Still trying to understand the Bobby Shmurda phenomenon? Over at Cuepoint, DJ Louie XIV weighs in on this inexplicable hype machine run wild. Get up out my trap house. Bobby Shmurda and the Weirdest White Girl Anthem Ever

Today over at Cuepoint, HipHopSite scribe Daniel Mascari (aka Dan Dada) pens a piece about the history of classic beat and rhythm machines, delving deep into the origins of popular external sound creation devices such as the MPC, the TR-808, the SP-1200, and the creation of Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock.” Read on, true believers… Looking [cont.]

With election day upon us, Cuepoint examines when musicians endorse a candidate; in this case Jay Z and James Brown. Election Day Sets a Funky Precedent

This might be a bit off topic, however I know a lot of hip-hop heads are fans of Portishead. This is my latest piece for Cuepoint, which traces the origins of Portishead’s seminal debut album, Dummy, which is 20 years old this year. I spoke to many of the people who were involved with the [cont.]

Over at Cuepoint, longtime rap scribe Oliver “O-Dub” Wang speaks on DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s recently wrapped Renegades Of Rhythm tour. Also on deck is Stretch Armtstrong’s Cassette Culture, where he revisits a classic DJ Shadow four-track mix. Check out both articles below. DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist Return To Planet Rock Cassette Culture [cont.]

J-Zone pens a brilliant piece for Cuepoint about the term “hater,” and how we now ostracize people for having an opinion. This goes with his new song “Mad Rap,” which you can also hear below. Can We Finally Bury the Word “Hater?”

New over at Cuepoint, Unkut’s Robbie Ettelson delves deep into the history of forgotten Run DMC / Whodini producer, Larry Smith. Gaining access to Larry’s last recorded interview, Smith has suffered a stroke and is currently in state hospital, unable to afford decent care. Read this story, it’s an imporant one. The Triumphs and Tragedies [cont.]

New over a Cuepoint, an excerpt from Brian Coleman’s forthcoming Check The Technique Vol. 2 book, which dissects classic hip-hop albums through a series of conversations with the artists and producers. Read on, true believers… The Making of Ice Cube’s “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted”

Longtime hip-hop scribe, Jeff Chang, explains the origins of the term hip-hop for Cuepoint. His new book, Who We Be: The Colorization of America, is out on October 21st. whowebe.net How Hip-Hop Got Its Name

Head on over to Cuepoint to read Andreas Hale’s new piece on Nas’ seminal debut album and its accompanying film, Time Is Illmatic. How ‘Illmatic’ Saved Nas

My latest piece for Cuepoint, an analytical look at the relationship of Beyoncé and Jay Z. Beyoncé and Jay Z: Still Crazy In Love

Talib Kweli responds to Stefan Schumacher’s original article, It’s Finally Time To Stop Caring About Lauryn Hill. In Defense Of Ms. Hill

New on Cuepoint today, former Fat Beats employee Kathy Iandoli talks about the death of cratedigging, speaking to both DJ Premier and Diamond D about it. The Lost Art Of Cratedigging

HipHopSite’s own Stefan Schumacher pens this polarizing piece on whether or not Lauryn Hill is a legend, or just a once great flash in the pan. It’s Finally Time to Stop Caring About Lauryn Hill

In my latest post for Cuepoint, I spoke with Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, about the new John Ridley directed biopic, Jimi: All Is By My Side, which stars Andre 3000 as Hendrix. I like Andre, I like Outkast, however Ms. Etchingham makes a pretty compelling case against the film, claiming its lack of authenticity. [cont.]

In one of my own original pieces for Medium’s newly launched Cuepoint, I spoke to original HipHopSie.Com co-creator and fellow Las Vegas DJ, Warren Peace, about the time that 2Pac strolled into the DJ booth and Suge Knight’s 662, and destroyed his Biggie vinyl. Read here, true believers…

Shout out to the HipHopSite massive. Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been working very closely with my good friend and colleague, Jonathan “Shecky Green” Shecter, on a new project called Cuepoint for Medium.Com. You may best know Shec as an original founder of The Source magazine, who opted out when he disagreed with the [cont.]

Thanks to all whom have supported the relaunching of the shop thus far. Quick update, we’ve got two new designs in stock now. Action Bronson’s Saaab Stories official tee’s, and a new exclusive Hellafine Design, “Cassette Classics”, in Black and Grey. “The Arrival Of Kendrick Lamar” CD’s still available while supplies last.

Cult rap super villain MF Doom will team with buzzworthy 17 year old Rockland County, NY emcee, Bishop Nehru, for the NehruvianDOOM project. The project drops September 22nd on Lex Records, who also handled the last couple of projects for DOOM, such as Born Like This and the JJ Doom album. Here’s everything we know [cont.]

Despite running one of the most successful, pioneering independent hip-hop webstores ever, we took some time off over the last seven years, closing up shop way back in 2007. The music industry changed, as digital downloads (legal or otherwise) overtook CD and vinyl formats, making it very hard to run a profitable business. Through our [cont.]