Coolio in 1995. Paul Bergen/Redferns, via Getty Images. Coolio died, as I’m sure you’ve all heard by now. I mentioned to a friend who’s also stuck in the ’90s that it seems like it’s been a bad run of rappers from our high school days passing away, mostly last…

Row 1: DMX, Biz Markie, Dusty Hill, Charlie Watts, Joey Jordison, Nanci Griffith and B.J. Thomas. Row 2: Mary Wilson, George Wein, Michael Nesmith, Terence “Astro” Wilson, Tom T. Hall, Stephen Sondheim and Graeme Edge. Row 3: Chick Corea, Gift of Gab, Bunny Wailer, Shock G and Sylvain Sylvain.…

Our list of the 20 best hip-hop albums of 2021 includes (L to R): Row 1: Lil Nas X, Polo G, Tyler, the Creator, J. Cole, Nas. Row 2: Little Simz, Meek Mill, Isaiah Rashad, Czarface & MF DOOM, Backxwash. Row 3: Vince Staples, Wale, Your Old Droog, BROCKHAMPTON,…

The best albums of 2021 include BROCKHAMPTON, Taylor Swift, Isaiah Rashad, Injury Reserve, Lana Del Rey, Genesis Owusu, Los Lobos, Jungle, The Mountain Goats and DMX. Best of 2021 Thanks for sticking with us this far, as we’ve now reached part five of our ambitious ranking of the year’s…

A bold and bittersweet closing chapter for one of the greatest rappers of all time, the long-awaited album from DMX, Exodus, comes a little over a month and a half after his death. His first release in nine years (following 2012’s Undisputed) and his first on Def Jam since Grand Champ, Exodus is…

DMX performs during week five of the BIG3 basketball league at UIC Pavilion in Chicago on July 23, 2017. Photo: Streeter Lecka/BIG3/Getty Images). Rapper DMX has died at the age of 50, his family confirmed in a statement on Friday morning, following more than one week in a coma.…

The year 1999 was great for quite a few things. Prince’s bank account for example, since “1999” literally would not stop playing for the entire year. It was great for future memes, since it gave us both Smash Mouth’s “All Star” and “Smooth” by Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas.…