Roc-A-Fella Records LLC

Hard Knock Life: Jay-Z Then and Now

This week marks the beginning of a legacy. On October 17, 1998, Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first of Jay-Z's many albums to do so and the start of a streak that continues today. Every Jay-Z album since has hit No. 1, making him the current record holde ... More >>

Santigold Goes Hard

Dance-pop provocateurSantigold is the polar opposite of the starlets she once co-wrote songs with.

Fool's Gold Makers Dirty And Nasty Discuss... Fool's Gold

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Thi ... More >>

Last Night: J. Cole At Warehouse Live

Photos by Marco Torres​J. Cole Warehouse Live September 14, 2011 On his second Texas tour with college-based concert promoting company Scoremore, Roc Nation artist J. Cole sold out Warehouse Live's ballroom Wednesday night, to an almost overwhelming all-ages crowd filled with diversity. The v ... More >>

Top Five Rapper Deadbeat Dads

​Admit it, when you hear the term "deadbeat dad," you immediately think of a black rapper rocking Gucci stunna shades in a perfectly dimmed room, pants drooping to his ankles. Truth be told, hip-hop dads would be wise to step up and heed Ed OG's words: "Be a Father to Your Child." Relationsh ... More >>

The Weak Links In Seven Great Rap Crews

Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to fuck with... except maybe U-God.​Logic suggests that being surrounded by artistic brilliance would give the less endowed a natural boost. But if talent were contagious, failure wouldn't exist, and neither would this list. Every rap group, big or small has one memb ... More >>

Forever Roc La Familia

Aztek Escobar talks about life after leaving Jay-Z's Latin record label.

In the Mix: DJ and Dance Music for the New Malaise, Part 2

​5. MSTRKRFT, Fist of God (Downtown) Canadian duo MSTRKRFT gave the cool kids what they want - grinding, "keytar" synths, a punk-rock attitude and plenty of pop references (John Legend, N.O.R.E., and Ghostface Killah make appearances). Despite the pair's hockey-mask appearance and heavy-metal-danc ... More >>

Five Spot: Big Pokey

Welcome back to The Five Spot, a Rocks Off recurring feature. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it's either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Wednesday, RapRadar.com threw up an interview with former Roc-A-Fella rapper ... More >>

Aftermath: M.O.P. at Warehouse Live

Over the Weekend: Main Street, Astros, Beyonce and Jay-Z

Billion Dollar Babies

Rappers and their ten-figure dreams

Hip-hop, Year Two AJ

Still no Jigga, but Kanye, some lovable limeys and a great Beyoncé substitute held it down

Teairra Mari

Make Her Feel Good

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop

Rapping on Heaven's Door

Can Christian hip-hop save Enock from his demons?

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop

Dishing the Dirt on Dirty

We chronicle the greatest moments of Ol' Dirty Bastard

Kanye West

College Dropout (Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella)

The Class of '03

Grab your gift certificates and trade in your white elephants -- here's what you really wanted for Christmas

Rappin' Up Gifts

A lucky seven underground hip-hop releases to slip into Christmas stockings this year

Adventures in Lo-Fi

BBE (Rapster)

Scarface

The Fix (Def Jam South)

The Empire Strikes Back

The once-proud Rap-A-Lot rediscovers its fury with four new releases