Tag Archives: rap is not pop

Kid Cudi, Eminem and the Perils of Addiction

Rap Is Not Pop: Kid Cudi, Eminem and the Perils of Addiction This post is inspired by a commenter on my recent piece about Eminem and his album Recovery. “Somebody’s finally on the radio talking about NOT doing drugs. That’s … Continue reading

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The Foreign Exchange and the Soul Revival

Rap Is Not Pop: The Foreign Exchange and the Soul Revival Earlier this year, the Foreign Exchange earned a Grammy nomination for “Daykeeper,” a dreamy ballad filled with soft percussion and cooed phrasings of “She Loves Me.” Cited for Best … Continue reading

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The wonderful world of Gucci Mane

Rap Is Not Pop: The Wonderful World Of Gucci Mane Several years ago, I interviewed Radric “Gucci Mane” Davis at the office of his former label, Atlanta indie upstart Big Cat Records. He had just finished a six-month bid for … Continue reading

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Why Eminem still matters

This post represents a shift from how I programmed Plug One in the past. Before, I wouldn’t imagine adding a piece about a mainstream artist. But times have changed. Plug One isn’t designed to represent everything I write, but it … Continue reading

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Rap’s new generation

When I posted my article on the so-called “Blog Rap’s Second Wave” yesterday, I realized I haven’t posted other entries from my Rap Is Not Pop column for Rhapsody. Actually, I didn’t re-post this one because I wasn’t happy with … Continue reading

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Blog rap’s second wave

This essay on the latest crop of street rappers was posted August 10 on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. I freely admit that I don’t specialize in breaking new artists. … Continue reading

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The Roots’ lost paradise

This essay on the Roots’ How I Got Over was posted July 14 on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. Last week, I promised that I would abandon the concepts that … Continue reading

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Dungeon Family’s Future: Big Boi

This essay on new-era Dungeon Fam was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place on July 7. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. Prince once sang, “All The Critics Love You In New York,” mock-celebrating the rock-crit … Continue reading

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A Brief History of Rap and Bullshit: Drake

This essay on Drake was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog on June 15. It analyzes Thank Me Later‘s mix of hip-hop and R&B. Obviously there’s a lot more to be said about Drake’s rap and vocal performance, the … Continue reading

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Lies, Relatives and Revolutions: Nas, Talib Kweli and Sage Francis

This essay was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog on May 25. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. ————————————- Rap Is Not Pop: Lies, Relatives And Revolutions Do rappers even rap anymore? When B.o.B’s The … Continue reading

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R.I.P. Keith “Guru” Elam

I wrote this tribute to Guru for my weekly Rhapsody column, Rap is Not Pop. It was posted posted earlier today on the Rhapsody Music Stuff Place blog and its new Rhapsody Hip-Hop Blog. ————————————– Rap Is Not Pop: R.I.P. … Continue reading

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Why Duck Down matters: Duck Down’s 15th anniversary

This essay on Duck Down Records’ 15th anniversary was posted April 9 on the Rhapsody Music Stuff Place blog and its new Rhapsody Hip-Hop Blog. I have a weekly column called Rap is Not Pop. ————————————– Rap is Not Pop: … Continue reading

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