All articles tagged with #hip hop
Rob Base, half of the hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock and the man behind the 1988 hit It Takes Two, died May 22 at age 59 after a private battle with cancer, passing peacefully with family by his side and leaving a lasting musical legacy.
Rapper Rob Base, best known for the 1988 hit It Takes Two with DJ E-Z Rock, died at 59 after a private battle with cancer, according to a post on his official social media account.
Rapper Rob Base (Robert Ginyard) died May 22, 2026 at age 59 after a private cancer battle. The Harlem artist, famed for the 1988 hit It Takes Two with DJ E-Z Rock, helped shape 80s hip-hop; the track reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is platinum, later widely sampled. Base remained active on stages and produced the 2025 film Urban Flesh Eaters; his death was announced on Instagram with tributes to his legacy.
Rob Base, one-half of Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock and the co-creator of the 1988 dance-floor hit It Takes Two, died on May 22 at age 59 after a private battle with cancer, surrounded by family. Born Robert Ginyard in Harlem, he and DJ E-Z Rock helped popularize a hip‑hop/house crossover with It Takes Two and Get on the Dance Floor, and Base remained active in music through the years with a production company and film work before his death.
Pitchfork’s review hails Drake’s MAID OF HONOUR as a sprawling, genre-mixing club-rap record that signals a hungry, risk-taking comeback, blending dancehall, Jersey club, Afrobeat and an expansive production roster led by Gordo into a personal, volatile yet ambitious set of tracks.
Drake’s Iceman is arguably his strongest solo outing in a decade, thanks to inventive production, sharper flows, and a surprisingly cohesive visual rollout. The album relitigates old beef with Kendrick, Future, and more, threading bragging rights with moments of introspection, and it often lands on songs that push Drake into new vocal territory. It isn’t flawless—some lines and transitions feel forced, and the relentless beef-talk weighs it down at times—but overall Iceman marks a bold, technically skilled comeback that reconnects Drake with his best rap instincts.
Pitchfork deems Drake's ICEMAN a lukewarm entry in his comeback trilogy, heavy on self-pity and feuds with thin production and preoccupation with streaming numbers and label drama, marking a missed opportunity to regain momentum.
Drake targets DJ Khaled on the ICEMAN album with a personal diss, while Khaled’s seemingly indirect reply—sharing a Jamaica horseback video paired with a Sizzla lyric—has fans debating whether he’s truly answering Drake, a read complicated by Khaled’s earlier silence on Palestine issues.
A lively countdown of Lizzo’s greatest tracks, from Good As Hell at #1 to Pink (2023) at #20, highlighting her signature blend of disco‑funk, hip‑hop and flute-driven hooks, with empowering lyrics and notable collaborations (Missy Elliott, SZA, Mark Ronson) that chart her evolution from high‑energy party anthems to emotionally charged moments like Jerome and Cuz I Love You.
Nearly 25 years after Jam Master Jay’s 2002 killing, Bryant pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge, saying he helped others gain entry to a Queens recording studio to ambush the Run-DMC DJ; prosecutors tied him to the case with DNA on a hat and witness testimony, though he did not name the other participants. Earlier, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were convicted (Jordan later cleared) and Washington has challenged his conviction. Bryant faces an estimated 15–20 years for murder plus related drug and gun charges, with no sentencing date set.
Rapper Lil Wayne vented on Twitter that major events like the Grammys and Coachella keep him “uninvited and uninvolved,” despite his status as a hip-hop icon. The piece notes his five Grammys from 28 nominations, recalls his past Coachella-related appearances, and frames the comment as part of a broader pattern of him feeling snubbed by awards and festival lineups, even as fans continue to support him.
In a February interview at HYBE HQ, BTS rapper Suga discusses shaping the Arirang sound (including producing the bonus track Come Over), his deep love for hip-hop, and BTS’s future—reflecting on completing the Agust D trilogy, collaborating with Diplo, and the band’s goal to stay creatively healthy and adaptable as they age.
Afrika Bambaataa, a foundational figure in hip-hop and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, died at 68 in Pennsylvania from prostate cancer; he helped shape early electro‑inflected hip-hop, popularizing breakbeats and the use of the TR-808, and promoted a movement centered on peace, unity and fun. His legacy is complicated by multiple men accusing him of sexual abuse in the 1980s and 1990s, which he denied, and the Universal Zulu Nation apologized in 2016 for not fully disclosing the abuse.
Afrika Bambaataa, the Bronx-born DJ and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation who helped shape early hip-hop and backed iconic tracks like Planet Rock, has died at 68 from cancer-related complications; his legacy spans genre-defining innovations and global culture, though it is marred by sexual abuse allegations and related controversies.
Afrika Bambaataa, a pioneering DJ/producer who helped shape hip-hop and founded the Universal Zulu Nation, died at 68 from complications of cancer; his legacy remains controversial due to multiple sexual-abuse allegations and a civil case, though he denied the accusations and was not criminally charged.