Hip-hop might have been born in the '70s, but it was in the '90s when the genre truly started to see commercial success. It was an era in which artistic creativity expanded, rivalries emerged, pop ...

In terms of artistic advancement, many rap fans would probably not consider Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” a genre-shifting single. However, regarding popular appeal, they probably would, as it was the ...

*The week of October 25, 2025, marked an unprecedented setback for hip-hop: according to The AV Club, no rap songs made the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40. The long-running hit “Luther” by SZA and Kendrick ...

Most of the songs from the 1990s sound like they were made in the 1990s. From grunge to hip-hop and beyond, there is a distinct sound that characterizes the era. You can hear it in guitar tones, ...

The difference between interpolation and sampling in music is really simple. Rather than directly sampling a track, interpolation involves recreating the melody, lyrics, or chord progression for a new ...

A Tribe Called Quest is an indispensable group when discussing the history of hip-hop.From the late 1980s through the 1990s, ...

Editor’s note: This story is part of That’s My Word, an ongoing KQED series about Bay Area hip-hop history. “I’ll never lose that spirit, but I don’t miss being on the street from morning to night,” ...

For the first time since 1990, the Top 40 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart is completely devoid of any hip-hop and/or rap songs. “No rap songs appear in the top 40 on the Hot 100 for the first time since ...