Ralph McDaniels popularized the shout-out. His show Video Music Box debuted in 1983 on the New York television station WNYC-TV and airs to this day on WNYE-TV, making it the longest-running music ...

From the Boogie Down Bronx to the streets of the U.K., there's no denying that hip hop is heard world wide and continues to ...

What are the best rap music videos of all time? It's a big, daunting question to answer. After all, hip-hop has been around for over 50 years, and during that time, we've seen countless classic music ...

The ‘Superman’ writer-director took time out from head-honchoing the DC Universe to make us a killer year-end playlist.

When hip-hop was in its early stages, most people criticized the genre as being a fad. Yet, here we are over 50 years since its inception, and it's one of the most popular genres among fans.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. “Belly,” the 1998 crime drama starring DMX, Nas, T-Boz, Taral Hicks, ...

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Bossman Dlow, Snoop Dogg, and Will Smith. Seeing this week’s lineup might prompt some confusion about just what decade it is, but ...

Welcome to The State of R&B, ESSENCE’s look at the past, present and future of rhythm and blues. In this piece, ESSENCE editor Rivéa Ruff reports on the blending of hip-hop and R&B. Since the ...

Lopez was a major fan of rap music growing up — so much so that she could pinpoint when her fascination with the genre began. “I was in the schoolyard and I remember getting really excited. It was a ...