Southern Rap

Cobraconda goes on Spring Break

Review: Big Boi at SnowBall Music Festival 3/2/12

BIG BOI @ SNOWBALL | 3/2/12The purple lights cast Big Boi in a Prince-ly hue. He's leading the audience through the chorus of "Ms. Jackson" and the entirety of the crowd is bobbing around like crazy. Big Boi is leaning back, with one arm up, casually steering an invisible Cadillac at about two miles ... More >>

SnowBall Music Festival 2012: Day 1 travelogue

SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL, DAY 1 @ VAIL VALLEY | 3/2/12It took about four bone-chilling minutes, starting at the opening of gates, to remind me of the frigid misery I signed up for again this year. Did I learn my lesson from last year in regard to snow boots, multiple layers, cash, and festival planni ... More >>

Outkast is one of hip-hop's most successful and creative groups

​Outkast is easily one of the most noted and respected hip-hop groups in the game. Big Boi and Andre 3000 met in the East Point section of Atlanta when they were sixteen. The outfit combined funk, soul, jazz and blues influences with hip-hop lyrics on its 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillac ... More >>

The 54th Grammys: who will win (Adele) and who won't (Lady Gaga)

From power pop to power ballads, rock anthems to rap staples, the nominees of the 54th Grammy Awards, which airs this Sunday night, sees no dearth of great music. There's little doubt that it will be Adele's night, but others, like Kanye West and Mumford & Sons, could win big too. Continue reading f ... More >>

Ten best hip hop shows of 2011 in Denver

Eric GruneisenTyler, the Creator at the Ogden Theatre this past October​There were so many hip-hop shows and concerts this year, it was hard to keep count. The shows of note, though, were bangers and crowd pleasers and showcased dynamic artistry. With so many epic moments (?uestLove and Jazzy ... More >>

Rollin' In My '64: Ten famed (and great) rap songs about a Chevy

Donk.​The Chevrolet car company was founded 100 years ago today to compete with the Ford Model-T. But who cares about 100 years ago? The golden age of Chevrolet was from 1960 to 1976, from the Impala to the second-generation Caprice. This writer learned to drive on a '64 Impala in various stat ... More >>

Game soundtracks like Bastion and Sword & Sworcery continue to peak on Bandcamp

​Long before Lil Wayne allegedly sampled a track from Sword & Sworcery, independent video-game soundtracks have consistently been topping the sales charts on Bandcamp. It's gotten to the point that when a reasonably hyped game releases a soundtrack, it's almost inevitable that it will end up i ... More >>

8Ball & MJG at Casselmans Labor Day weekend

​Mark your calendar: On Labor Day weekend, 8Ball & MJG, the legendary Tennessee 'hood rap aficionados, are set rock Casselmans on Sunday, September 4, with cast of locals that includes Fresh Breath Committee, Young Doe, Rockie, Hynpautic, King Teff and Johnny Rocket.

Review: Katy Perry at 1STBANK Center, 7/26/11

Katy Perry last night at 1STBANK Center with Skeet Skeet and Robyn​KATY PERRY at 1STBANK CENTER | 07/26/11The crowd at Katy Perry last night was exactly as expected -- armies of sprayed and glittered bodies evoked every variation of Perry's persona over the last half-decade: girls from prescho ... More >>

Young Jeezy set to rock the Ogden on August 23

​Word on the street is Atlanta's cocaine rap king Young Jeezy is making his way to the Mile High City on August 23 at the Ogden Theatre. The TM103 tour is a continuation of Jeezy's "Thug Motivation" series of albums and will no doubt feature a wide array of tracks from his four studio albums a ... More >>

Review: Disco Biscuits at Red Rocks, 5/28/11

Disco Biscuits lived up to their headliner status at Red Rocks for their third annual Bisco Inferno​DISCO BISCUITS at RED ROCKS, 5/28/11"Comparing Red Rocks to the Ogden shows is like comparing a Mack Truck to a Tonka. Either the Biscuits were holding out, teasing everyone for the first two ni ... More >>

Janelle Monae on Big Boi and what it takes to become an agent of change in the community

Janelle Monáe (due Sunday, May 29 at 1STBANK Center with Bruno Mars and Mayer Hawthorne), like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, grew up in Kansas, and like that character, Monáe left home to go on something of a fantastic journey. But instead of Oz, Monáe landed in Atlanta, Georgia, where she met u ... More >>

Janelle MonÁe

Sunday, May 29, 1STBANK Center, 303-830-8497.

Tonight: Curren$y at the Fox

​Earlier on in his career, Curren$y (performing this evening at the Fox Theatre with Trademark, Young Roddy, Fiend and Corner Boy P) ran with the likes of Master P and Lil Wayne, via the rappers' infamous entourage/record labels, No Limit and Young Money. Now releasing albums on his own throug ... More >>

Waka Flocka Flame

Thursday, May 5, Club Arriba, 303-232-7874.

Top five music videos based on movies

​Lil Wayne's delayed "6 Foot 7 Foot" video leaked and subsequently premiered yesterday. If you haven't seen it yet, let's just say director Hype Williams has outdone himself. He uses Inception as a jumping-off point, and in doing so, "6 Foot 7 Foot" joins a long list of music videos inspired b ... More >>

Twitter patter, so much chitter chatter: Cats could learn a thing or two from Chamillionaire

​There's a PBS special called Marketing Cool that explains how businesses and retailers tell consumers what's cool, then have them buy it. It's all about the "Cool Factor." Twitter is all about that same cool factor. But it's only effective if it's used wisely.

Big Boi at the Ogden, 1/28/11

Photo by Kiernan Maletsky​ BIG BOI With Eligh & Scarub and The Foodchain 01.28.11 | Ogden Theater Corporate sponsorship, lead by local ski and snowboard company Icelantic, brought Big Boi to Denver last night. The Atlanta rapper, who we'd venture has never set ski/board on a mountain in his ... More >>

Big Boi at the Ogden: Two different perspectives informed by two different backgrounds

​TonightBig Boi comes to Denver for the first time in forever to play at the Ogden Theatre. We're sending two writers to cover the show, as opposed to our usual one, because they come from very different yet very important sections of hip-hop's audience. To provide some context for the review, ... More >>

Big Boi dishes on OutKast, musical style and his latest release

​TonightBig Boi comes to Denver for the first time in forever to play at the Ogden Theatre. We're sending two writers to cover the show, as opposed to our usual one, because they come from very different yet very important sections of hip-hop's audience. To provide some context for the review, ... More >>

Top 5 rapper face tattoos

​Gucci Mane went straight from the psych ward to the tattoo parlor and came away with the confusing mess you see to the right. Lots of people have suggested this is a clear indication he got out a bit too soon, but does this really seem like exceptionally, uncontrollably rash behavior? He may ... More >>

Kid Cudi, Cee Lo, Belle & Sebastian top sellers at local stores

​Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, released last week on Universal Motown, debuted very strong, claiming the top slots at Albums on the Hill, Independent Records and Twist & Shout for the week ending November 14. Cee Lo Green's Lady Killer, meanwhile, issued last week on ... More >>

Aloe Blacc, Harry Nilsson, Kid Cudi 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 >>

Brian Eno, Lil Wayne, Mumford & Sons, Deerhunter top sellers at local stores

​Small Craft on a Milk Sea, Brian Eno's Warp debut released last week, claimed the top spot at Albums on the Hill and rounded out the top five at Twist & Shout for the week ending November 7. Lil Wayne's I Am Not a Human Being, meanwhile, continues to hold down to the top spot at Independent R ... More >>

Taylor Swift: True Lil Wayne Heir

Young Moolah, Baby​Lil Wayne sold a million copies of Tha Carter III in one week back in June of 2008. It's a nearly impossible benchmark in an era of dwindling album sales. And the day Lil Wayne was released from prison, Taylor Swift matched his feat. Actually, she surpassed it. Tha Carter ... More >>

A letter to Weezy F. Baby: Welcome back!

Lil Wayne (aka Lil Tunechi, Weezy, Bird Man Jr., Mr. Carter) -- Thank god you're finally free! It has felt like a decade has passed in the pop world since you've been at Rikers. The Black Eyed Peas/Will.I.Am reign of Billboard terror has continued, most recently enveloping one of your own. And ... More >>

Sufjan Stevens, Belle & Sebastian, Lil Wayne top sellers at local stores

​Sufjan Stevens' The Age of Adz, released last week on Asthmatic Kitty, and Belle & Sebastian's latest release on Matador, Write About Love, took the top two spots at Albums on the Hill and Twist & Shout for the week ending October 17. Lil Wayne's new album, meanwhile, I Am Not a Human Being ... More >>

Five lyrics T.I. may have spit to convince suicidal man to step back from the ledge

In a audacious move yesterday, T.I. intervened and helped convince a suicidal man from leaping off a 22-story building in Atlanta that houses radio station V103. The, rapper also known as Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr., reportedly caught wind of the situation on the radio and phoned in to offer his h ... More >>

Air Dubai, the Heyday, Bad Religion, Superchunk, Waka Flocka Flame top sellers

​On the heels of their dual CD release party a few weeks ago at the Gothic, Air Dubai and the Heyday claimed the top spots at Twist & Shout for the week ending October 10. Up at Album's On the Hill, meanwhile, Bad Religion topped the charts with its latest Dissent of Man, Superchunk's latest e ... More >>

Neil Young, Deerhunter, Blonde Redhead, Ice Cube top sellers at local stores

​Le Noise, Neil Young's collaboration with producer Daniel Lanois, released last week on Reprise, claimed the top spot at Twist & Shout, checked in at number three at Albums on the Hill and rounded out the top ten at Wax Trax for the week ending October 3. Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest, meanwhil ... 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 >>

N9ne lives? Tech N9ne overcomes his personal demons

​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 >>

Grinderman, RJD2 and Dismemberment Plan 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?" So 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 ... More >>

Beside Rick Ross and Big Boi, we're all listening to completely different stuff 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?" So 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 ... More >>

Best Coast, Big Boi top sellers at local stores

​While there weren't any unanimous winners across the board, Best Coast's debut, Crazy For You, released last week on Mexican Summer, took the top spot at Wax Trax and the tenth spot at Albums on the Hill for the week ending August 1. Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son Of Chico Dusty, ... More >>

Big Boi, the Roots, Rick Ross, FOE & Whygee dominate our playlists this week

Jason StoffBig Boi, shown here at this past weekend's Pitchfork Festival, dominated our 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?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, ... More >>

Big Boi hits the nail on the head with Sir Lucious Left Foot

​Since Speakerboxxx/The Love Below showcased Outkast's individual talents, André 3000 has generally been regarded as the auteur of the duo. And while that might be true -- André 3000 does tend to be weirder than his colleague Big Boi -- there's something to be said for consistency, as the la ... More >>

Danielle Ate the Sandwich, 3OH!3 top sellers at local stores

​While national acts like the Roots, the Black Keys and the Wolf Parade continue to be strong sellers at local record stores, local acts came in on top at two stores for the week ending Sunday, July 11. Danielle At the Sandwich, who gave an in-store performance at Twist & Shout last week, debu ... More >>

Lil Wayne recording from behind bars

​ Used to be time when a stint in the big house would put a stop to an artist's recording career. Well, today we have evidence that time has passed. Jailed rapper Lil Wayne guests on the new Drake track "Light Up (Rikers RMX)" alongside Jay Z. Only, we assume Jay Z didn't phone his verse in ov ... More >>

"Hey!" by 3OH!3 and Lil Jon: Another new track from Streets of Gold Crunk Rock.?

​ Mystery solved: You won't find "Hey!" on Streets of Gold, and that's because it's on Lil Jon's new album Crunk Rock, released earlier this week. All right, so we already told you about 3OH!3 premiering Streets of Gold's first single, "My First Kiss," featuring Ke$ha on Monday. Evidently, i ... More >>

Behold the nimble funkistry of Janelle Monae

​ Mystery solved: You won't find "Hey!" on Streets of Gold, and that's because it's on Lil Jon's new album Crunk Rock, released earlier this week. All right, so we already told you about 3OH!3 premiering Streets of Gold's first single, "My First Kiss," featuring Ke$ha on Monday. Evidently, i ... More >>

Whoops, forgot about this amazing Outkast album

​In the year 2000, I heard my first Outkast album, Stankonia. You'll have to excuse my sheltered existence -- being a small-time kid from a small mountain town didn't exactly lend itself to being on the cutting edge.

Drake at The Ogden Theatre: A list of the ten things he loves

Drake. Photos by Kiernan Maletsky​ Drake • Mike Posner • DJ Chonz05.17.10 | Ogden Theatre First was Denver's own DJ Chonz, who was assigned with warming up the rapidly-filling Ogden. He performed his task admirably [editor's note: with one turntable, no less], but as the first-act DJ, th ... More >>

Drake

Monday, May 17, Ogden Theatre, 303-830-8497.

Did Big Boi reveal the first five singles off Sir Lucious Left Foot?

Last night, Big Boi and his new label Def Jam hosted a listening party for the long-awaited Sir Luscious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty. The main purpose of the party was to officially release the album's first single, "Shutterbugg," which, as you can hear above, is pretty great. But in the half-ho ... More >>

Top five TV themes ripe for mashup

Have you heard "Office Musik" yet? It's Clockwork mashing Lil' Wayne's "Hustler Musik" with the theme from The Office. It's good. So good that we listened to it about fifteen times yesterday. So good that it was Hype Machine's number one track at the same time that Entertainment Weekly wrote it up ... More >>

Tech N9NE top seller at Independent Records again

​Tech N9NE's latest effort, K.O.D., grabbed the top spot at Independent Records for the second week in a row, while Slayer's new disc, World Painted Blood, came in second and Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 grabbed the third slot. Michael Jackson's This is It and Say Anything's new self-titled album rounded o ... More >>

Tech N9NE top seller at Independent Records

​Tech N9NE's K.O.D., released last week on Strange Music, nabbed the top spot on Independent Records' charts for the week ending November 1. Michael Jackson's soundtrack to the film This is It and Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 came in at second and third, while Swollen Member's Armed to the Teeth a ... More >>