Notorious B.I.G.

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 >>

Hey, Kanye, that Notorious B.I.G. track being used to hype Taco Bell: Selling out or buying in?

This past weekend at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Kanye West went on a rant about selling out. Apparently, he now hates the Grammys, corporations and possibly the new Justin Timberlake song. Ironically, the self proclaimed "Louis Vuitton Don" saw absolutely no conflict of interest in calling out art ... More >>

Dom Kennedy at Larimer Lounge, 12/03/12

DOM KENNEDY @ LARIMER LOUNGE |12/03/12 Dom Kennedy hit the stage to a packed house at the Larimer Lounge last night, and, riding a wave of nostalgia, he urged, "If you're a '90's baby, put ya hands up." Rocking a fitted Dodgers hat and Stanford hoodie and backed by his OpM crew, Kennedy wooed the c ... More >>

Beats Antique at the Fillmore, 10/27/12

BEATS ANTIQUE @ FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 10/27/12 As the lights rose for the encore, multi-instrumentalist David Satori made sure to inform everyone at the Fillmore the importance of voting, and then went on to note that if you weren't planning on taking part in the process then in the very least, you ... More >>

DJ Premier and Pete Rock at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 9/22/12

DJ PREMIER & PETE ROCK @ CERVANTES' | 9/22/12 At the end of their set last night at Cervantes', DJ Premier's Houston Astro's hat was dripping with sweat, while Pete Rock appeared to have barely broken one. Over the course of their set, though, the two matched wits furiously playing through the genr ... More >>

Purity Ring's Corin Roddick on the unlikely impact of Janet Jackson and Destiny's Child

See also: Purity Ring at Larimer Lounge, 8/29 Purity Ring came together when Megan James and Corin Roddick started writing electronic songs together after having served as touring members of experimental pop band Born Gold. Rather than rushing to put out material, this duo has spent the last couple ... More >>

What's in your bag? Local artist ASiEL and visitor Brooke Dawson look out of this world!

The summer continues to be a scorcher, and while many of us are too hot to do anything useful, cooler heads are using this time to plan ahead for the future. Take a look at this week's street-style subjects, who prove that you can be productive and look good at the same time. See also: - Denver mus ... More >>

Coachella 4/20: Let's talk about weed

See also: *The Best of Coachella: Friday, April 20 *Our Complete Coachella Coverage Yesterday was 4/20. It was also Coachella. And so, the percentage of festival-goers who were stoned rose from a paltry 75 percent to a full 98 percent. (These estimates come courtesy of our editor, Ben Westhoff, wh ... More >>

Not-so-great moments in drunk tweeting

Girl Walk // All Day director Jacob Krupnick on the mash-up of Rick Ross and ballet

Girl Walk // All Day star Anne Marsen​It's like a mash-up of mash-up: The film Girl Walk // All Day takes the manic moods of remix master Girl Talk's 2010 record, All Day, and pairs it with a story of Girl and her city, told through dance. In advance of tomorrow's screening at the Denver Fil ... 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 >>

Monte Carlo is this week's most ridiculous trailer

​Mo money mo problems, the Notorious B.I.G. posthumously noted back in the late '90s -- and for him, it was certainly true: By the time he said it, he was, after all, dead. Another way of putting that is that money can't buy happiness -- in fact, it probably does the opposite -- and that's pre ... More >>

La Toya says Michael Jackson was murdered: Top five other music myths and conspiracies

​In an interview with CNN yesterday, La Toya Jackson stated rather bluntly that she believed her brother was murdered. "I would never, ever think differently," she said. "Michael told me that they were going to murder him." It's not that outrageous of a claim, but it's also one of those things ... More >>

Curren$y Jet Life Tour at Summit Music Hall, Trademark da Skydiver and more, 5/21/11

Photo by Kate LevyCurren$y at the Summit Music Hall this past Saturday night CURREN$Y Trademark da Skydiver • Young Roddy • Smoke DZA Fiend • Corner Boy P • Monstabeatz 05.21.11 | Summit Music Hall View Curren$y at Summit Music Hall slideshow To paraphrase Katt Williams: "If you don't mes ... More >>

The Anthology of Rap: The hip-hop soundtrack to go along with this week's cover story

​This week's cover story, "Word," tells the extraordinary tale behind The Anthology of Rap, released last year to high praise and a bit of heated debate. The Westword story focuses on Anthology co-editor and CU-Boulder professor Adam Bradley, a hip-hop academic whose own narrative is as compel ... More >>

Tupac biopic finally gets the greenlight. Here's five ideas for who should play him.

​After being held up by years of litigation from Afeni Shakur-Davis, the mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur, the film depicting the rapper's life has finally been given the green light. Literally years in the making, the production company Morgan Creek has been mired in legal wranglings with ' ... More >>

The Anthology of Rap co-editor Adam Bradley on his background and compiling the book

​Making connections between Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Wonder Mike isn't such a stretch for Adam Bradley. As one of the editors of The Anthology of Rap, a newly released collection from Yale University Press, as well as the author of 2009's Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop, Bradley has ... More >>

Ghostface at Summit Music Hall, 11/06/10

Aaron ThackerayGhostface​ GHOSTFACE With Sheek Louch • Frank Dukes • Black Pegasus • Liquid Assassin 11.06.10 | Summit Music Hall Ghostface swooped through Denver over the weekend for a performance at Summit Music Hall with Sheek Louch, Black Pegasus and Liquid Assassin. The venue, wit ... More >>

Wiz Khalifa has a global outlook on life

Last Night: Matt and Kim light up the Ogden Theatre - 9/24/10

OMG, it's Matt and Kim! Last night at the Ogden.Matt and Kim • So So Glos • Picture Plane 09.24.10 | Ogden Theatre, Denver The hyper-positive drum-and-keyboard duo of Matt and Kim: From playing DIY art spaces to packing grand old joints like the Ogden Theatre, you have to wonder how much bigger ... More >>

What are Jay-Z's 99 problems? We know a bitch ain't one.

​ It's well known an this point that Jay-Z (appearing tonight at the Pepsi Center with Sound Tribe Sector 9, Trey Songz and Young Jeezy) has 99 problems, and a bitch, most certainly, ain't one. Curiously, though, until now, no one's really taken a hard look at just what Hova's 99 problems are ... More >>

Neil McIntyre collabs with Kurtis Blow

It was all a dream. I used to read Word Up magazine... Right about now, Neil McIntyre can relate to the sentiments in the opening lines of "Juicy," as Biggie Smalls reflects on the framers/heroes that came before him. McIntyre, we just found out, traded verses with rap legend Kurtis Blow on a brand- ... More >>

Over the Weekend...Paid Dues Festival @ Fillmore Auditorium

Mile High Makeout: Leaving the Nest

Girl Talk

Gregg Gillis can’t understand what all the fuss is about.

Remember Darrent Williams

No Kidding Around

Kid rocks, the Colorado Convention Center doesn't.

Get Down With Dave

Chappelle returns with a raucous Block Party.

Critical Fatwa

Ja Rule

Tupac's Mom Remembers

Tupac’s mom, Afeni Shakur, makes peace with the artist’s legacy alive.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of March 11, 2004

Fade to Black

Jay-Z hosts a listening party for his latest opus, The Black Album.

Ready to Reload

After five years, Gang Starr reclaims its place in the hip-hop pack.

Living Out Loud

After a difficult beginning, J-Live gives hope to hip-hop.

Rough in the Diamonds

Hardball doesn't hit a homer, but it's not a total strikeout.

The Need for Weed

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

Diamond in the Rough

Three urban luminaries make Lucy Pearl an R&B trio with star -- and staying -- power.

Sweet Emotion

Hip-hop rock-fusionist band Rainbow Sugar believes it's a Wonderful life.

Playlist

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

The Wide World of Rap

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

Year-End Close-Out

We've got 1998's best albums in stock, but they're going fast.

The Return of Superfly

One of the best albums of the Seventies is more timely than ever.

Rap Gets Puffy

Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs fathers a return to hip-hop pop.

Twenty Years and Counting

Denver's Gary Givant has been DJing since the Seventies--and he's still going strong.

Flop Mart

U2 brings its carnival to Denver--and Denver shrugs.

Feedback

Culture: It's a Good Thing

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SPECIAL EFX

DAS EFX TRIES TO KEEP IT GOING THREE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.

PLAYING IT COOLIO

HOW DO YOU GO FROM BEING A JUNKIE TO A RAP STAR? COOLIO KNOWS.