Eminem

A rundown of the rap world's favorite drugs

Drug culture isn't relegated exclusively to rock, obviously. For its part, the rap game is equally loaded with drug references of all kinds, from Promethazine and DMT to LSD and PCP, and likewise addled with its own cautionary tales and fatalities. While there's nothing as concrete to suggest that d ... More >>

Here's what we're all listening to right now: What's on your playlist this week?

Music is life. Or at least it is for us. When we're not writing about it, we're thinking about it, talking about it or listening to it. These are the things that were in heavy rotation for us this week. What are you listening to? What should we be listening to? C'mon now. Sharing is caring. Don't ho ... More >>

The ten best diss tracks of all time

Since hip-hop's genesis, beef has been as integral a driving force to the art as bravado. There's been some titanic tangles over the years, from Canibus facing off with LL Cool J to Jay-Z and Nas locking horns with one other, all of which have resulted in some relentless and incendiary rhymes being ... More >>

The ten greatest Midwest rappers of all time

The Midwest is the bastard child of the American rap scene at large -- unsung and independent, with a massive chip on its shoulder. The most talented artists from the Midwest have succeeded each with their own unique style and flavor, regardless of what was making money elsewhere in the country at a ... More >>

The 50 best rap lyrics of all time: Complete list

Last week, we took a look at the fifty worst rap lyrics of all time. Going through all the dreck and drivel to get to the crème de la crème of crappiness was tedious and rather exhausting. This week, we even things out by taking a look at the other end of the spectrum and examining rap lyrics to f ... More >>

The 50 best rap lyrics of all time: 50-26

Last week, we took a look at the fifty worst rap lyrics of all time. Culling through all the dreck and drivel to get to the crème de la crème of crappiness was tedious and rather exhausting. This week we even things out by taking a look at the other end of the spectrum and examining the fifty best ... More >>

The 50 worst rap lyrics: The complete list

We've finally arrived: The The best of the worst. The creme de la crap. The unholy of unholies. If you thought 50-11 were bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet. These are the lyrics that can turn a good album sour, and make a bad album laughable. Included are quotes from Eminem, Lil B, J. Cole, 2 Chainz, ... 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 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 >>

Backbeat's top five spins: This is what we're listening to this week. What's on your playlist?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it's not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off we go, on and on about t ... More >>

The ten best movies featuring rappers

Wu-Tang has been immersed in kung-fu for so long, it was inevitable that one member of the Clan would make a major appearance in a martial arts movie at some point. The RZA appeared briefly in Ghost Dog in 1999, but only for a passing moment, though he did produce the soundtrack. In The Man with the ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Friday 3/16/12

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music editors have selected t ... More >>

Music fan's "Drake" tattoo takes celebrity worship to a new level

The Fray films video for "Heartbeat," the first single from its new album, Scars and Stories

Update (2/7/12): Isaac Slade and Joe King give a track-by-track breakdown of Scars & Stories, the Fray's new album. Update (11/22/11): The full "Heartbeat" video and the Scars and Stories cover art has been added below. And so it begins. The Fray is now in full-on promo mode, ramping up for the r ... More >>

Katy Perry's "Kathy" the latest rockstar alter-ego

Is that you, Katy Perry?​It's no secret Katy Perry has a wicked sense of comedic timing. Remember when her Sesame Street appearance didn't air and she donned a skin-tight Elmo t-shirt and bounced around on Saturday Night Live as Maureen the sixteen-year-old who just hit puberty (and hard)? No ... More >>

Hip-hop's ten most impactful deaths

​Today marks the anniversary of the day that the world lost the greatest rapper of all time. Christopher Wallace's untimely death on March 9, 1997, had a significant impact on the rap game. If Biggie had lived, for instance, his presence would have essentially erased the need for Jay-Z. Unstop ... More >>

Grammy 2011: Five performance collaborations we're rooting for

​The 53rd ceremony to determine the absolute best music! It's Grammy time, people, when we all leap off our couches to buy that Lady Gaga album from 2009 once we all realize it's the best album of 2010. But seriously: the only people paying attention to who wins are people betting on it. What ... More >>

Next Big Sound: Billboard's new "Social 50" chart powered by Boulder music startup

​In October, we profiled the Boulder start-up Next Big Sound, which seemed poised to shake the struggling music industry by using social media sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter to discover break-out bands. Now that Billboard has unveiled its new "Social 50" chart powered by Next Big Sou ... More >>

3OH!3, the Roots, Eminem top sellers at local record stores

​Streets of Gold, 3OH!3's new disc, which dropped last week on Photo Finish/Atlantic, grabbed the top spot at Twist & Shout, and claimed the top two slots (both deluxe and regular versions) at Albums on the Hill and snagged the third position at Independent Records for the week ending July ... More >>

The Roots, Eminem top sellers at local record stores

​How I Got Over, the Roots' latest effort released last week on Def Jam, took the spot at Twist & Shout, second at Albums on the Hill and third at Independent Records for the week ending June 27. Eminem's new disc, Recovery, debuted at number one at Independent Records while coming in third at ... More >>

The 10 Most Hated People in Hip-Hop

Guru (left) and heartless greed monger Solar (right). Photo by Barbara Mürdter​ There is no fence-riding in hip-hop. It is the most competitive genre of music, partly because of the way it formed and partly because it remains the newest major movement. So there is no shortage of hatred going ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of March 8, 2010

​As music critics -- and people who generally think about, talk about, listen to and make music -- the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to right now?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation. ... More >>

Young Money tops charts at Independent for third week in a row

​Although Lil Wayne is heading to prison next month after pleading guilty to gun charges, the rapper's gotta be pretty damn happy with how well Young Money's We Are Young Money is selling. It's number twelve on Billboard's Top 200, and locally, it's on top of Independent's top sellers for the thir ... More >>

Freaky Friday: "Christian Side Hug"

​There's nothing wrong with white people doing hip-hop -- if it was ever in question, I think Eminem proved that. And there's certainly nothing wrong with rappers loving Jesus. I mean, how many hip-hop albums don't thank the Christ, his dad, or both in the liner notes? So it logically follows ... More >>

Twista top seller at Independent Records again

​Twista continues to dominate Independent's charts and grabbed the top spot for the third week in a row while Mr. Capone-E's latest effort, Diary of a G, debuted at the second slot for the week ending August 30. Eminem's Relapse and Matisyahu's Light, released last week on Sony, nabbed the third a ... More >>

Twista continues to dominate at Independent Records

​Eminem dominated Independent's charts for quite a few weeks after the release of Relapse, but Twista's Category F5 knocked Relapse down to the number two slot for the second week in a row. Fabolous and Tech N9ne continued to be strong sellers while Third Eye Blind's Ursa Major, released last week ... More >>

Twista top seller at Independent Records again

​Twista's Category F5 topped the charts at Independent Records for the second week in a row while Eminem's Relapse, which has also been a strong seller, nabbed the second slot for the week ending August 16. Slaughterhouse, Behemoth and Jeremih rounded out the top five. See the full breakdown after ... More >>

Twista on top at Independent Records

​Twista moved back to the number one spot and knocked Fabolous, who was the top seller last week, down to the second slot for the week ending August 9. It's Twista's third time in the first slot in the last month. Eminem and Tech N9ne, who have been top sellers for the last few months, continue to ... More >>

Eminem grabs top spot at Independent Records again

For the fifth week in a row, Eminem's Relapse grabbed the top spot on Independent's best seller list for the week ending June 21. Tech N9ne's Sickology 101, which has been a top seller since it was released April 28, moved up the second spot while new discs by Black Eyed Peas and Mos Def grabbed thr ... More >>

Eminem grabs top spot at Independent Records for fourth week in a row

Eminem has been holding on to the top spot at Independent Records for a month now with his latest release, Relapse. Mos Def's The Ecstatic and Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D., both released last week, grabbed the second and third slots while Method Man & Redman and DJ Quick & Kurupt rounded out ... More >>

Eminem grabs top spot at Independent Records for third week in a row

For the third week in a row, Eminem grabbed the top spot at Independent Records for the week ending June 7. The rapper's Relapse beat out brand new albums by Dave Matthews, Rancid and 311. Tech N9ne's Sickology 101 came in fifth and has stayed in the top ten on Independent's top seller list since be ... More >>

Eminem grabs top spot at Independent Records

Eminem's Relapse grabbed the top spot for the second week in a row at Independent Records for the week ending May 31. Marilyn Manson's High End Low, released last week on Interscope, came in second while Tech N9ne, Method Man & Redman and Busta Rhymes rounded out the top five. See the full break ... More >>

Green Day top seller at Twist and Shout

After coming in second to Steve Earle's Townes last week, Green Day moved took over the top spot with 21st Century Breakdown at Twist & Shout for the week ending May 24. New releases by Tori Amos, Eminem, Iron & Wine and Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood rounded out the top five. See the full ... More >>

Beyond Playlist: Eminem and more

Eminem Relapse (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) The haters have been laying for this one, and there's no denying that Eminem has provided them with plenty of ammunition. Devoting an entire album to his drug problems and rehab struggles invites accusations of solipsism (yeah, yeah, it's a hip-hop trad ... More >>

Friday Rap-Up: Black Hollywood, Lil Kim, Naughty By Nature, Eminem

T.I.

Atlantic

Friday Rap-Up: Spoke In Wordz, Kanye West, The Game, Eminem, XXL Magazine

Best Drag Troupe

The Alterboys

Eminem

Encore (Aftermath)

Bumblebeez 81

The Printz (Modular Recordings/Geffen)

Emvisible

D12 looks to get out from underneath Eminem's shadow.

D12

D12 World (Shady/Interscope)

Tech N9ne

Thursday, April 29, Ogden Theatre, 303-830-2525.

Run, Rabbit

Pickings are Slim Shady, but Eminem busts out of a bad movie.

Bleep That

The FCC's fining of a Colorado radio station is giving broadcasters headaches from coast to coast.

Backwash

Get 2 Da Point takes hip-hop to the classroom.

Hit Pick

Sucker

The Need for Weed

By aiming for the lowest common denominator, Up in Smoke went over like gangbusters.

Urban Renewal

How could an R&B outlet become the most popular radio station in Denver? The little girls understand.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Eminem plays the race cardin reverse.