuring real-life artist Chamillionaire.In the Dead Island universe, Sam B is a one-hit wonder for his song "Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch?" and "No Room in Hell" is the last single he recorded before traveling to the Royal Palms Resort Hotel on Banoi. Considering what went down on the island when he got there, his fake record label fears this might very well be his last single, ever.
Smule launches AutoRap for iOS and Android, Engadget's editors drop some mad beats (video)
Sure, we're often mistaken for some of hip-hop's illest emcees in our day-to-day lives, but the sad truth is that Engadget's editorial team could use a little help with our flow. Thankfully, technology has come to the rescue, yet again -- this time in the form of AutoRap, the latest app from the people who brought you such mobile blockbusters as I am T-Pain and Songify. Those who've spent time with either of the aforementioned apps know what to expect from this latest addition to the Smule family: talk or rap into your iPhone or Android device, tap the button, and then wait for the magic. AutoRap will go to town, or as Smule puts it: "turn[ing] speech into rap and correct[ing] bad rapping." Talking and rapping are the two primary modes here. With the former, you simply speak into your phone, and the app chops your voice and buries it in a whole mess of autotuney goodness. There's a pretty broad handful of songs at present, including 30 premium tracks from the likes of Snoop Dog, the Beastie Boys, Outkast and Kid Cudi -- naturally, if you want access to those, you're gonna have to pony up some cash, or earn some credits doing things like watching instructional videos or filling out auto insurance quote forms. The free tracks mostly get the job done, however.
Joystiq Original Hip-hop: Welcome Back (To The Stage of History)
Anyone who's listened to my long, incoherent rambles on The Joystiq Show knows that I love fighting games more than most things that exist. What you may not know, however, is that my love for a good combo is rivaled only by my desire to spit sick verses over fly jams. So, when Joystiq's Alexander Sliwinski and Steven Wong suggested that I marry my two passions into one creation, how could I resist?The end result (embedded above) is a SoulCalibur 5 rap song written and performed by yours truly. The destructively sick beat was lovingly crafted by tanner4105, an incredibly talented producer and electronica artist who donated his services out of the goodness of his own heart. Full lyrics are available after the break!
Full SWTOR-themed hip hop album released
If the one thing missing from your life has been music to show the world how much you love Star Wars: The Old Republic, rejoice! Your wait has come to an end. Richie Branson, who put out his first SWTOR-themed song late last year, has released Cold Republic Episode I: The Empire Likes Rap, which has the peculiar honor of being the world's first SWTOR mixtape. Are you a Hutt Ball phenomenon? Are you hot like a pot on the stove that's boilin'? Does it take more than seven men to kill you 'cause you're a tank -- and can you, in point of fact, take that to the bank? This might be just the thing for you! It's worth noting that the characters represented in the album also tip holo dancers hundred thousand credit bills and stick their missiles in all the ladies' exhaust ports. Your mileage will definitely vary.
