Laura Checkoway | Rolling Stone

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23 items by Laura Checkoway

Lauryn Hill Stages Comeback at Rock the Bells Fest | ARTICLE

Rap's golden age was in full effect at the seventh annual Rock the Bells festival, which opened at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California on Saturday. Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One,...
August 23, 2010 5:37 PM ET
Lauryn Hill, Wu Tang, Snoop Top Rock the Bells Fest | ARTICLE

Hip hop's golden era will be revived this Saturday when the seventh annual Rock the Bells festival opens at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California. (Dates in San Francisco, New York and Washington DC, will follow.)...
August 20, 2010 5:46 PM ET
Eminem Stuns NY Club With Surprise Set | ARTICLE

"Call me Tiger, my wood's been everywhere," rapped D.N.A., a fervent Queens MC, at the opening night of Eminem's battle series EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile, sponsored by Red Bull, last night at New York's Bowery...
June 22, 2010 9:03 AM ET
Lil Wayne Delivers Thriller of a Set, Drake Skips Young Money's NY Gig | ARTICLE

It was only the fifth night of Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival but Young Jeezy already felt like an old hand as he pulled into the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in a black...
August 3, 2009 12:37 PM ET
Jackson Angrily Defended by Sharpton at Apollo Memorial: "Michael Wasn't No Freak" | ARTICLE

Reverend Al Sharpton stood at a back exit of New York's Apollo Theater in a gray suit late yesterday afternoon, leaning against the scaffolding, running his fingers through his famous hair. He'd just finished the first of...
July 1, 2009 8:41 AM ET
Black Star's Mos Def, Talib Kweli Dabble in Politics at Reunion Show | ARTICLE

Barricades lined the streets of New York's Times Square Saturday evening. Barack and Michelle Obama dropped into town for dinner and a play (August Wilson revival Joe Turner's Come and Gone). Just across the street at the...
June 1, 2009 2:04 PM ET
Jay-Z Stays Poised, Lil Wayne Gets Emotional at Joint Show | ARTICLE

"I wonder if Wayne will even show up," a fan speculated from the back of a New Jersey Transit bus packed with teens and 20-somethings pulling into the Meadowlands Izod Center Tuesday night for Power 105.1's Powerhouse...
October 29, 2008 4:12 PM ET
Slick Rick, Cypress Hill, De La Soul Get All-Star Tributes at VH1's Hip Hop Honors | ARTICLE

While most of the country tuned into the Vice Presidential debate last night and wondered what the future holds, the crowd at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom looked back at rap history at VH1's Fifth Annual Hip Hop...
October 3, 2008 2:25 PM ET
Ludacris Unveils Tracks, Videos From "Theater of the Mind" | ARTICLE

Ludacris took over Tribeca Cinemas in lower Manhattan last night to introduce his new album Theater of the Mind, due out on DTP/Def Jam November 11th. Commanding the crowd from the balcony, Luda played a selection of...
September 26, 2008 12:49 PM ET
B.B. King Museum Opens With Priceless Artifacts, Three-Hour Set | ARTICLE

Riley B. King received an early birthday present from his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi, this weekend: the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, a permanent home for artifacts from the blues legend's life and career. B.B....
September 15, 2008 3:54 PM ET
Inside 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' | ARTICLE

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released 10 years ago this week and went on to sell more than 8 million copies, win five Grammys and earn a four-star review in Rolling Stone. Mary...
August 26, 2008 2:25 PM ET
Jay-Z Spits Political Rhymes at ThisDay Africa Rising Fest | ARTICLE

Projected onto a screen behind a mid-rhyme Jay-Z, the image of an utterly confused George W. Bush stared at the Kennedy Center crowd in the nation's capital Friday night. The audience booed, then quieted, as Jay spit...
August 4, 2008 12:42 PM ET
Breaking Artist: Lykke Li | ARTICLE

Who: Indie-pop chanteuse Lykke Li, a worldly Swede whose infectious debut *Youth Novels* was buzzing long before its Stateside release in May. Sounds Like: Dance music with a devilish wink. With production by Bjorn Yttling, Youth Novels's sugary...
June 25, 2008 11:50 AM ET
Jill Scott Debuts New Song at Special Carnegie Hall Engagement | ARTICLE

For her first-ever performance at New York's famed Carnegie Hall (as part of the JVC Jazz Festival) Philly soul diva Jill Scott belted heartfelt verses all the way to the back of the third balcony. "I'm the...
June 23, 2008 12:48 PM ET
Kanye West Gets the Art Crowd High at Intimate Brooklyn Gig | ARTICLE

New York's movers and shakers ventured to Brooklyn's Prospect Heights Thursday night to celebrate the opening of artist Takashi Murakami's exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum with a special performance by Kanye West. Host Louis Vuitton transformed the...
April 4, 2008 11:31 AM ET
Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, LL Cool J Rhyme for Jam Master Jay at New York's J.A.M. Awards | ARTICLE

New York's Finest vigilantly patrolled the streets near Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom last night because New York's grimiest were on the bill -- Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Jim Jones, Papoose, Raekwon, as well as a guy from Cali known...
November 30, 2007 9:41 AM ET
R. Kelly Starts Fans' Ignitions With Super-Sexy Drama Marathon in New York | ARTICLE

Out to make some extra cash on Thanksgiving weekend, bootleggers selling R. Kelly photographs and T-shirts weaved through the long line of traffic (Bentleys, Escalades, Lexus coups) waiting to enter the Nassau Coliseum parking lot Friday night...
November 26, 2007 10:37 AM ET
Preview Foxy Brown's Fierce "Brooklyn's Don Diva": "The Biggest Comeback Since Mimi" | ARTICLE

Foxy Brown is in solitary confinement at Rikers Island, but her husky voice took over Chung King Studios in downtown Manhattan last night: "I still make the front-page news if I just sneeze!" Foxy, who's serving a...
November 13, 2007 10:03 AM ET
A Tribe Called Quest Reunite Onstage, Plus Missy Elliott, Snoop and More Stars Celebrate Rap at VH1's Hip-Hop Honors | ARTICLE

Hip-hop has been taking a lot of heat lately for its so-called "negative" lyrics and images, but VH1's Hip-Hop Honors embodied the Zulu Nation's original mantra for what hip-hop was all about: "Peace, love, unity and having...
October 5, 2007 12:14 PM ET
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ludacris Honor Martin Luther King Jr. At Star-Packed New York Charity Concert | ARTICLE

On the red carpet outside of New York's Radio City Music Hall last night, a diverse group of stars including Garth Brooks, Wyclef Jean and Russell Simmons made their way past the blinding flashbulbs for an historic...
September 19, 2007 10:30 AM ET