As an art form, hip-hop has often been focused on what’s new, original and youthfully exuberant, constantly churning out fresh approaches to sound, fashion and language. As it celebrated its 50th ...

At first many dismissed it as a fad when it exploded out of the Bronx after a dance party in the summer of 1973 where Dj Kool Herc used two turntables to switch back and forth between two records to ...

“The smooth criminal on beat breaks / Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes,” rapped Nas on his 1994 classic “N.Y. State of Mind.” Like other underground genres that hit their stride in the ...

In the Hip Hop universe, mixtapes have often been the unsung heroes that serve as the foundation for raw talents to blossom into legends. From the gritty streets to the digital realm of sites like ...

New books collecting objects central to rap’s physical history demonstrate the importance of celebrating these relics before they vanish. Credit... Supported by By Jon Caramanica For the last year, ...

Before Spotify links and shared playlists, there was the nerve-racking act of handing someone a cassette tape and hoping they understood what it meant. In the 1980s, a mixtape served as a deliberate ...