Hip-Hop

A biography exploring the life and career of J Dilla is set to be published.

Influential Bay Area hip-hop producer Traxamillion has died. He was 42.

The San Jose-born producer - real name Sultan Banks - was best known for pioneering hyphy, a genre of music and movement that emerged in Oakland, California, in the late-1990s. Coined by rapper Keak da Sneak, the genre is regional slang for "hyperactive" and is defined by up-tempo, drum-driven beats.

The first names set to play next year's Maiden Voyage festival have been announced.

Run by the team behind Camden's Jazz Cafe, the festival - which takes in techno, house, jazz, hip-hop and more - makes its return to Lee Valley Park in North London on the Bank Holiday Sunday of 28th August 2022. 

A new book on hip-hop legend DJ Screw is set to be released next year. 'DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution' is slated to hit stores on 19th April 2022. 

Channel 4 is set to air a one-off documentary about women in hip-hop.

'Queens Of Rap' will focus on the evolution of women in the genre through the lens of 'WAP', Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B's 2020 hit single. Award-winning podcaster and investigative journalist Poppy Begum (aka known as Poppy Jay) directed the documentary.

A new documentary by Louis Theroux on US rap and hip-hop is in the works.

Focusing on the "new world" of the genres, with an emphasis on Florida and nearby southern states, the hour-long film will take place as part of Theroux's forthcoming, three-part BBC series, Forbidden America.

Nas will drop a new album next week.

Serving as the New York-born rapper's 13th studio album, 'King’s Disease II' will be released via Nas's Mass Appeal label, and is the follow up record to 2020's Grammy-winning 'King's Disease'.

Although no details surrounding 'King's Disease II' have been shared, last year's LP featured the likes of Anderson .Paak, Big Sean and ASAP Ferg.

You can check out the artwork for 'King's Disease II', which will released on 6th August, below.

Hip-hop royalty turned out to the Bronx, the home of hip-hop, last week to attend a ground-breaking ceremony that marked the official launch of building for the new Universal Hip Hop Museum.

The likes of LL Cool J, Nas, Lil Kim, Chuck D and Fat Joe were all in attendance, as well as a number of New York politicians, including mayor Bill De Blasio. 

A new grime and hip-hop conference is set to take place in Glasgow this summer.

Set to launch in July, the inaugural edition of HANG — Scotland's first conference dedicated to grime and hip-hop — will take place at Glasgow venue SWG3, with an aim to "inspire and empower members of Scotland's hip hop and grime communities".