On 'Scary,' two of rap's premier smack talkers find a demented glee in menacing those who might otherwise belittle them.

One of the long-standing tenets of rap bravado is truth-telling. For an MC to be deemed "real," the stories he pens must be more than mere stories; they must be rooted in fact. Rap has often viewed verses as a house of mirrors, always reflecting one's reality even if, at ...

Brandon Paak Anderson, aka Anderson .Paak, has been part of the LA alt-rap scene's inner circle for years now, but his big break came in 2015, on Dr. Dre's surprise album, Compton, where he was a major presence and, by some estimates, stole the show. The rapper-singer is ...

Gary, Indiana's Freddie Gibbs is one of gangsta rap's last holdouts. Accomplished in indie circles, Gibbs churns out staggeringly consistent mixtapes and albums chock-full of Midwest gangland tales laid bare — his direct, highly technical rap style supported by a raw, straightforward demeanor. He displays some of these ...

Record Store Day has become its own holiday for longtime music collectors. Nothing brings cheer to a connoisseur quite like unwrapping a rare find from an independent record store. It's fitting, then, that the people behind the institution are kicking off the holiday season with a special Black Friday event ...