RZA (Rapper)

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 >>

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 >>

Movie violence has never been better...or more reckless

Action Bronson on how he and Alchemist wrote Rare Chandeliers underwater while scuba diving

Before he gained notoriety as an MC with his 2011 studio debut Dr. Lecter, he was well respected as a New York chef (his lyrics are still garnished with references to foods of all sorts). But while he shares a profession with Raekown, another well known New York Chef, the Wu-Tang member he most freq ... More >>

The ten best movies featuring rappers

Wu-Tang has been immersed in kung-fu for so long, it was inevitable that one member of the Clan would make a major appearance in a martial arts movie at some point. The RZA appeared briefly in Ghost Dog in 1999, but only for a passing moment, though he did produce the soundtrack. In The Man with the ... More >>

New shows: Taylor Swift, Public Enemy, Hot Water Music; Morrissey, Green Day postponed

Tons of concert news for you this morning: You've already heard about the Morrissey show this weekend being postponed and about Taylor Swift coming back to Denver next summer, but we've also got word of Green Day's 1STBANK show in February being postponed, K'nann show at the Gothic being cancelled, ... More >>

Flying Lotus on how J Dilla really did change his life by making music that was deep and heartfelt

Flying Lotus is one of the most innovative electronic producers out right now. Born Steven Ellison but better known these days by his stage handle, the L.A.-based artist began making beats at the age of fourteen, and with his omnivorous taste in music, he's gone on to create lush, detailed music wit ... 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 >>

Five worst moments in musical plagiarism

How awesome is "Big Pimpin'," by Jay-Z? Really awesome. But some folks argue that its awesomeness comes courtesy of an unlicensed sample, and they'd like to be compensated. A new round of legal claims has been brought against HOV by a handful of heirs and music publishers who argue that the track ... 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 >>

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 >>

Acezi

Ronin 1.1 Enter the Villain
Mercury Sauce

Behind the controversial Anthology of Rap, co-edited by CU hip-hop professor Adam Bradley

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 >>

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 >>

Raekwon at Summit Music Hall, 1/29/11

Photo: Aaron ThackerayRaekwon last night at Summit Music Hall. See full slideshow.RAEKWONSummit Music Hall | 1.29.11 As with most shows put on by members of the Wu, who are largely moving about solo these days, whether it's Raekwon, or Ghostface, or the always touring Method Man, you expect them to ... More >>

Q&A with Krispy Kream of the Knux

​Don't let the tight jeans and thick-rimmed glasses fool you. The brothers who make up The Knux were raised about as far away from the suburbs as you can get: New Orleans' Ninth Ward. Still, Krispy Kream and Rah Almillio (aka Kentrell and Alvin Lindsey) found their sound by listening to just a ... More >>

GZA

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

Friday Rap-Up: Lenny Lenn, Death Row Records, Shaquille O’Neal and Kanye West

RZA

Q&A With The RZA

Friday Rap-Up: Out Tha Box TV, Green Lantern, Common, 50 Cent

Friday Rap-Up: 25 Colorado Rappers Spit on One Song

Friday Rap-Up

Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams
Loud/SRC/Universal

Last Night ... The Pirate Signal, Digitata, Sims, and Mel Gibson and The Pants

Last Night: Rock the Bells @ Red Rocks

Rap Sheet

Comeback kids, rhymin' Limeys and songs about partying defined Hip-Hop Nation in 2006.

Déjà Wu

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

Aural Pleasure

The talented tongue of Atmosphere goes to work.

Off the Tracks

Clive Owen gets pushed to his limits, right along with the audience.

Dance, Dance Revolution

This was the year electronic dance music got its head -- and its ass -- out of the past.

Dorkula

Blade confronts the ultimate vampire, and geeks everywhere rejoice.

Ghostface

The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam/Universal)

A Good Buzz

Jim Jarmusch serves the perfect blend: Coffee and Cigarettes.

Shake It Up

Kelis gives thanks to more than her mammaries.

Still Bringing the Ruckus

Raekwon and Ghostface Killah stay tied to the Wu-Tang Clan as they invent their own legacy.

On the Records

Backbeat contributors reflect on the releases that helped them survive the year 2000.

That's the Spirit!

Jim Jarmusch shows he still has bite with Ghost Dog.

Raekwon

Immobilarity
(Loud)

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Playlist

Primus, The Go, At the Drive In, Method Man/Redman

Playlist

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

Critic's Choice

Critics Choice: GZA

Playlist

EC8OR Is Enough

Playlist

To Buy or Not to Buy

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

PLAYLIST