Kathy Iandoli is the author of the upcoming book God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women In Hip-Hop, coming 10/22 via Dey Street Books / Harper Collins.
God Save the Queens
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop meets Girls to the Front in this essential and long overdue history of hip-hop’s female pioneers and its enduring stars. Available 10/22 via Dey Street Books / Harper Collins.
Pint-Sized & Violent: Mobb Deep’s 'Juvenile Hell' Turns 25
"Nineteen-ninety-motherfuckin-three, right? What's YOUR new year's resolution, motherfucker?"
— “Hold Down The Fort”
I didn’t fully befriend Prodigy until nearly two decades after the release of Mobb Deep’s debut album Juvenile Hell. By then his demeanor was a stark contrast to his teenage self; he would more head shake than head nod at shit-talking (he thanked prison for that), he wore the “legend” title like a well-fitting hoodie, and his suffering from the SS Type of Sickle Cell Anemia was...
Cardi B’s ‘Invasion of Privacy’ Proves Her Transparency Translates Into Triumph
In the final battle scene of the 2002 film 8 Mile, Eminem’s character B-Rabbit goes toe-to-toe with his antagonist Papa Doc, leader of the rival crew dubbed Free World. Instead of slinging insults at the character (played by Anthony Mackie), B-Rabbit's disses are self-inflicted, leaving Papa Doc with no fodder for a rebuttal. Papa Doc stood there dumbfounded, the battle was over, and B-Rabbit was crowned king of the battleground.
It’s unknown if Cardi B had that iconic scene in mind when she ...
Justin Timberlake's Trolling Us All
Justin Timberlake unveiled a minute-long trailer for his new album, Man of the Woods, that left us all fucking confused. He is pictured brooding among wheat fields and in forests, running with horses, wearing a tassled leather jacket one scene and a flannel in another.
The Omnipresence of Nicki Minaj
"I'm in my prime. Optimus," Nick Minaj spits on her new single, "Barbie Tingz." The new track premiered last week alongside another song called "Chun Li", arriving on the heels of a considerably candid interview with Apple’s Beats 1 Radio host Zane Lowe. Some felt the one-two punch was poorly planned; rap neophyte Cardi B’s first album Invasion Of Privacy was not even a week old. Hip-hop's new darling had barely a moment to enjoy the fruits of her success before Minaj was uploading cover art...
The unrealistic expectations of Eminem's 'Revival'
In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine crowned Eminem the "King of Hip-Hop," a play cousin of rap's coveted G.O.A.T. title, or Greatest Of All Time. Em was in between projects at the time: Relapse and Recovery arrived in succession between 2009 and 2010, and he wouldn't deliver his eighth (and most recent) album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, until 2013. It's a glaring example of how the Detroit-based rapper (born Marshall Bruce Mathers) seems to remain on everyone's minds—even when he's nowhere to be ...
The curse of the feature: why scoring a global hit became a stumbling block for Mø
In a recent interview with i-D magazine, Danish pop star Mø outlined the reasons behind her delayed second album. “Everything changed after Lean On,” she says, referring to the global success of her featured vocal on Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s 2015 banger. “So many people have opinions and try to guide you, and everyone has the best intentions, but it makes it harder to cut through the noise.” The video broke the 2bn mark on YouTube, yet Mø has struggled with the realities of being an accesso...
Blurred lines: why Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are paying homage to pop’s past
While images of Right Said Fred drum up feelings of muscular guys in Lycra, Taylor Swift found the chorus to their 1991 hit I’m Too Sexy to be the real treasure, using it for current single Look What You Made Me Do. In recent years, Ed Sheeran, Mark Ronson and Miguel have all taken to interpolating previously released music – whether recreating the rhythm of a chorus, a melody, or even word-for-word re-singing of a hook. While sampling has been commonplace in music for decades, the popularity...
The leisure principle: why dance music is slowing down
For years commercial dance music has been hyperactive, its standard beat per minute (bpm) – punctuated by the success of Calvin Harris et al – resting around 128. Influenced by slow-mo hip-hop acts such as Rae Sremmurd, a shift from MDMA to prescription pills, and the general state of the world, however, that beat rate is slowing. It was reported in August that the pop bpm is now 90.5 (down from 113.5 in 2012), while hip-hop volleys up and down – 70 bpm as of late. “What’s been happening rece...
Migos and the Mainstream's Myopic Vision of Rap: Can They Survive Oversaturation?
With an onslaught of pop features and a recent Met Gala performance, Migos are becoming harder to escape.
Despite all of the Getty images and iPhone pics splashed across social media, there’s still a Fight Club-esque code when it comes to the Met Gala, where once you enter, nothing of it can be discussed. In recent years, it’s become slightly more transparent, though that clandestine cloak still piques the interest of fame voyeurs gawking from the outside. Hip-hop has slowly inched its way in...
Perhaps There Were Too Many Eyes On Tupac Biopic 'All Eyez On Me'
If there is one emotion that everyone can equally feel from watching the Benny Boom-directed Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me, it’s anger. Anger derived from various reasons -- from poor film execution to residual trauma stemming from Pac’s murder and a dearth of facts surrounding both. Any anger here is equally justified.
Over the last four years, we’ve witnessed an uptick in biopics stemming from the lives of hip-hop and R&B stars. The assumption was that the floodgates would have opened around ...
Rae Sremmurd Call Breakup Rumors 'Fake News,' Say 'SremmLife 3' Is On The Way
As the clock struck midnight on Aug. 25th, EA Sports unveiled their latest release of Madden ’18 to the public, though hours prior, the gaming company held a countdown celebration at New York City’s Skylight Modern. The “Madden @ Midnight” event included cameos from former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson, Friday Night Lights star Scott Porter and The Night Shift’s JR Lemon -- all of whom star in the cinematic Longshot mode of the latest release to the Madden franchise. The soundtrack to the ga...
Jessie Ware Aims to Shatter Expectations on 'Glasshouse': Interview
If there is one word to describe Jessie Ware at this exact moment, it’s tired. In between sips of tea at New York City’s Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, she recounts her past few days: promo, album release prep, tour prep, mommy duties. Last September, Ware gave birth to a baby girl. She married her longtime beau Sam Burrows in August 2014, just a few months shy of the release of her sophomore effort Tough Love.
With her third studio album Glasshouse, the stakes are raised. This isn’t a project wh...
Why We Should Care About Drake Abstaining From The Grammys
Is the hip-hop superstar making a statement by not submitting 'More Life' for award consideration?
Last week, as Grammy nomination announcements began pouring in, the buzzworthy news cycle churned out an interesting bit: Drake did not submit More Life for consideration for any Grammy Award this year -- neither as a whole project nor any of its individual songs.
Speculation as to why quickly ran amuck: Maybe Drake felt Kendrick Lamar would dominate, as Kung Fu Kenny is already a low-key front-...
What's in a Co-Sign? How Hip-Hop's Seal of Approval Has Evolved in the Twitter Era
The Weeknd has dubbed himself “Starboy,” a moniker that will carry him through his third studio album of the same title and the chart-topping single to match it. It couldn’t be a more appropriate calling at this stage in his career -- one packed with mainstream success that has inched into pop stardom, platinum plaques, Grammy awards, and social media numbers in the multi-millions. Though his transition from alt-R&B outsider to Hot 100 chart-topper seems unlikely, Abel Tesfaye isn't the first...