When a twenty-year-old high school dropout from Queensbridge dropped his debut album in ‘94, the landscape of hip-hop changed forever. We explore the cultural context surrounding the release of Illmatic, provide an oral history of the creative process, and break the album down track-by-track. This is a tribute to the legacy of arguably the greatest album in hip-hop history, … [Read more...] about Straight from the Dungeons of Rap: An Exploration and Oral History of “Illmatic”
nas
The Numbers Behind Nas and Jay-Z’s Iconic Beef: “Ether” vs “Takeover”
The “Nas vs. Jay-Z” beef is now a legendary entry into the lexicon of hip-hop history. The beef is so permanently iconic that when the two artists both drop new projects (EVERYTHINGISLOVE and Nasir) on the same weekend seventeen years later, the rap world explodes with speculation that their feud is still alive and well. The beef between two of New York's finest simmered … [Read more...] about The Numbers Behind Nas and Jay-Z’s Iconic Beef: “Ether” vs “Takeover”
Wyoming: Breaking Down Kanye West’s 42 Samples One-by-One
From the hook on Pusha T's "Come Back Baby" to the quasi-unreleased Kurt Cobain demos on "Cudi Montage", the five-chapter Wyoming series produced by Kanye West contains some of the most iconic samples of the year. We break them down one-by-one to gain a glimpse behind the creative process of one of the most talented producers of a generation: Kanye West. Welcome to Conor … [Read more...] about Wyoming: Breaking Down Kanye West’s 42 Samples One-by-One
Quantified: Kanye West’s Production Brings Extraordinary Success to other Artists
Have you ever day dreamed about what it'd be like to work with Kanye West in the studio? In this edition of By the Numbers, contributor Ben Carter digs deep into the data to measure the commercial impact of having authentic Yeezy production on your music. Does Kanye West have the Touch of Gold? 2018 is shaping up to be “The Year of Kanye”. Yeezy season is coinciding with … [Read more...] about Quantified: Kanye West’s Production Brings Extraordinary Success to other Artists
