Hip hop is a music genre that features rhythmic and rhyming speech over musical backing. It originated in African American communities in the 1970s. Today, it is one of the most popular and influential genres in modern music.
From Megan Thee Stallion to Tory Lanez’s court case, rappers continue to use their voices for good.
1. Coverage of Albums
In the early days of Hip Hop, DJs began mixing rhythm and blues with African-American music to create a new style that would soon become known as rap music. Hip Hop has continued to evolve over the years, and today it is one of the most popular and influential genres of music in the world. This feed focuses on hip hop news and provides coverage of the latest album releases, song reviews, tour updates, and more.
AFH’s Founder Reggie Williams and Editor-In-Chief Jake Paine break down the week’s biggest headlines from the worlds of music, TV, film, politics, current events and more—all through the lens of Hip Hop. The weekly podcast features a diverse mix of guests and topics ranging from artists to journalists.
Founded on the principle that knowledge is power, Hip Hop is about more than just dance and music. It is a movement that believes that people can take control of their own lives and shape their own destiny by understanding their past, their community, and their world. This philosophy gives Hip Hop a moral and spiritual force that drives its art forms, from poetry and visual art to dance and emceeing. It also gives artists and their audiences a shared experience in the face of a hostile world.
2. Coverage of Artists
Hip Hop has a long history of activism. In the 1980s, artists like Public Enemy, KRS-One, and Ice-T were using their music to protest the political establishment. In this episode of AFH’s What’s The Headline, we explore how the emergence of Hip Hop as a culture of social commentary changed history.
One of the elements of Hip Hop that blossomed at the same time as the music and dance scenes was graffiti writing, or “writing” as its practitioners call it. These artists used their city streets as their canvas, expressing themselves in wild, colorful designs that pushed the boundaries of size and complexity. They jumped fences, trespassed into subway tunnels, and even covered whole sides of ten-car trains with their art.
As a part of Hip Hop’s belief that knowledge is power, these writers gained the respect of their elders and even gained national recognition for their skill. Their work influenced the style and technique of MCs and DJs, as well as other artists in their community like poets, visual artists, and street philosophers. They also provided a cultural bridge to the world that Hip Hop is now part of, embracing people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
HipHopDX is a magazine dedicated to the criticism and analysis of hip hop music and its creators. Our staff of writers have bylines in Vibe, Billboard, and Genius, and they cover the latest news and developments in rap music, urban culture, and other tentpole events. Our coverage of artists is primarily focused on hip hop, but we also take note of their other works and contributions to society at large. We’ve featured artists such as Drake, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Kanye West.
3. Coverage of Events
As a culture, Hip Hop is rooted in street-level reality. It reflects the world’s most pressing issues and is constantly evolving. From a work-with-what-you-have epicenter in the Bronx, it spread to become global–DJs spin turntables in Sao Paulo, MCs rap in Arabic, and B-boys break dance on the Great Wall of China.
The series follows the path of Hip Hop from its origins as social commentary in the 1980s through its explosion into popular music and multibillion-dollar industry. Meet the artists whose ideas and words shape the genre’s direction as they battle for cultural dominance and social equality.
Each week, AFH’s founder Reggie Williams and editor-in-chief Jake Paine examine the week in hip hop news. The show provides deep context about the biggest stories in music, TV, film and current events–all through the lens of Hip Hop. Featuring interviews with some of Hip Hop’s most respected artists. What’s The Headline airs Monday through Friday on Ambrosia For Heads.
4. Coverage of Trends
From its work-with-what-you-got epicenter in the Bronx, Hip Hop has rolled outward to become a global culture. DJs spin turntables in Sao Paulo, MCs rap in Arabic in Qatar and young poets slam in Washington D.C. Whether in dance or in fashion, Hip Hop believes that knowledge influences style and technique. It is the power of self-knowledge that allows people to clear barriers that divide them and connect with others who share a similar experience.
The most popular music genres today are Hip Hop, Pop and Rock. These genres reflect the cultures and styles of their creators and they are changing the way the world looks at itself. This program will explore the origins and development of these genres by exploring the lives of the artists who create them. This will show how these artists, who come from diverse backgrounds, use their culture and traditions to inspire others.
In 2022, Hip Hop is at a pivotal moment. In the aftermath of America’s racial reckoning, the voices and perspectives shared in Hip Hop are key to understanding injustice in our society. This program will examine the evolution of Hip Hop over the last half-century, from its birth as social commentary in the 1980s to its current position as a global leader of protest.
This program will look at how Hip Hop is being incorporated into mainstream culture and the effect that this is having on the perceptions of young people around the world. It will also discuss how Hip Hop is being used as a tool for social change and how it is being used to empower the next generation of leaders. This will be done through interviews with rappers, DJs, filmmakers and political figures.
5. Coverage of Issues
Hip Hop is a powerful culture that’s as relevant today as it was in the 1980s when Public Enemy’s Chuck D first labeled it “the Black CNN.” This series explores how Hip Hop has chronicled the emotions, experiences and expressions of communities across America. We’ll hear personal testimonies from MCs, DJs, graffiti artists, filmmakers and politicians who shaped Hip Hop from its work-with-what-you-have epicenter in the Bronx to a multibillion dollar global industry.
From Ed Sheeran crediting Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” with curing his stutter to rapper Desiigner facing a federal indecent exposure charge, we’ll unpack the issues that are currently affecting our society through the lens of Hip Hop. We’ll also explore how Hip Hop has influenced the way we think about masculinity through the story of iLoveMakonnen, a rapper who has navigated different realms of manhood throughout his career. Knowledge influences style and technique and binds its artists under a Hip Hop umbrella. It allows for a shared experience against an uncertain world. It is this knowledge that makes Hip Hop an important art form for our times.
