Hip-hop beat-makers are usually unseen. Not all sample-based producers are as reclusive as the torch-bearing loop artist Madlib, but even the most prominent among them are part of the backdrop. After ...

The highest appearance by a hip-hop song is YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Shot Callin,” at No. 44. Yet in 1990, hip-hop was still in its keeping-it-real phase. Biz’s pop chart ascendence (rap’s ...

There’s a raw energy in the air—a palpable, jittery anticipation as the old guard of hip-hop production gets tossed aside by the relentless force of technological innovation and cultural upheaval.

On Thursday, Lollapalooza plugs back into Grant Park, bringing 170-plus bands on eight stages across four days. To help make sense of the massive lineup, we asked local experts in the worlds of ...