Recently, in casual conversations, I’ve been asked for my opinion about the October report that “No Rap Songs Are in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40 for the First Time Since 1990” more so than my ...

Every year, we’re told that hip-hop is in crisis. But if you ask us, it feels like there’s too much heat to keep up with. What’s lost on the chart-watchers lamenting rap’s mainstream lull is that the ...

We should address the elephant in the room: hip-hop did not have a strong year on the charts. In fact, rap music had its worst showing in years. Back in October, it made headlines when—for the first ...

Rap and Christmas have been intertwined since the former began. Kurtis Blow’s “Christmas Rappin’,” a rhymed update of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (better known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”) ...

Hip-hop may be associated more with brags and bling than goodwill and giving, but the best Christmas hip-hop and R&B songs are gifts that keep on giving. “Let it snow” might mean something different ...