Ol' Dirty Bastard

Method Man and Redman at Cervantes', 4/20/13

METHOD MAN & REDMAN @ CERVANTES' | 4/20/13 Appearing to a sold out crowd, hip-hop and weed icons Method Man and Redman turned Cervantes into a backyard house party as the MCs delighted the crowd with classic hits and an energetic stage show that showcased their timeless music. The ballroom served as ... More >>

The ten best hip-hop shows this month

The hip-hop, as you know, doesn't stop. It's a new month, which means there's another fresh batch of dope shows for you. And trust: March has plenty of freshness on tap, from revered elder statesmen like De La Soul, Naughty By Nature and GZA to newer cats like Tech N9ne, French Montana and Kendrick ... More >>

Raekwon Rocks the Vote at Auraria, 10/25/12

RAEKWON @ ROCK THE VOTE ROAD TRIP / AURARIA | 10/25/12 "Whether there's twenty people or 2,000," said Raekwon, painfully aware of which side of that spectrum this small gathering was on, "I'm always gonna give it 200 percent." And he did, with grace. He spoke directly to the front row, despite the ... More >>

GZA and Killer Mike at Summit, 9/22/12

GZA @ SUMMIT MUSIC HALL | 9/22/12 "I don't have a hypeman, so you're my hype man," Killer Mike tells the crowd two songs into his set. "So get hype, motherfuckers." The crowd is more than happy to comply. Opening with the first three songs from his new album, the emcee emits a raw energy on stage t ... More >>

The five biggest hip-hop name changes

See also: - Snoop Dogg at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre, 8/17/12 - Review: Snoop Dogg at Snowball, 3/3/12 - Review: Snoop Dogg at the Fillmore, 3/2/12 Artists do what they can to control their image, from their songs to their videos to their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages. They hire publicists. The ... More >>

The Wu-Tang Clan forever changed the game

Heavily inspired by mob movies and king-fu cinema, Wu-tang Clan began in Staten Island, the brainchild of the brilliantly sharp RZA, who brought his brothers and their talents together to form a hip-hop conglomerate whose rhymes are as much based on the science of everything in life as they are abou ... More >>

Suzi Q. Smith: Watch our cover poet perform with Lady Wu-Tang, Denver's raw and rowdy female tribute

Image via​When we wrote on this week's cover that local slammer Suzi Q. Smith is "poetry in motion," we weren't kidding. In addition to owning one of the boldest voices in Denver's prolific poetry scene, Smith and her poet peers have also breached the world of music. In local tribute band Lady ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: J Dilla

Happy birthday, J Dilla!​Ah, J Dilla. His influence and production style brought forth beatmakers carrying their backpacks filled with treasures from the basement into the mainstream. Even more so after his death. A cult-like following surrounds his legacy. Born James Dewitt Yancey in February ... More >>

Photos: Two nights of Re:Creation at Cervantes'

Photo by Britt ChesterEuphonic Conceptions' "Re:Creation" at Cervantes's Masterpiece Ballroom ended its two-night run last night with a banging closing set from Opuio. Unfortunately, fellow headliner Jakwob couldn't make it, purportedly because he broke his arm and therefore couldn't play, but nonet ... More >>

MTV's top five greatest on-air rap moments

​Oh, MTV. There has been no greater platform for fuckery's finest and the brilliance of unfiltered musician craziness than Music Television's many segments. Whether drunken freestyles, acceptance speech interruptions, or classic moments in live performance, hip-hop rightfully lived and thrived ... More >>

MTV's top five greatest on-air moments

A very pregnant Kim Gordon, flanked by band mate Julie Cafritz and KennedyOnce upon a time, before reality TV cheapened television programming as a whole, MTV (thirty years old today) was a bastion of music culture that actually showcased cutting edge artists for the sake of art. Because the network ... More >>

Are white girl rappers the new black?

KreayshawnKreayshawn this. Snow Tha Product that. These two white girl rappers are the talk of the hip-hop town right now. Both women are challenging society-driven stereotypes. Kreayshawn, of course, is the hard-core, smoked-out princess with swag "oozing out her ovaries," who was just signed by Co ... More >>

Q&A with Raekwon on the passing of ODB and Wu-Tang's influence on the world

As one of the nine original members of Wu-Tang Clan, Raekwon (due tonight at Summit Music Hall with BLKHRTS and Remo) helped make the renowned New York City hip-hop collective a permanent part of rap history. After branching out on his own in 1995, the Chef continues to spit out solo efforts left an ... More >>

Method Man and Redman at City Hall, 4/9/11

Photo Britt ChesterMETHOD MAN & REDMAN With Dj Cavem and MTHDS City Hall | 4/9/11 City Hall's amphitheater stood under a cloud of smoke last night for the finale of a three-night stay in Colorado for Method Man and Redman. Openers Dj Cavem and the MTHDS were given the opportunity to prime for the Ho ... More >>

Ill discount or Illest discount? Free breakfast for the Wu-Tang members at Cafe Europa

I'll take my coffee with CREAM! (dolla dolla bill y'all). Cafe Europa employees: Serious Wu-Tang fans.​Cafe Europa's general manager, Adam Azeris, is bringing a little piece of Brooklyn right here into Denver. The coffee shop at Penn and Bayaud has been respectfully dubbed "Wu-Ropa," in honor ... More >>

Will Cisa, kitchen magician of the Corner Office, on monumental cooking disasters, Euclid Hall's boudin noir and the impossible thirty-minute meal

Lori Midson​ Will Cisa The Corner Office 1401 Curtis Street 303-825-6500 www.thecornerofficedenver.com/food/dinner This is part one of my interview with Will Cisa, executive chef of the Corner Office Restaurant Martini Bar. Part two of that interview will run in this space tomorrow. It's ... More >>

Lil Wayne is not for the children

​Didn't somebody wise once say: "Lil Wayne is not for the children?" Oh, wait, come to think of it, that was ODB. Nevermind. And it was "Wu-Tang is for the children!" We digress. Nonetheless, the point remains. It doesn't take much to deduce that a guy that talks about the things Wayne talks a ... More >>

Dear Charlie Sheen: An open letter

A collaboration with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, you say?​Dear Carlos Estevez, aka Charlie Sheen, How goes it, man? I saw you on Good Morning America and beyond the sweats, the wide red eyes, excessive talking, cigarette-smoking and orange liquid-consuming antics, you looked fucking ... More >>

Kraddy: Dubstep is just slow hip-hop

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 >>

Introducing Split Decision: Tale of the tape

​Cassettes, in case you haven't noticed, are once again becoming viable. The number of tape-only imprints that seem to keep cropping up have not only made for decent blogger bait (see our recent Deathbomb Arc item or the recent NPR blog post focusing on Ft. Collins Patient Sounds), it's served ... More >>

Neil Young Top Seller at Wax Trax

​Neil Young's Dreamin' Man Live '92, which includes a complete live performance of Harvest Moon before the studio album was released, grabbed the top spot at Wax Trax this week, while Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez claimed the second slot with his latest effort, Xenophanes. Tom Waits, meanwhile ... More >>

O'Death's Broken Hymns is all about overcoming hardship

GZA

Saturday, August 30, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams
Loud/SRC/Universal

Top Music Turkeys and Other Assorted Goodies

Last Night: Rock the Bells @ Red Rocks

Trivial Pursuits

Déjà Wu

What's up with the Wu-Tang Clan paying homage to Stapleton and Park Hill?

Ghostface

Friday, March 17, Gothic Theatre, 866-468-7621.

ODB

A Son Unique (Def Jam)

The Hustler

DJ Clinton Sparks has become a rising star by working harder than anyone else.

Dirt Nap

We'll miss the Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Shake It Up

Kelis gives thanks to more than her mammaries.

Space Invaders

The Dojo is taking hip-hop to infinity and beyond.

N.E.R.D. Alert

In Chad Hugo's world, art and commerce co-exist.

Discmania

Backbeat writers revisit their favorite albums of the year.

Popular Culture

By pushing the boundaries of cool, Throat Culture revisits -- and revitalizes -- heavy metal in Denver.

Swept Away

Chief Broom disbands; Dave Baker thinks big; the latest in music Web sites.

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Superfly in the Ointment

What's wrong with a good old-fashioned pimp party?

Playlist

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

The Break of Don

The Don Kronicals are a hip-hop partnership with punch.

Jammin'

Jam X was a turntablist before turntabling was cool.

Beyond the Fugees

Pinning down Wyclef Jean, one of hip-hop's hottest commodities.

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HIP HOPE

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