Matthew Trammell | Rolling Stone

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Azealia Banks Throws a Mermaid Ball in New York | ARTICLE

Mermaids are awesome. Azealia Banks wants you to know that. On Sunday night, the polarizing 20-year-old rapper transformed Bowery Ballroom into an underwater carnival, complete with floating seahorses, cotton candy, and lots and lots of balloons. The...
June 4, 2012 2:50 PM ET
Lauryn Hill Returns to New York | ARTICLE

"Once the band is done setting up, we’ll bring Ms. Hill to rock the stage, for real!" the DJ promised Saturday night at New York City’s Highline Ballroom while fading between syrupy reggae cuts. Fans were skeptical...
June 3, 2012 10:35 AM ET
Meek Mill Gets Big Backing From Rick Ross, Drake | ARTICLE

"He wanted to battle me!" Meek Mill laughs over the phone. The rapper just recently exchanged some lighthearted jabs over Twitter with New England Patriots receiver Chad Ochocinco, and he assures that he'd never back down from...
May 7, 2012 2:15 PM ET
Yuna Casts a Spell in Intimate New York Show | ARTICLE

Yuna can't stop smiling. It's a crisp Thursday night in New York City, and S.O.B.'s nightclub is filled with teammates, early adopters and curious inquirers. All are smiling back. "Wow, there are a lot of you here,"...
April 27, 2012 12:00 PM ET
Machine Gun Kelly Rules Tepid 'XXL' Freshman Show in New York | ARTICLE

Best Buy Theatre was dense with sneakers and snapbacks on Monday night for the Monster Energy Outbreak tour featuring XXL Freshman Class 2012, starring the ten buzzing MCs that graced the hip-hop magazine's annual "Freshman" cover. Hosted...
April 10, 2012 3:55 PM ET
No Evidence | SONG REVIEW

"Mystical bass vibrating like a beeper," this fringe rapper-producer out of Florida whispers on the first single from his upcoming debut, Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp. It could be his mission statement. A spaced-out thumper blending Nineties-era Oakland flows with...
April 5, 2012 10:02 AM ET
Odd Future Bring Raucous Release Show to New York | ARTICLE

It was fitting that Odd Future opened last night's Hammerstein Ballroom show with clips from their upcoming TV series, Loiter Squad. To the mob of high-schoolers, moshers and misfits that filled the venue – skateboards were confiscated...
March 21, 2012 2:00 PM ET
Earl Sweatshirt Makes Live Debut in NYC | ARTICLE

Rapper Earl Sweatshirt made his live debut with his Odd Future cohorts at Wednesday night's sold out Hammerstein Ballroom concert in New York, confirming rumors that had been circulating in the days before. The concert marked...
March 21, 2012 8:35 AM ET
DMX Comes Correct in Stage Return | ARTICLE

Near the end of DMX's set last night at S.O.B.'s in New York, the returning rapper talked about the power of his craft. "I could fight off the Devil with the spoken word," he professed. Out of...
February 24, 2012 1:25 PM ET
Conversational Lush | ALBUM REVIEW

R&B newcomer Elle Varner breezed through last summer with the minor hit "Only Wanna Give It To You," a sprightly ode to cute boys and new shoes. She retains its bright pink spirit on this free mixtape, with producers J.U.S.T.I.C.E...
February 15, 2012 12:55 PM ET
Jay-Z Announces Carnegie Hall Concerts | ARTICLE

Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter will host the first ever hip-hop concert series at New York City’s landmark Carnegie Hall on February 6th and 7th, he announced at a press conference this morning. All proceeds...
December 8, 2011 2:45 PM ET
50 Cent Says Pauly D Is a Mix of DJ Drama, DJ Khaled and David Guetta | ARTICLE

It’s been a busy few weeks for 50 Cent. The rapper/mogul can barely keep track of the corporate ventures, philanthropic causes, book deals and product drops he’s involved in—not to mention a new album in the...
December 6, 2011 1:25 PM ET
Fear of God II | ALBUM REVIEW

Click to listen to Pusha T's album 'Fear of God II: Let Us Pray' In the Clipse, Pusha T and brother Malice rode icy Neptunes beats to fame without...
November 8, 2011 12:15 AM ET
Donald Glover's Childish Gambino Makes a Case for Hip-Hop Relevance | ARTICLE

During DJ SOSUPERSAM's opening set at New York City's Terminal 5 last night, Kanye West's "Get ‘Em High" elicited a visceral crowd reaction. It made sense. Despite his Lil Wayne flow and Drake inflections, Donald Glover,...
November 4, 2011 2:50 PM ET
1977 | ALBUM REVIEW

"You used to strip for a nigga," Terius Nash reminisces on "Used To Be." "Now, you got nothing but lip for a nigga." 1977, a free, "unofficial" album from the urban pop titan usually known as The-Dream,...
October 18, 2011 12:00 AM ET
Rick Ross Announces New Singles, Album Release Date | ARTICLE

Tuesday night, on New York radio station Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex show, hip-hop heavyweight Rick Ross premiered a double single from his fifth solo album, God Forgives, I Don’t, and announced a December 13th release date for the...
October 6, 2011 11:10 AM ET
Rapper J. Cole Debuts Fierce First Album at New York Listening Party | ARTICLE

Before he'd even shown his face at his debut listening party last night, Roc Nation freshman J. Cole made it known that lyrics were the focus on his album. Adorning the walls of downtown NYC staple Santos...
September 13, 2011 11:40 AM ET
BlackenedWhite | ALBUM REVIEW

Rapper Hodgy Beats and producer Left Brain comprise MellowHype, an offshoot of the viral rap collective Odd Future. Much of the "mellow" has been scrubbed away from their previously free debut, and what remains is a chaotic...
August 15, 2011 6:30 PM ET
Random Axe | ALBUM REVIEW

Thanks to its low-gloss boom-bap and blinkered, stream-of-consciousness flows, ornery rap nerds will inevitably compare Random Axe to hip-hop's "golden age"—"if this came out in '95, it'd be a classic!" But that's a reductionist view: Axe was...
July 8, 2011 5:07 PM ET
Finally Famous | ALBUM REVIEW

Big Sean declares himself "prom king" on his debut, but the Detroit MC sounds more like a talented class clown. After freestyling for Kanye West, Sean scored a deal with Ye's G.O.O.D. Music, and the sharp...
June 28, 2011 12:10 AM ET