Andre Benjamin

The ten best concerts to see in Denver this week

SHABAZZ PALACES @ LARIMER LOUNGE | MON, 5/6/13 In the first half of the '90s, Ishmael Butler went by the moniker "Butterfly" as part of the rap trio Digable Planets. After the outfit's 1995 split, the group performed one-off shows here and there, but since 2009, Butler has released music with Tendai ... More >>

Ten best hip-hop shows in Denver this month

FLOBOTS @ AGGIE THEATRE | FRI, 5/3/13 Half a decade after releasing the platinum single "Handlebars," which made rounds on radios across the country, the Flobots have grown significantly, both as a musical group and as a philanthropic force within the Denver community. Since parting ways with Univer ... More >>

For These Things Matter's first birthday, its hosts discuss their ten favorite episodes

Not everyone can relate to the idea of defining yourself through popular culture, but anyone who gets it, really gets it. And for the last year Denver has been blessed with a sonic sanctuary for these poor souls: the These Things Matter podcast. This week TTM hosts Taylor Gonda and comedian Kevin O' ... More >>

The ten greatest southern rappers of all time

It took a long time for the south to be recognized as a major player in the hip-hop scene, and it still has a ways to go to be held in the same regard as the East and West Coasts, but with the emergence of a new breed of countrified rappers such as Big K.R.I.T., Future, Yelawolf and 2 Chainz (and ev ... More >>

Ten acts that helped make hip-hop more accessible to mainstream audiences

Hip-hop is a world unto itself. Its rich tradition of spoken word poetry, self-referential subject matter and electronic and sample-based production make it, in many ways, a difficult musical form to adapt to, especially if you come from a more traditional background. These ten acts helped make rap ... More >>

The ten best concerts in Denver this weekend

Welcome to the weekend! Another work week is almost in the books. Time to cut loose. If it's live music you seek, you've come to the right place. Tons of great music on tap this weekend, a diverse array of options whatever your flavor, everything from jazz and jam to hip-hop and hardcore to industri ... More >>

Ten best hip-hop shows in Denver this month

February is already off to a good start for hip-hop with a pair of great shows this past weekend, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks and Brother Ali with Prof, Danny Brown and Evidence at Cervantes'. Even excluding those shows, the rest of the month looks to be just as enti ... More >>

The ten best storytellers in hip-hop

The art of storytelling has existed since before recorded history, so it's somewhat surprising that the practice didn't take off in hip-hop, an originally oral tradition, until the late '80s. Since rappers discovered just how captivating a well-told story could be, the storytelling track has become ... More >>

The ten best hip-hop lyrics of 2012

1. 2 Chainz - Birthday Song "She got a big booty, so I call her Big Booty." Don't freak. We're just kidding. Every year, people say hip-hop is dead, but every year it keeps expanding -- commercially, sonically. thematically -- pretty much in every way imaginable. Although the radio may lead you to ... More >>

T.I. at 1STBANK Center, 12/15/12

T.I. / KS-107.5 JINGLE JAM @ 1STBANK CENTER | 12/15/12 After a bit of a wait, the lights dimmed. Screams of delight filled the 1STBANK Center, fighting for preeminence in a veritable bass-made earthquake. A booming, overpowering voice delivered a fiery sermon as the man of the evening finally took ... More >>

The ten best concerts this weekend: Oct. 19-21

Ah, yes, welcome to the weekend! And what a glorious weekend it's going to be. Have you seen the forcast? What's more, the Broncos have a bye-week this week, which means there's no reason at not to get out in the sunshine during the day and then treat yourself to some shows at night. As always, we'v ... More >>

Backbeat's five most listened-to songs and albums, week of September 5, 2012

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be too surprising to find that the most common (and our mutually favorite) topic of conversation among all of us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and boy, wouldn't you ... More >>

Big K.R.I.T. at the Bluebird, 7/18/19

BIG K.R.I.T. @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 7.18.19 See Also: - Big K.R.I.T. at the Marquis, 10/21/10 - Mr. Midas and Big K.R.I.T. collab on "Back On" Big K.R.I.T. calls himself the King Remembered In Time, an appropriate name, because he truly is timeless. When the big king stepped on stage, all stern-face ... More >>

A comprehensive guide to Record Store Day 2012 activities

Whoever says the music industry is dead obviously hasn't observed Record Store Day. While file sharing has certainly dampened CD sales -- removing the casual music listener from the economic equation -- a contingency of hardcore record geeks can still be found thumbing through the bins most weekends ... More >>

Outkast is one of hip-hop's most successful and creative groups

​Outkast is easily one of the most noted and respected hip-hop groups in the game. Big Boi and Andre 3000 met in the East Point section of Atlanta when they were sixteen. The outfit combined funk, soul, jazz and blues influences with hip-hop lyrics on its 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillac ... More >>

The 54th Grammys: who will win (Adele) and who won't (Lady Gaga)

From power pop to power ballads, rock anthems to rap staples, the nominees of the 54th Grammy Awards, which airs this Sunday night, sees no dearth of great music. There's little doubt that it will be Adele's night, but others, like Kanye West and Mumford & Sons, could win big too. Continue reading f ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in history. Before being gifted with a guitar at the age of fifteen, Hendrix used a broom stick in place of the instrument that would later become his most beloved method of communication. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in November 1 ... More >>

The best national music releases of 2011

Michael Buble's Christmas raises the bar for all holiday tracks, plus a breakdown of the charts

It's going to be a holly, jolly Christmas with Michael Buble's new collection of holiday classics.​Michael Buble put out a killer Christmas record, and it could not have come at a better time. While the charts are currently flooded with dance-pop beats, synthesizers-laden hooks and auto-tuned ... More >>

2012 Grammy Nominations: Kanye West and Adele clean up, Katy Perry earns pair of nods

Grammy nominations for 2012 were announced last night during the Grammys Nomination Concert -- which was, oddly, just that: a concert, not a nominations show. Nominations in four major categories were announced, plus performances by major players in mainstream music like Lady Gaga, who performed twi ... More >>

Beyoncé's "Party" will make you forget B's last video, plus a breakdown of this week's charts

Forget "Countdown" -- Beyoncé is here to party.​What do you do if you release a music video and get slammed with plagiarism accusations? If you're Beyoncé, you release another video. And then another. First Beyoncé released a video for "Countdown," her third official single (after "Run The ... More >>

John Legend on the resurgence of soul, touring with Sade and the foibles and fortunes of fame

Catch John Legend tonight at the Pepsi Center with Sade​John Legend considers everything, especially when he's being interviewed. He pauses long enough for you to imagine him considering several inferior answers and tossing them before choosing one that sounds just right. Back in the fall of 2 ... More >>

Janelle Monae on Big Boi and what it takes to become an agent of change in the community

Janelle Monáe (due Sunday, May 29 at 1STBANK Center with Bruno Mars and Mayer Hawthorne), like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, grew up in Kansas, and like that character, Monáe left home to go on something of a fantastic journey. But instead of Oz, Monáe landed in Atlanta, Georgia, where she met u ... More >>

Five rap albums to take on the mothership when the government shuts down at midnight

​Tonight when the clock strikes midnight, you should expect calamity, destruction, and famine to sweep the nation, because word on the street says the government is shutting down. Word to Chicken Little: A bunch of awful things are supposed to happen...we think. They don't pay us the big bucks ... More >>

Ke$ha is today's cock-rocker

Big Boi at the Ogden: Two different perspectives informed by two different backgrounds

​TonightBig Boi comes to Denver for the first time in forever to play at the Ogden Theatre. We're sending two writers to cover the show, as opposed to our usual one, because they come from very different yet very important sections of hip-hop's audience. To provide some context for the review, ... More >>

Big Boi dishes on OutKast, musical style and his latest release

Our 55 favorite musical releases of 2010

Anatomy of a hip-hop song: Local producers weigh in on what it takes to make a great track

David Lang / Red Bull PhotofilesBoonie Mayfield (top) and Xperiment Beats​The term "producer" has very different connotations in the worlds of rock and hip-hop. Although they're both instrumental in shaping the sound, they serve very different functions. Generally speaking, in rock, a produc ... More >>

Fueled by venture-capital funding and a love for unknown bands, can Boulder's Next Big Sound predict the next rock star?

Lenny Lenn on Twitter, making bold statements and continually having to prove himself

​Lenny Lenn has an opinion, and he's not afraid to express it. He frequently makes big, bold statements about seemingly everything. One moment he's speaking in a quiet, humble tone about his technical training in post-production, for instance, and the next he's comparing himself to Andre 300 ... More >>

Big Boi hits the nail on the head with Sir Lucious Left Foot

​Since Speakerboxxx/The Love Below showcased Outkast's individual talents, André 3000 has generally been regarded as the auteur of the duo. And while that might be true -- André 3000 does tend to be weirder than his colleague Big Boi -- there's something to be said for consistency, as the la ... More >>

B.o.B.

Thursday, April 29, Ogden Theatre, 303-830-8497.

Give 'em the Boots

Fresh City Life fashion faces West.