Guardian Music — With labels scared to sign an artist that might not sell, no wonder this was the year the free hip-hop mixtape flourishedThe free mixtape has long been a platform for emerging artists to get themselves noticed, but in 2011 the format came into its ow... more info

Stereogum — Jeezy called in some favors for this one! For his sound-drenched track “I Do,” the once-dominant Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy managed to wrangle guest verses from two of rap’s biggest names, Jay-Z and OutKast’s André 3000; I honestly can’t r... more info

411 Mania — Shake it like a Polaroid picture... more info

DrownedInSound — Stankonia, even 11 years on, sounds like the most impressively bonkers, audacious, ambitious and expertly produced hip hop LP in the genre’s history... Read the full story on DrownedinSound.com more info

Guardian Music — This duo met during a dance battle at university – and you can hear their love of UK garage on their debut EPNamed after a lyric in OutKast's Happy Valentine's Day, 14th are Tracey Duodu and Tom Barber, who met at university during a dance battle. ... more info

Perez Hilton — How'd you get out of this, Big Boi? Did you a-pol-o-gize a million times? LOLz! To recap, back in August, Outkast rapper Big Boi was arrested in Miami for drug possession. He had been carrying ecstasy pills, MDMA powder, and Viagra without a prescrip... more info

E! Online — "So Fresh, So Clean" is what Big Boi's gonna have to be if he wants to get out of this jam. The OutKast star has agreed to submit to three months of drug testing in order to... more info

Guardian Music — Björk answers Guardian readers' questions – and there's a public inquisition planned for Manic Street Preachers' Nicky WireThings to do with popular recording artist BjörkBjörk answers readers' questions in our Q&APoll: Which is the greatest Bj�... more info

Guardian Music — Our writers are picking their favourite albums. Here, Emma Warren bounces along to OutKastAquemini was the album that turned me into a raving OutKast fan, a position consolidated by subsequent albums Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. I consi... more info

Stereogum — Last week, our Mixtape Of The Week was Rock Creek Park, a mostly-instrumental album of bucolic, gorgeously orchestrated tracks from the D.C.-area rapper/producer Oddisee. Now, Oddisee has recruited his D.C. rap crew to add verses to the album-closing... more info