LL Cool J

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 >>

How to spot Hollywood's non-threatening black man

The ten greatest East Coast rappers of all time

The East Coast, particularly New York, is the mecca of hip-hop. It's birthplace and still the most reliable source for pure, uncut, unadulterated rap music. Chronicling the great MCs from the region would result in a list of hundreds. Ranking the top ten proves somewhat limiting, but it's also an en ... More >>

The music fan's guide to voting

The defining narrative of American politics since the turn of the millennium seems to be that 'We the people' are screwed no matter who gets elected. Elect a Republican: We engage in pre-emptive war, the national deficit skyrockets, and we sacrifice education and infrastructure investment. Elect a D ... More >>

2012 Grammy Awards: Adele sweeps, Bon Iver surprises and Kanye West missing in action

As anyone and their mother could have (and, ahem, did) predicted, it was Adele's show at last night's 54th Grammy Awards. The singer, who absolutely swept the awards, took home six Grammys -- meaning she won in every category in which she was nominated, including the big three: Song of the Year, Rec ... More >>

The 50 worst sports movies of all time

Slap Shot 2: Number 28.​The sports movie is rarely versatile: an outsider, or group of outsiders (wrong race, wrong gender, wrong species), have uncanny talent in their field, but the old guard (typically, white, old men), don't like the change the new person represents. So the rebels have to ... More >>

Sesame Street's five best musical cameos

Elvis is everywhere​Elvis Costello finally made his Sesame Street appearance last week with a number-orientated rendition of "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes." The show is a well-tread, 42-year-old road that has included a charmingly sweet Tony Bennett, an unexpectedly fitting LL Cool J, ... More >>

The best and worst of sitcoms starring musicians

We feel the same way about you, Fred Durst.​The bad news is that Snoop Dogg is getting a sitcom, a no-doubt hackneyed affair starring the Doggfather as a patriarch with his mind on his family and his family on his mind. The even worse news is that Limp Bizkit front-penis Fred Durst is apparent ... More >>

The Anthology of Rap: Decipher the lyrics that stumped the editors and win Yo! MTV Raps cards

​This week's cover story, "Word," recounts the creation of The Anthology of Rap, the scholarly catalogue of rap lyrics co-edited by CU-Boulder professor Adam Bradley. The story details the challenge of figuring what, exactly, all those rappers are saying. A few of the quarter-of-a-million word ... More >>

Break Dancing! Animated GIFS will pop and lock your day

​Break dancing took Denver by storm in the mid '80s, drawing 10,000 people to a competition at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where this paper's founder and editor Patricia Calhoun was a judge.

Top 5 songs nodding to Notorious B.I.G

​Ah, Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G. There hasn't been -- and as long as hip-hop is a genre, won't be -- a quiet passing of March 9. Similar to when Buddy Holly took the fateful flight that inspired a nation to observe the day the music died, the day Biggie Smalls was slain is fo ... More >>

BLKHRTS, Wu-Tang 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 >>

The Anthology of Rap's alleged errors and Adam Bradley's subsequent explaination to Slate.com

​Last month, Yale University Press released The Anthology of Rap, an exhaustive compendium of rap lyrics edited by CU professor Adam Bradley and his colleague Andrew DuBois. Although the book has been praised by some admitted outsiders, it has also been subjected to scrutiny by various hip-h ... More >>

We Are the World 25/2010 performers pull off impressive performance

All right, so we were admittedly skeptical of how this whole "We Are the World" remake was going to turn out with the seemingly random cast of characters organizers assembled. When we first glimpsed the initial list of those present the night of the recording, there were some head scratchers in the ... More >>

We Are the World 2010: List of performers seems a little underwhelming -- the idea is to get people to buy the song, right?

Our friends over at CNN just posted a partial list of performers appearing on the "We Are the World" remake. From the looks of it, we put more thought into this whole thing than the organizers did. Okay, sure, there were a handful of bona fied stars that took part -- and we're assuming they've be ... More >>

Last night: Fresh Breath Committee CD release at the Fox Theatre

Fresh Breath Committe (Peter Haines)The Pirate Signal, 3 the Hardway, The ReMINDers, Fresh Breath Committee, Masta Ace. Fox Theater Thursday October 8, 2009 Better than: Anything you have to wake up for on Friday that would have stopped you from being there. Approaching the Fox last night for the F ... More >>

Boyz II Men, Stevie B and Break EFX at the Ogden Theater

Photo: Chad FahnestockBoyz II Men, Stevie B and Break EFXFriday, November 28, 2008Ogden TheaterBetter than: Listening to the recorded soundtrack from the ten-year high school reunion of any graduating class from the 1990s.The reactions varied wildly. When I told people that I was covering the Boyz I ... More >>

Friday Rap-Up: ManeLine, Hip-Hop Stars React to Obama win, Shakir Stewart Suicide, Mos Def

Friday Rap-Up: ytCracker, DJ AM , Eminem and No Limit

Friday Rap-Up: DJ Vajra, Lil Wayne, Nate Dogg, 50 Cent vs. Kanye: Pt. 2?

Friday Rap-Up: Infinite Mindz, Jermaine Dupri, Daz, Kanye West, the Game, Bow Wow

Friday Rap-Up: Showcase Hip-Hop History, Grandmaster Flash, Nas, Eminem and LL Cool J

Delegating Denver #36 of 56: New York

Freeloader

The best in legitimate, artist-approved downloads.

Friday Rap-Up: D.O. The Fabulous Drifter, 50 Cent, Grandmaster Flash, Foxy Brown

Cheeky Monk

The latest news from Denver’s counter culture.

This Just In…

The latest nightlife news.

Hick-Hop

Hick-Hop

Way Out of Sync

LL Cool J

Monday, July 17, Ogden Theatre, 1-866-468-7621.

Luka Bloom

Sunday, April 30, Lanny's Clocktower Cabaret, 303-293-0075.

Spray-On Soul

Getting Up is a flawed but fascinating ode to graffiti 's early years.

Soldiers' Song

The Rock 'n' Roll Soldiers fight for their right to, well, rock.

God Save the Queen

A talented rapper narrowly survives another lousy movie.

Going Mental

Mindhunters is truly stupid fun.

Scratching the Surface

J. Majik

LL Cool J

The DEFinition (Def Jam)

Silencing Radio 1190

Rather than muzzle Barnett, CU clamps down on music.

The Beatdown

Local MC Apostle prepares to battle for the keys to the Kingdom.

The Big-Bang Theory

S.W.A.T. storms into the August movie lineup.

Playing It Cool

When it comes to hip-hop career longevity, LL Cool J knows that size matters.

Fighting the Power

Rapper Nas steps back into the ring, fists flying.

Farrah to Poor

With clipped wings, Charlie's Angels fly way too low to the ground.

Super Sunday

Oliver Stone tackles pro football on Any Given Sunday.

Playlist

Puff Daddy, Leo Kottke, Prince, Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines

To Buy or Not to Buy

Reviews of 23 recent superstar recordings--just in time for your holiday purchasing pleasure.

THE GOODS

THERE WEREN'T THOUSANDS OF FIRST-RATE RECORDS RELEASED IN 1995. BUT THERE WERE NINETY.

HIP HOPE

NINE AND DA BUSH BABEES ARE TRYING TO PRODUCE A RAP TO REMEMBER.

THRILLS