J Dilla

Mouse on Mars at Summit Music Hall, 2/23/13

MOUSE ON MARS @ SUMMIT MUSIC HALL |2/23/13 As visuals flashed, streamed, scrolled, blinked, increased in luminosity and otherwise conspired to reflect the jittery, glitchy, sometimes manic and always dynamic flow of sounds being produced by Mouse on Mars, Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner stood behind a ... More >>

9th Wonder on how hip-hop is like pills in the applesauce, a gateway to knowledge and history

A revered hip-hop producer who got his start with Phonte and Big Pooh in the North Carolina-based group Little Brother, 9th Wonder has worked an array of top shelf artists from Jay-Z and Destiny's Child to Mary J. Blige and Ludacris, among many others. Known as one of the best samplers in hip-hop, w ... More >>

Flying Lotus at the Ogden Theatre, 10/18/12

FLYING LOTUS @ OGDEN THEATRE | 2/4/12 The Ogden Theatre was hit last night with the bowel-shaking earthquake that is Flying Lotus, who opening his set with a sample from Lil Wayne's "I feel like dying." While we didn't check with every single person, we're pretty sure the bass-emitting frequencies ... More >>

Gramatik on joining Pretty Lights Music and what he has in store for his show at Red Rocks

​Gramatik (due at the Fillmore tonight and tomorrow at Red Rocks with Pretty Lights) used to be an MC who rapped with his buddies over his beats. He grew up in Slovenia listening to DJ Premier, Guru, Rza, Dre, and an arsenal of hip-hop and break beats fills his catalog of sample options. Now, ... More >>

Q&A with Robert Glasper

​Robert Glasper's latest Blue Note effort, Double Booked, shows just how well the pianist straddles the jazz and hip-hop worlds. While he flexes his jazz chops within the confines of an acoustic trio setting during the first half of the disc, he delves into more forward thinking hip-hop territ ... More >>

A quick look at albums due out this summer

Westword Music Showcase 2007

Saturday, June 16

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

Nationalistic 2005

The rest of the planet generated some good CDs this year, too.

Brother, Brother, Brother

Little Brother's new record takes hip-hop's stereotypes to task.

Westword Music Showcase 2005

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures.

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop.

Soul School

After fifteen years of the grind, De La Soul is still schooling folks.

Love the Player

Okayplayer.com is more than just a website. For some, it's a way of life.

Vision Quest

Phife Dawg makes a solo stand in a post-Tribe world.