Hip-Hop News, Documentaries and Artist Interviews

Takeoff of Migos, subject of Raptology documentary The Final Hours of Takeoff
DOCUMENTARY

The Final Hours of Takeoff: What Happened the Night the Migos Rapper Was Killed in Houston

Editorial

On the morning of Nov. 1, 2022, Takeoff was supposed to be entering a new chapter. The quietest member of Migos had just released a full album with Quavo, had spent October talking more openly about his own place in rap history, and had dropped a new music video only hours before his death. By sunrise in Houston, one of the most technically gifted rappers of his generation was gone. Takeoff’s death has often been reduced to a single phrase: a dice game gone wrong. The real story is more…

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Top 10 Best Hip-Hop Producers of All Time (2022)
Articles DOCUMENTARY EDITORIAL

Top 10 Best Hip-Hop Producers of All Time

Chad Mauli

The age-old question every rap fan talks about all the time... "Who are the best hip-hop producers of all time?" It matters because the backing beat is the foundation of the rap song. Many times, having access to these supreme beat producers can make or break a career. This is an editorial ranking, not an official industry list. I weighed influence on hip-hop’s sound, originality, range, consistency, landmark records, and the ability to shape artists’ careers. Commercial success and credit counts matter, but they do not decide the order on…

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King Von
DOCUMENTARY Featured

King Von: From O’Block To Crazy Story And A Rise Cut Short

José Zamora

King Von had already touched his family, helped his friends and begun turning his attention toward something larger. His goals were moving toward helping his community, opening places such as daycares and creating businesses capable of generating money while making the neighborhood better. As his own circle expanded to include children, relatives and friends, he saw giving back as something that never really stopped. The only way to keep doing more, in his mind, was to keep building enough financial power to help more people. That future never arrived the…

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Future Rapper
DOCUMENTARY

Future Is Now: Blood, Sweat, Pain and the Making of a Rap Icon

Natalia Privalova

Raptology Documentary Future’s journey from East Atlanta and the Dungeon Family to global rap stardom was built on survival, grief, fatherhood and a recording process that rarely stopped. There has been bloodshed, tears, sweat and money throughout Future’s journey. Before he takes the stage, his team gathers in prayer and gives thanks for completing another tour without casualties or tragedies. They ask for protection from danger and pray that Future will have the strength and stamina needed to perform. Moments later, he enters another packed arena filled with fans holding…

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G Herbo
DOCUMENTARY

G Herbo’s Criminal History, Federal Fraud Case and Chicago Rise

Editorial

Before the platinum records, federal courtroom and mental health advocacy, G Herbo was Lil Herb, a teenager from Chicago’s East Side converting grief, danger and survivor’s guilt into some of the most detailed street rap of his generation. His music helped establish a more lyrical branch of Chicago drill. His life outside the studio remained tied to the same contradictions heard in his records: neighborhood loyalty and national fame, wealth and trauma, growth and self sabotage. By his late twenties, Herbo had survived Chicago street violence, built an influential catalog,…

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