Tupac Shakur

Coachella 2013 YouTube schedule and lineup

If you're one of the fortunate ones who's going to Coachella this weekend, feel free to go ahead and skip to the end of this post, where you'll find the full lineup and schedule. If, however, you're a flat broke music lover who'll be attending Couchella, as some clever dude somewhere has coined it, ... More >>

The ten best concerts in Denver this weekend

LEFTOVER SALMON @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | FRI & SAT, 3/29-3/30 Leftover Salmon has graced the the bluegrass scene with their talents for 23 years and counting. With the passing of Mark Vann in 2001, the band hasn't produced an album in eight years. The new addition of Andy Thorn, carried over from Emmitt ... 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 >>

Ten most enigmatic figures in hip-hop

Sometimes there are figures in music whose mysterious and inscrutable magnetism transcends the music they make. More than musicians, they become cultural figures whose every move is analyzed every which way in an effort to figure out what's going on in that great gray matter, as Frank Ocean puts it. ... More >>

Coachella 2013 lineup finally revealed

After months and months of outrageous speculation, fake posters and seemingly endless chatter, this year's Coachella lineup has finally been revealed. If you haven't seen it yet, we can summarize it for you in one word: underwhelming -- well, unless you're like certain friends of ours who think that ... More >>

Gateway acts: How Beck opened up a whole new world to an evangelical boy from the Midwest

Gateway acts is a new ongoing series on Backbeat in which we examine the music that served as an entry point for our burgeoning musical obsessions, a gateway drug that tuned us in and turned us on. Today, Josiah Hesse gives up the goods on his Beck jones. There is no way to listen to the music of ... More >>

10 things to do for $10 in Denver this weekend (7 free!), December 7-9

Money troubles? Forget your cares while enjoying some of the bargain entertainment in Denver this weekend. Friday thrugh Sunday are full of interesting events -- everything from watching classic Saturday morning cartoons and local comedy to gazing at dinosaur bones -- and we've found seven great eve ... More >>

Matthew Gianopoulos ID'd as victim in Green Valley Ranch homicide (35)

Update: Last week, we told you about a homicide in Green Valley Ranch on Wednesday evening; look below for our previous coverage. Now, the Denver coroner's office has identified the victim as Matthew Gianopoulos, age 21. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. Here's a little more about a y ... More >>

Meek Mill

Thursday, August 2, Fillmore Auditorium, 303-830-8497.

Time keeps on ticking with an Adam Yauch tribute and new album in the works

Among a handful of the local music-scene tributes to recently deceased Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, Time offered his respects for the fallen MC and activist on a new tune, "Too Sweet to Be Sour," a cross-Atlantic collaboration with British MC Akira the Don. The track opens with a crisp horn line looping ... More >>

Photos: These Capitol Hill characters go bump in the night

When the sun goes down, nocturnal Denverites emerge and turn up their style swagger. Take a look at this week's trendsetters and rule-breakers -- caught in their natural environs of East 13th Avenue.

Best of Coachella weekend two

The first weekend of Coachella was cold, damp and wet. The second weekend of Coachella was hot, sultry, and steamy. This weekend meant tributes, tributes, tributes. From Levon Helms to Biggie, everyone got a shout-out. In between all that, Jeff Mangum came to the aid of fan in distress and our West ... More >>

Notorious B.I.G.: Fifteen years ago today, we lost a legend, one of the greatest rappers of all time

Today marks fifteen years since the Notorious B.I.G. was tragically gunned down in a murder that remains shrouded in opinion, mystery and haunting culture appeal. You probably remember exactly where you were on this day in 1997 when you heard the news that one of the game's greatest rappers had died ... More >>

Review: Salt-N-Pepa at the Gothic, 12/17/11

​Salt-N-Pepa brought the noise last night at The Gothic Theatre for Jammin' 101.5's Twas the Jam Before Christmas. The house was packed and both Salt and Pepa looked amazing in bedazzled outfits and gold rope chains. The two took us down hip-hop memory lane with big smiles, old school dances a ... More >>

Fresh local hip-hop from Mr. Midas, Yonnas Abraham and Spoke In Wordz, and Rockie

Mr. Midas and Ruckus pay tribute to their Grandma on "Tender Kisses"​The rap that's out this week is all over the place, in the clubs, perched on precariously high ledges and, as always, in the motherfucking streets, son. Mr. Midas puts moving pictures to his song "Tender Kisses" for a video t ... More >>

Snoop's sitcom has already jumped the shark

DJ Quik

Saturday, July 9, Casselman's Bar and Venue, 720-242-8923.

Lady Parts at Mercury Cafe, 01/29/11

Tom MurphyLady Parts LADY PARTS With Doo Crowder, Samantha Doom Blows Up the Band, Maudlin Magpie 01.28.11 | Mercury Cafe Lady Parts hosted its CD-release party over the weekend amongst a group of musical friends, including Doo Crowder, who opened the evening's proceedings with a further evolution ... More >>

Bad Religion, Shad and Eels 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 >>

American Tomahawk, Chromeo, Black Milk 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 >>

DJ Cavem Moetivation on greening the 'hood as hip-hop's organic gardener

Jay Esposito​ DJ Cavem Moetavation (aka Ietef Vita) is out to green the 'hood, one hip-hop element at a time. Activist, b-boy, DJ, MC, graffiti artist, beat-boxer, film maker and journalist, Cavem plays many roles, all geared toward empowering the 'hood with tools that facilitate evolution of ... 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 >>

Being King of the Mountain for F.O.E. means setting his sights outside of Denver

Hey, DJ! Q&A with Kid Hum

​Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to them half cocked and as ... More >>

Music as a weapon: Make it stop for chrissakes! This is torture, man.

SoKabs (via Flickr)​Did you see this yet? We just caught a link to this on Twitter (thanks, MyBodySings), a list of artists whose music was used "during the detention and interrogation of" to torture "prisoners at Guantanamo and other US facilities"? The list, published by the National Security Ar ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, April 30 edition

Danielle Ate the Sandwich, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt... May flowers on the way. Today in Backbeat Online: • Danielle Ate the Sandwich (and became an internet phenomenon). • My Bloody Valentine at the Fillmore. • Dialed in: This week's local music radio playlists. • Mile Hi-Fidel ... More >>

Delegating Denver #36 of 56: New York

Friday Rap-Up: Pimp C Dies, Spice 1 Shot, Lauryn Hill Still a Pain in the Ass

Brother Ali

Tuesday, April 17, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

A Cut Above

Taking a whack at circumcision.

The Coup

Wednesday, December 6, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 303-297-1772.

Burning the Yule Log

What's My Line?

I once waited for Dave Matthews. I'm not making that mistake again for a snowboard.

Critical Fatwa

Diddy

DJ Quik

Saturday, August 27, Ogden Theatre, 303-831-2525.

Tupac Lives!

Get some Juice at the Hip-Hop Flix Film Series.

Critical Fatwa

Ja Rule

R.U.L.E. (Def Jam/The Inc. Records)

Free Bird

Me'Shell NdegéOcello may not have platinum sales, but she's got peace of mind.

Mercy Mercy Me

MURS is already a legend. Now if he can just get folks to stop thinking of him as the new guy.

50 Cent

Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)

Nas

God's Son (Columbia)

Happy Birthday, Havu

The William Havu Gallery celebrates its fourth anniversary in the Golden Triangle.

Faith Evans

Faithfully (Bad Boy)

KRS-One

The Sneak Attack (Koch)

Ice-T

The Seventh Deadly Sin
(Coroner Records/Atomic Pop)

Vanilla on Ice

The hip-hop trivia question wants to prove that he's still cool.

Rooting Interest

The Roots make rap for both your hips and your head.

Feedback

To Buy or Not to Buy

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