The Birth of a New FlowRakim is often named as the greatest rapper of all time due to his lasting impact on lyrical techniques. Before The God MC hit the scene, rappers delivered their rhymes with a sing-song, elementary cadence. The Long Island-born MC revolutionized the culture by introducing a multi-syllabic rhyming structure that was

Childhood Bonds and Early BeginningsHarlem rappers Cam’ron and Mase have had a tumultuous friendship over the years, but their reconciliation eventually brought them unexpected success with their own sports talk show.  Before their decades-long feud, Cameron Giles and rapper-turned-pastor Mason Betha grew up in the same circles. Before the two joined rap group Children of

Rakim Clears the Air on “Summertime” Writing RumorsFor decades, hip-hop circles have speculated that Rakim wrote DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince’s Grammy-winning track “Summertime,” but The God MC debunked the rumors he wrote for Will Smith in a 2019 interview with The Breakfast Club.   “Nah . I used to play

Big Sean’s recent On the Radar freestyle stirred up the Internet with fiery bars that seemed to target Kendrick Lamar. Despite their history of beefing, West Coast media personality and Kendrick affiliate DJ Hed shut down the rumors on Twitter.  Standout lyrics that followers mistook for disses included: “Ni**as looking for engagement like they got they

As a long-time hip-hop enthusiast, Leonardo DiCaprio’s passion for the culture almost led him to back a Wu-Tang Clan biopic. According to Raekwon’s book, From Staircase to Stage, he details a meeting with DiCaprio facilitated by their mutual friend Q-Tip. They met at a mafioso-style pizza place in Brooklyn, where they had an enjoyable

It may appear that Detroit hip-hop group Slum Village and electronic duo Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) randomly collaborated on an “Aerodynamic” remix, but late legend J Dilla unintentionally brought the groups together with a 2000 record.  After SV member and rapper/producer Dilla sampled “Extra Dry” by Thomas Bangalter for Slum Village’s