They’re still number one in the 631. Rap pioneers JVC Force put the suburbs on the hip-hop map with the iconic anthem “Strong Island” in the late 1980s — and their funk-filled ode to Long Island has new life stretching all the way across the pond. “People have come up to me and were telling … Read more
Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) are rappers, record moguls and old pals whose friendship dates all the way back to the ’90s. The men collaborated on several projects, supported one another’s careers and praised each other publicly before Jay-Z was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl with Diddy in a recently … Read more
Ariana Grande is not that girl. The Grammy winner, 31, isn’t looking to change the long beloved song “Popular” from “Wicked” despite being pitched a different and new version of the tune. “In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let’s refresh the rhythm. Let’s, … Read more
For the Roots’ rapper Black Thought, the pastoral pleasure of playing SummerStage in Central Park is a no-brainer. “It’s classic New York — or old New York, as people sort of refer to it — in its energy and the vibe,” the 50-year-old frontman told The Post about the Rumsey Playfield concert series that the … Read more
COMPTON, Calif. — The two sides at the murder trial in the killing of Philadelphia hip-hop star PnB Rock agree that a 17-year-old boy walked into Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant in South Los Angeles, shot the rapper twice in the back and once in the chest. Both agree that the boy’s father, Freddie Trone, the defendant … Read more
Each week, Alexa is rounding up the buzziest fashion drops, hotel openings, restaurant debuts and celeb-studded cultural happenings in NYC. It’s our curated guide to the very best things to see, shop, taste and experience around the city. What’s making our luxury list this week? Van Cleef & Arpels makes Fifth Avenue bloom, two new … Read more
To watch the singer-rapper Lil Nas X in the documentary “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” is to witness a Black queer man embody a power that still feels very new. Directed by Carlos López Estrada (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) and Zac Manuel, this film, streaming on Max, is historically important given its subject’s … Read more
When Drake announced the surprise release of his “Scary Hours 3” EP — in an elaborate, two-minute trailer posted on Instagram — mere hours before it dropped at midnight on Friday, I could barely muster up a shrug. Nor was I impressed that he apparently came up with all six of these new songs just … Read more
There was a brief moment during Hip Hop 50 Live — an epic celebration of the golden anniversary of hip-hop that stretched from Friday night into Saturday morning at New York’s Yankee Stadium— that provided a quick reality check. In between Kid Capri’s DJ set and a breakdancing segment featuring Rock Steady Crew legend Crazy … Read more
As the future DMC in Run-DMC, a 12-year-old Darryl McDaniels got his first education in hip-hop at St. Pascal Balyon Catholic school in Jamaica, Queens. “I was in seventh grade, and Billy Morris — who was in the eighth grade — walked into the schoolyard with a flat Panasonic tape recorder that all the kids … Read more
Vivid Seats is the New York Post’s official ticketing partner. We may receive revenue from this partnership for sharing this content and/or when you make a purchase. In 1973, Hip-Hop got its humble start in The Bronx when 18-year-old Clive Campbell aka DJ Kool Herc isolated the instrumentals on funk tracks, switched beats and created … Read more
Tupac Shakur’s iconic crown ring worn during his final public appearance in 1996 has been sold for a record-breaking $1,016,000 at a Sotheby’s auction. The priceless hunk of jewelry is the “most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold at auction” and is the only piece to be purchased for over $1 million, according to a release … Read more
As director of the first hip-hop movie, “Wild Style,” Charlie Ahearn needed a fresh way to brand his indie film to appeal to a world that wasn’t yet hip to the cultural movement, born in the South Bronx 50 years ago. So, one summer night in 1983, three graffiti artists created the “Wild Style” mural … Read more
Want a comprehensive history and culture lesson on the subject of hip-hop? Talk to radio personality and R&B artist Miss Jones, who was there when it was rising, rubbed elbows with all the top New York rappers of the era and was almost in a trailblazing female rap group. She virtually has a Ph.D. on … Read more
David “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicoeur, a groundbreaking member of the hip-hop trio De La Soul, has died. He was 54. His passing was confirmed by his management team, All Hip-Hop first reported. Jolicoeur’s official cause of death has not been announced — but the rap pioneer had been open about his struggles with congestive heart … Read more
The Beastie Boys once rhymed about the “Sure Shot” on a sick single from 1994’s “Ill Communication.” And the Brooklyn crew is among the classic rap acts captured in a new photo exhibit, “Hip-Hop: Conscious, Unconscious,” at Manhattan’s Fotografiska (281 Park Ave. South) that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the street sound that was born … Read more
Jermaine Dupri’s father was a record executive, so he was raised around hip-hop, going to shows while in his single digits. But he started his own career as a 12-year-old dancer with Whodini, the group behind “Freaks Come Out at Night.” “[I was] just thinking I was going to open up for a show that … Read more
As a fussy infant, Daniel James Rutstein was solely soothed by rap legends like Run-DMC and Ice-T while his father drove aimlessly along Brooklyn streets. Eighteen years later, the viral virtuoso is chasing big dreams of becoming New York’s next hip-hop icon. The 18-year-old, better known as Lil Dee, has already racked up well over … Read more
Trailblazing female rapper MC Lyte has some sage advice: “I would never suggest to a female MC to do what I did,” she told me on this week’s “Renaissance Man.” As a young girl dreaming of becoming a recording artist, she went with a guy friend to Staten Island because the label First Priority Music, … Read more
Marlanna Evans grew up in a small North Carolina town with a population of about 2,000 people. “Everybody knows everybody,” she told me on “Renaissance Man” of Snow Hill, North Carolina. “Two-parent home. I was one of five kids, a whole bunch of cousins running around barefooted, you know, going in the woods and fishing. … Read more