Rappers Sugarhill Ddot and Star Bandz have the kind of natural, easy friendship where it doesn’t take a whole lot for them to understand each other. They had a feeling it would be like this: The second Ddot sent Star “My Baby,” a song from his album 2024 album 2 …
Read More »
When I open my Zoom session with Chicago producer Young Chop, his display photo is a picture of him shirtless, flashing a wad of cash. “Boy, that ain’t never your Zoom picture!” his manager Jessie “Jay Boogie” Green jokes. Chop flashes a beaming grin when he turns his camera on, …
Read More »
Cash Cobain slides into Bed-Stuy’s Loudmouth Records alone, wearing a cream shirt, black jeans, and white forces. His publicist daps him up and asks if he drove from his home in Queens to Brooklyn by himself. He scoffs at the notion; at least two people are waiting outside. I agreed …
Read More »
Last weekend, YouTube took down the video for Bronx rapper Sha Gz’s song “New Opp.” The original upload surged as high as #11 on YouTube’s worldwide trending list before it was removed over an alleged community guidelines violation. In a since-expired Instagram story post, Gz posted a screenshot of YouTube …
Read More »
Ice Spice hasn’t seen much of Atlanta yet when we speak on the phone in September, but she’s already formed the kind of assessment you’d expect from a tried-and-true New Yorker. “It kind of looks like Jersey a little,” she says. The 22-year-old rapper is in town for the first …
Read More »
On a recent Wednesday night in Brooklyn, “Hey there, Delilah, what’s it like in New York City?” bellowed from the speakers at Baby’s All Right. Except, the indie rock band Plain White T’s was nowhere to be found. By the time Bronx rapper-producer Cash Cobain’s iconic tag dropped over the …
Read More »
When I spoke to Ghanian rapper Black Sherif in May, he was attempting to make an artistic leap with the new music video for his hit song “Kwaku the Traveller.” Taking some shots from Polo G’s “RAPSTAR” video, it’s a banger and an example of the types of visuals and …
Read More »
There’s a vibrant, exciting music scene happening in New York City — and newly elected mayor Eric Adams isn’t happy about it. In remarks to members of the press Friday, Adams expressed concerns about drill rap, the musical subgenre that has flourished in his home borough of Brooklyn over the …
Read More »