Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion traces how hip-hop luminaries such as Sean “Diddy” Combs and Virgil Abloh gained entrance into the exclusionary fashion world.

Minaj indelibly changed the hip-hop landscape in the past decade. She wanted the throne. Now that she has it, she isn't going to relinquish it to anyone — male or female — gunning for that title.

From Drake and 2 Chainz to Chris Brown and J-Lo, everyone wants a taste of the hip-hop producer known as DJ Mustard. Soundcheck finds out why.

In the hip hop world, new tracks are constantly being released without warning through outlets like Soundcloud and Twitter. Hip hop writer Sowmya Krishnamurthy joins us with three new releases from Drake, Jay-Z and Pusha T that all were recently introduced to audiences exactly this way.  

Hip hop journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy says 2012 was all about newcomers -- namely, the young rapper Kendrick Lamar, and R&B singers The Weeknd and Frank Ocean.

Before the 2008 presidential election, hip hop stars like Nas, Young Jeezy and Sean "Diddy" Combs enthusiastically endorsed then-Senator Barack Obama through speech and song. But four years later, the hip hop community's support of President Obama's re-election has seemed somewhat muted. Hip hop writer and Soundcheck bullpen member Sowmya Krishnamurthy joins us to discuss how rappers like Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco and Nicki Minaj have demonstrated their feelings of political support, apathy and disapproval leading up to election day. 

Throughout the past several weeks, Soundcheck has been accepting nominations for our first Musician In Chief. Today, Sowmya Krishnamurthy tells us why Sean "Diddy" Combs deserves your vote.

The top contender for buzziest newcomer in hip-hop this year is Chicago's Chief Keef, the recording moniker of 17-year-old Keith Cozart. Chief Keef has steadily built a local following through a slew of mixtapes and viral music videos, notably "Bang," "I Don't Like," and "3Hunna," which each racked up millions of downloads and views online.

Rapper Pusha T (one-half of the duo the Clipse) stumbled upon the video for "3Hunna" on the website Worldstar Hip Hop and in turn brought the ascendant Keef to the attention of fellow Chicago native Kanye West. 

West was entranced by the youngster's aggressive flow and true-to-life imagery that depicts the often violent and bleak circumstances of Chicago's South Side. When West and his G.O.O.D. Music collective remixed the track "I Don't Like" with Keef’s verse intact, Keef was catapulted from local star to the national stage. Since then, Chief Keef has since inked a deal with Interscope Records and kicked off a myriad of performances including 2012’s Lollapalooza music festival. Chief Keef's major label debut is slated for November 2012.

 

Hip hop artists are increasingly relying on the internet to hunt down lesser or even completely unknown names to create the sound of their tracks. Hip hop writer Sowmya Krishnamurthy ...

We get a taste of three new releases from hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar and R&B singers Frank Ocean and Nas, hand-selected by writer, blogger and co-host of the MTV show “Hip Hop POV” Sowmya Krishnamurthy.