Guardian Music — Hammersmith Apollo, LondonIce-T was always among the most charismatic of hip-hop's early stars, but who knew he was also such an assiduous historian? The former gangster rapper has interviewed almost 50 of his peers to chronicle the history of the ge... more info

L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — Amid the bull market of young women in hip-hop today, one of the first ladies of the genre passed away Tuesday night . Ms. Melodie, born Ramona Parker, was a founding member of the group Boogie Down productions and the ex-wife of landmark artist K... more info

E! Online — The rap world is mourning the loss of one of its own. Rapper Miss Melodie, a member of the influential group Boogie Down Productions who was once married to rapper KRS-One, has died. She... more info

The Hip Hop Chronicle — Boogie Down Productions member Ms. Melodie has passed away. The female emcee, real name Ramona Parker released her first single in 1988 called “Hype According To Ms. Melodie”. A year later she released her album “Diva”. The Brooklyn native wa... more info

Guardian Music — An Intelligence Squared debate on rap, involving everyone from Jesse Jackson and Q-Tip to PJ O'Rourke and Emily Maitlis, was more baffling than anything elseLast night, 1,600 or so people descended on the Barbican in London for what was hailed as "th... more info

Guardian Music — As BBC hosts the Hackney Weekend, a Google-sponsored debate on Tuesday will ask: is hip-hop the voice of the oppressed, or just the glorification of bling?"Success never smelled so sweet, I stink of success." The lines by rapper and music mogul Jay-Z... more info

The Hip Hop Chronicle — Check out this KRS-One freestyle taken from the forthcoming Ice-T movie “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap”. The soundtrack features a 23-song set of classics and new freestyles from the likes of Ice-T, Nas, Melle Mel, Wu-Tang Clan, MC Lyte,... more info

The Hip Hop Chronicle — The Ice- T directed ‘Something From Nothing: Art of Rap’ takes us on an intimate journey through hip-hop, from its birth to what is it today, digging deep into the art form.  Gaining insight from heavy weights such as Afrika Bambaataa, Big Daddy... more info

Guardian Music — From Gorky's to Goldie Lookin Chain, feast on this selection of Welsh rare beatsLast week, to mark St David's Day, we asked for your favourite songs by Welsh musicians.And cometh the hour (or week), cometh the man. Or in this case, cometh Man, possib... more info

Brooklyn Vegan — by BBG DOWNLOAD: Kyle Rapps - "Hard Knock Children" with Joell Ortiz (MP3) DOWNLOAD: Kyle Rapps - "Love Love 2" with KRS-One and Homeboy Sandman (MP3) DOWNLOAD: Kyle Rapps - "Universe Traveler" with Talib Kweli (MP3) Kyle Rapps with Talib... more info