appears in the following:

'Waiting for change is not an option'

Thursday, June 01, 2023

The unwritten rules of rap unpacked in Louder's second season are held together by a scarcity principle that came to define the show itself. As it draws to a close, the team reflects on its mission.

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'I'm an outlier too'

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Rico Nasty and her fans know what it's like to be judged for being themselves. For anyone who feels like an outsider, Nasty Mob is a space to forget that alienation.

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'You're supposed to be somewhere doing hair and makeup'

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Since 2019, Saucy Santana has been a regular presence on the social web, producing several streaming hits. But the very qualities that set him apart threatened to hold him back.

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'Is this what it had to be?'

Thursday, April 27, 2023

In 2005, Kim Osorio sued The Source for gender discrimination, sexual harassment and hostile work environment, retaliation, defamation. Responses to the case reinforced hip-hop's culture of silence.

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Trina: Tiny Desk Concert

Friday, April 07, 2023

The rap icon treated fans to an epic set featuring the best of her sprawling discography.

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'When I changed as a woman, my music changed'

Thursday, April 06, 2023

Like her idol Trina two decades earlier, Latto saw her creativity open up when she started rapping explicitly about sex. But with her frankness came harsh new standards to live up to.

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'I'm coming to y'all with no armor'

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Rapper Doechii hoped her video "Crazy" would make a statement by presenting her nude body as a vessel of power, not sex. YouTube saw things differently.

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'You gotta fight and fight and fight for your legacy'

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Not everyone who was part of rap's ascent gets included in its story. MC Sha-Rock, of the original Funky 4 and the Funky 4 + 1, reaffirms her role in hip-hop's formative years as the first woman MC.

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Louder Than A Riot: Season 2

Thursday, March 16, 2023

In hip-hop, unwritten rules have forced Black women and queer artists to fight for space. Can the genre's rule-breakers push their way to the center, while pushing the culture forward?

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Watch Leikeli47 live at NPR Music's 15th anniversary concert

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

The LA-based performer's high-octane set for NPR Music's anniversary celebration served up bars and bravado to a crowd at the 9:30 Club.

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Jury finds rapper Tory Lanez guilty of shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

A jury in Los Angeles on Friday found singer and rapper Tory Lanez guilty of three felony charges — including assaulting rapper Megan Thee Stallion with a firearm in 2020.

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Tory Lanez found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion

Friday, December 23, 2022

The charges stem from a dispute that took place after the rappers left a pool party at Kylie Jenner's house in Los Angeles in 2020. Lanez was accused of assaulting Megan by shooting her in both feet.

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Emotional testimony, recanting witnesses: Week one of the Tory Lanez assault trial

Friday, December 16, 2022

Rapper Tory Lanez is on trial for allegedly shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Louder Than A Riot host Sidney Madden discusses the first week of testimony from outside the courthouse.

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SZA, 'Gone Girl'

Friday, December 16, 2022

Serving as both an inner monologue and a PSA for anyone thinking they're about to get the 2017 version of Solana, "Gone Girl" fully faces the realization that SZA isn't that person anymore.

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SZA, 'F2F'

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

SZA invokes the angst, anarchy and audacity of pop-punk predecessors like Fefe Dobson and Avril Lavigne on "F2F," relishing her role as the toxic ex.

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Megan Thee Stallion takes the stand in the trial of rapper Tory Lanez

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Rapper Megan Pete, known as Megan Thee Stallion, took the stand in a LA courtroom to testify against rapper Tory Lanez. Pete says Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, shot her in 2020.

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Megan Thee Stallion takes the stand in Tory Lanez trial, shares suicidal thoughts

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

As the key witness for the prosecution, the Houston rapper spoke for the first time in explicit detail about the night Lanez allegedly shot her in 2020.

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Heat Check Roundup: Masego, Fousheé, Boldy James and more

Thursday, November 10, 2022

In this week's Heat Check selects, dueling sounds of the new New York, roiling raps from a middle-aged street rapper, sugary, off-kilter pop birthed on TikTok and more

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Heat Check Roundup: Baby Rose, R.A.P. Ferreira, Arima Ederra and more

Thursday, October 20, 2022

This week's Heat Check selects features grounded wordsmiths, emergent L.A.-based chanteuses, auto-tuned misfits and songs of self-care.

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Heat Check Roundup: Smino, Ayra Starr, Ghais Guevara and more

Thursday, October 06, 2022

This week's Heat Check selects come largely from iconoclasts who have already zeroed in on their individual aesthetics: a singsong rap soulman, an alté sensation a noise-rap radical and more.

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