The recently engaged creative partners give birth to a wellspring of sociopolitical satire on their new collaborative LP.

NPR Music's Rodney Carmichael and Felix Contreras dish about their favorite new discoveries at South by Southwest 2018 over a plate of barbecue.

Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN. has topped dozens of best of lists for 2017. NPR's hip hop critic Rodney Carmichael says that Lamar is telling the story of our time in prophetic terms.

Music mogul Russell Simmons has been accused of sexual misconduct and rape by several women. His case may have unique cultural impact because of his role as one of the founding fathers of hip hop.

On Tuesday, rapper Eminem attacked President Trump in a four minute freestyle. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to NPR's hip-hop writer Rodney Carmichael about the significance of Eminem's anti-trump rap.

Rapper Cardi B's song "Bodak Yellow" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This marks only the second time in history that a female rapper has topped the charts unaccompanied.

The rapper is part of an evolving appreciation of hip-hop for the Kennedy Center — and is also the youngest honoree in its history.

DAMN.'s most pop-worthy song gets a video of epic proportions

The North St. Louis native keeps proving why blkswn is one of the best debut LPs of 2017.

The Harlem crew indulges its high-fashion lust in latest video with Playboi Carti and Quavo

On his long-awaited major-label LP, the Chicago MC's personal pain becomes epiphany.

Directed by Matilda Finn, it's a smorgasbord of disturbing imagery.

The new song follows cryptic tweets from Chance, proclaiming he helped save the streaming service

The new song comes in conjunction with the revealing HBO documentary The Defiant Ones, which intertwines the lives and legacies of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine.

Jay-Z's firstborn gets lyrical on a 4:44 bonus track, "Blue's Freestyle / We Family."

The second of two new LPs finds Ishmael Butler, a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro, drawing out the ironies of trap's outsider aesthetic.

Ishmael Butler, aka Palaceer Lazaro, takes on a sentient persona to illuminate hip-hop's darkest corners.

Republican senators are working on revisions to their health care plan. Also, Hong Kong is marking 20 years under Chinese rule, and rapper JAY-Z has a new album.

On his new album, the rapper and entrepreneur continues to push himself to the forefront of the genre, paving the way for the next generation of MCs to age gracefully on the mic.

The band surprised fans by making Nothing Is Quick In The Desert available for free download via Bandcamp, until July 4.