Welcome to The State of R&B, ESSENCE’s look at the past, present and future of rhythm and blues. In this piece, ESSENCE editor Rivéa Ruff reports on the blending of hip-hop and R&B. Since the ...

On this day in 1989, New Jersey lyricist Chill Rob G released his debut album Ride the Rhythm through Wild Pitch Records, a label known for cultivating some of the most respected underground acts in ...

Any conversation regarding the historical context of rap music will almost certainly rely heavily on the near ritualistic practice of sampling, essentially using older songs as the basis as the basis ...

Hip-hop has grown beyond a music genre into a global movement, transcending languages and cultures. Originating from African traditions and evolving in the South Bronx, it became a powerful platform ...

Osmic Menoe was a young kid in South Africa when he first fell in love with hip-hop culture during the late 1980s, at the height of the country’s anti-apartheid movement. But like so many, at first, ...