Kool Keith

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time: 50-26

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

Womenswear Wednesdays: Esthetician Domini Rivera on her baby-doll style

Until yesterday's snowfall, women were beginning to show more skin on the streets, in honor of spring. On a recent sunny day, we spotted local trendsetter Domini Rivera, a Denver native and esthetician. Continue reading to find out which era inspires her look, her style mantra and which part of her ... More >>

The ten most underrated rappers of all time

What contributes to a rapper's underrated status? Is it the unwillingness to compromise? The inability to compromise? An early demise? Bad promotion? Possibly all of these things and more? Whatever the case, with these rappers, it's certainly not for a lack of talent. We put together a list of the t ... More >>

The new Pries video causes a bit of a stir

Earlier this week, Pries released a video for "You Know I Know," the latest single from The Lonely Kid Show. After seeing the clip, which was filmed in front of a mural at Guerilla Garden, Jolt, who painted the piece that serves as the backdrop, took to Facebook to voice his frustration with the con ... More >>

Ten most enigmatic figures in hip-hop

Sometimes there are figures in music whose mysterious and inscrutable magnetism transcends the music they make. More than musicians, they become cultural figures whose every move is analyzed every which way in an effort to figure out what's going on in that great gray matter, as Frank Ocean puts it. ... 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 >>

Disarming lyrics and vivid imagery make Danny Vincennie Extra Kool

Alex Maas of the Black Angels on Phosphene Dream and the band's evolving sound

In recent years, the Black Angels have deservedly been a prominent band in the psychedelic rock world. Though the act had the rare distinction of being the backing band for one of the pioneers of psychedelic rock, Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators, the music created by the Austin-based act i ... More >>

Hunter Pritchett, exec chef of Luca d'Italia, on bum piss and fried fish

Hunter Pritchett Luca d'Italia 711 Grant Street 303-832-6600 www.lucadenver.com This is part one of my interview with Hunter Pritchett, exec chef of Luca d'Italia. Part two of my chat with Pritchett will run in this space tomorrow. Hunter Pritchett and his kitchen crew are thumbing through an Ita ... More >>

The 20 greatest geek albums

​If the geeks are really set to inherit the earth (that's the saying, right?), then it's time we highlight the musical offerings they have on the table. With Jonathan Coulton's Artificial Heart being released last week at PAX, it seems as good a time as any to look at our favorite albums about ... More >>

Placing odds on Danger Mouse's next collaboration

​Danger Mouse just announced he will be collaborating with Jack White, which makes White the billionth musician Danger Mouse has worked with after Beck, the Gorillaz, MF Doom, Cee-Lo, James Mercer, U2, the Rapture, Sparklehorse, Black Keys and, oh, just about everybody else. He's the hottest c ... More >>

Earth, Deca, DeVotchKa, Mogwai, Hindershot, Warsaw and Adele top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

YTCracker on the virtues of Nerdcore and the finer points of hacking

Straight outta C Springs, YTCracker is among nerd core's finest​ YTCracker rolls with a crew and movement known as "nerdcore," the epicenter of all things sophisticated and geeky. The rapper -- aka Bryce Case, who pronounces his name as "whitey cracker" -- and his contemporaries, guys like MC ... More >>

Strange Powers on Armageddon and what he's been up to since returning to the Mile High City

​ Known to early local hip-hop heads as Shag One and, more recently, as Strange Powers, Josh Powers doesn't fit into the mold of a typical hip-hop cat. He embraces his individuality and honors his own unique global view of music and ideology through his creative endeavors - from more traditio ... More >>

Air Dubai, Lil Wayne and DJ Krush fill our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Nick Cave is supposedly penning The Crow remake -- here's five musicians we'd like to see tackle other movies

​Rumors have been swirling recently that Nick Cave may have signed on to rewrite the screenplay for The Crow remake (ouch that sentence hurts our heads). Cave is a favorite around here for his music, but we're a bit hard pressed to find anyone who's actually made it through a piece of his fict ... More >>

Q&A with Time

​Time, aka Chris Steele, has been involved in the Denver hip-hop scene for over a decade, and his current and future collaborators include Sole of the Anticon collective, Talib Kweli, Drake, Kool Keith and C-Rayz Walz. The snarkier hip-hop aficionados refer to the form Time writes and performs as ... More >>

Princess Superstar at Beta

Heavy Rotation, our top five spins for the week of April 13, 2009

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Friday Rap-Up: Scribble Jam, Run-DMC, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z

Over the Weekend... Kool Keith, ManeLine and the Americans @ the Oriental Theater

Q&A with Artist Ray Young Chu

Peeping Tom

Wednesday, April 18, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, 1-866-468-7621.

Dr. Octagon

The Return of Dr. Octagon (OCD International)

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom (Ipecac)

Kool Keith

Saturday, February 4, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Jurassic 5

Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, Fox Theatre, 303-443-3399

Backwash

Clever as a Fox, Boulder’s best club turns ten.

About to Break

Set to debut in Boulder, Billy Martin's Turntable Sessions will turn you on your ear.

Gorillaz

Gorillaz (Virgin Records)

Back That Smut Up

As the Smut Peddlers, members of the High and Mighty hip-hop crew find new life in porn.

Backwash

Slim Cessna has seen the light.

Material

Material
Intonarumori
(Axiom)

Like a Record, Baby

QBert and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz put a new spin on the DJ craft.

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Handsome Boy Modeling School/Quannum Projects

So...How's Your Girl?
(Tommy Boy)

Quannum Spectrum
(Quannum Projects)

Beyond the Fringe

Styles of Beyond takes underground hip-hop back to the future.

Playlist

Kool Keith, Joe Gallant and Illuminati, Belle and Sebastian, Tricky With DJ Muggs and Grease, Reggae Gold 1999

The Wide World of Rap

Exploring the endless variety of today's hip-hop.

Spread the Jam

Medeski, Martin and Wood branch out beyond jazz.

Ghost Story

DJ Spooky is writing one of hip-hop's most mesmerizing chapters.

The Major and the Minor

A roundup of big-name recordings that live up (or down) to expectations.

Creep Show

The joys of navigating Creeper Lagoon.

Kingdom Comes

Denver rapper Kingdom hopes he has the golden touch.

Brother From Another Planet

When it comes to hip-hop, Dr. Octagon veteran Kool Keith is out of this world.

And the Winners Are ...

Handing out the trophies for 1997's best albums.

The Closing of the American Ear

We have more musical choices than ever before. So why are so few of us taking advantage of them?