Southern Rap

V-Nasty, Having Split With Kreayshawn, Talks About Her "$750,000" Deal

Editor's Note: Rapper V-Nasty has now spent two controversial years in the spotlight. She's an exhilarating personality who can bring it live if not necessarily on record. She gave her first ever interview to us in late 2011, and spoke on her use of the n-word, which still dogs her. See also: V-Na ... More >>

Can You Match The Eyes To The Rapper They Belong To?

This is a ridiculous thing, to be sure; a game birthed in the crevices of 2 a.m. emails and WAY TOO MANY mp3s and SoundCloud links. And it's as simple as it is stupid as it is infinitythings. On the following page you'll find a picture of eight separate sets of eyes. Underneath the picture you'll ... More >>

Lil Wayne 'Sitting Up, Drinking Water'

By Ben Westhoff, reporting from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Reports of Lil Wayne's demise have been exaggerated, it would seem. The rapper tweeted tonight that he's fine. He was indeed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center near Beverly Hills. But reports that he was in a medically induced coma after a s ... More >>

Fuck Guilty Pleasures: In Defense of Common

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] Rap only exists in extremes. Don't let the polite reviews of Lil Wayne's Carter IV fool you, for instance. It got lots of ... More >>

The Worst Traffic Jam In The History Of The Man And Maybe Even The Universe

Here's what this is: It takes EXACTLY 17 minutes for me to get from the entrance ramp of the freeway near my house to the machine at my work where employees swipe in. I know this because I have made the drive roughly 1,400 times during my seven years of employment. I also know this because I have, o ... More >>

Man Alleges Lil Wayne Entourage Member Smashed His Head With Skateboard

Last year Downey, California-based bill poster Alfredo Marino saw Lil Wayne on Fairfax Avenue. He approached him hoping to get a photo, but says the encounter ended with a member of the rapper's entourage smashing him in the back of the head with a skateboard and sending him to the hospital. Marino ... More >>

Eight Rules for White People Who Like Hip-Hop

White people and their sometimes-problematic place in hip-hop culture have been in the news recently. At The New Republic last week Dave Bry mulled Chief Keef and whether it's ok for white music critics to like violent rap, while we wrote about white entertainers who think they have a pass to say th ... More >>

The Best Rap Singles of 2012

Let's be honest: It's been a great year for hip-hop. Mainstream and underground MCs made some of the most refreshing and innovative work in years. It's been a good year for albums, for sure, but also a dynamite one for singles. Here are our picks for the five best five, from artists around the count ... More >>

What's the First Rap Song I Should Play For My Newborn Son?

In maybe one or maybe eight or maybe two or maybe six days, my third son will be pulled from my wife's womb. (C-section life, bitches.) He has a name, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. If you want to refer to him as Boy C, that's cool. That'll do just fine, I imagine. There are a bunch of r ... More >>

Waka Flocka Flame - Club Nokia - 11/4/12

Waka Flocka Flame Club Nokia 11/4/12 There's this great moment midway through rapper MGK's video for "Wild Boy," on which Waka Flocka Flame is featured. "You think you're a good rapper?" MGK asks Waka. "Fuck no," Waka replies. See also: Our slideshow of the concert That was the general consensus ... More >>

Lil Wayne's "No Worries": Why This Song Sucks

[Editor's note: Why This Song Sucks determines why particular tracks blow using science. It appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday.] Song: Lil Wayne's "No Worries" See also: Top 60 Worst Lil Wayne Lines on Tha Carter IV History: "No Worries" is the ominous single from Lil Wayne's forthcoming ... More >>

Check Out My Hip-Hop Coloring Book

I'm writing a book called Bun B's Jumbo Coloring And Rap Activity Book. It's not finished yet, though, so right now it's just a tumblr. It has that name for three reasons. First, because I'm making it with the rapper Bun B -- you know, from UGK, one of the most important figures in the history of a ... More >>

What the Hell Is Trap Music (and Why Is Dubstep Involved)?

You may have heard the term "trap music." You may even realize that what people are calling "trap music" today (which sounds a whole lot like dubstep) is not necessarily what people were calling "trap music" a few years ago. See also: Flying Lotus' Nocturnal Visions: Once believing himself destined ... More >>

Why Folks Are Complaining About Lil Wayne Breaking Elvis' Record - And Why They're Wrong

Last week, rapper Lil Wayne added to his already-quite-substantial legacy by breaking Elvis Presley's record for most songs on the Hot 100 charts by a solo artist. Immediately, however, many began squawking that this record deserved an asterisks, a la Roger Maris' 61 home runs. See also: *My Broth ... More >>

Ten Rap Songs More Republican Than Nicki Minaj

Earlier this week Nicki Minaj stepped in a fresh pile of political shit when she, in an attempt to stir the pot on a "Mercy" freestyle remix, rapped that she is voting for Mitt Romney. People stupid enough to think anything Minaj does or says matters were outraged, and some even sent her death threa ... More >>

What the Dodgers' Musical Taste Says About Them

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] Forget phrenology, both the overrated Roots album and the 19th-century pseudo-science. Ignore palmistry, psychotherapy and Rick Warren. The best way to b ... More >>

Top Five Dance Move GIFs from Outside Lands

By Ian Port and Andrew Nilsen One thing crowds at San Francisco's Outside Lands festival do pretty well is get down. Despite the relentless wind, heavy fog, and numbing temperatures, we saw plenty of good moves last weekend -- and some ridiculously silly enthusiasm from certain crowd members. (I ... More >>

The Five Best Concerts in L.A. This Week

Monday, July 30 Big K.R.I.T. EL REY THEATRE The South rises again in the form of Big K.R.I.T. ("king remember in time"), a marvelously dexterous rapper-producer from Mississippi who insists that it's "Cool 2 Be Southern" on his debut full-length CD, Live From the Underground. He has produced key tr ... More >>

Top 10 Sexiest Hip-Hop Video Vixens

LMFAO 'Bikini Girl' Says She Was Fired For Being 'Big Boned' Top Ten Sexiest Album Covers We've Ever Seen Top 60 Worst Lil Wayne Lines on Tha Carter IV Top Ten Rap Albums For People Who Don't Know Shit About Hip-Hop Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums Of All Time: The Complete List Thoughts From A Rando ... More >>

Music Picks: Kaskade, Dirty Projectors, Ondatrópica

Arguing About Rick Ross With A Man Who Might Want To Burn My House Down

See also: Cassette Tapes Are Awesome Until You Actually Have To Listen To Them The guy who sells CDs and DVDs in the corner store parking lot near my house? That guy is the tits. I mean, our relationship can only ever be that one way. I don't want to know him in any other context than The Guy Who ... More >>

Here's an Epic Ice-T Interview: Sure, He Once Wore Leather and Spikes, but He'll Still Fuck You Up

See also: *The Original Original Gangsta: Ice-T talks about his star-studded directorial debut, his famous affiliates and his life with Coco in New York *Here Are Pictures of Dr. Dre's New $13 Million House Perhaps because he moved back to the East Coast and became an actor, Ice-T is sometimes over ... More >>

Snoop Dogg, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, and Debbie "The Glass Lady" on Pimp Cups, Religion, and Life Lessons

In this week's cover story, we trace the elusive and colorful history of hip hop's most interesting accessory, the pimp cup. These bedazzled chalices, made and prayed over by Chicago church-goer Debbie the Glass Lady, are carried by celebrities ranging from Lil Jon to Owen Wilson. Pimp-turned-preach ... More >>

Big Pimpin'

Pimp cups have real players and white kids alike dropping cash

Killer Mike - Echoplex - February 21, 2012

Ben Westhoff​Killer Mike w/ Busdriver, Nocando, and Open Mike Eagle Echoplex February 21, 2012 Better than: John Rocker Killer Mike is conscious without being boring, a street preacher rapper who knows that no one will listen to your message if your beats aren't dope. He's an obvious heir to ... More >>

Why This Song Sucks: The Worst Rap Tracks Of 2011

​I still don't understand why more people didn't like Unbreakable. It was suspenseful, smart enough, featured an attractive color palette, and it had a horribly creepy opening. (Remember the baby who was born with all of his bones broken?) And the most clever part -- the crux of the entire mov ... More >>

Naughty or Nice: Official Playmate Xmas Party

Scarface Is Out Of Jail, Performs At Key Club Tomorrow: Excerpts From His Last Interview

​Scarface plays the Key Club tomorrow night. This is big news, considering most folks didn't even know that the greatest of all southern rappers was out of the pen. In October 2010 he began a term at Montgomery County Jail in Alabama over numerous unresolved child support cases. (There is also ... More >>

The Rise and Stall of Pac Div

Kristofferson San Pablo​In the late aughts, the safe money was on L.A.-via-Palmdale trio Pac Div. They seemed poised to lead the burgeoning "New West" movement -- the pre-Odd Future crop of young rappers seeking to reclaim hip-hop for the Left Coast. They were the group everyone from industry ... More >>

Why This Song Sucks: Birdman's "Y.U. Mad," featuring Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne

​By Shea Serrano Welcome to Why This Song Sucks, a new column from West Coast Sound. Unlike Fuck Guilty Pleasures, we're not arguing that something everyone hates on is actually good, we're arguing that certain songs blow. See, here's the thing: This existence, this music writer thing, is p ... More >>

Ice-T vs. Soula Boy: Who Won?

​[Editor's note: In honor of Soulja Boy's performance at L.A. Memorial Sports Arena this Saturday, August 20, along with Kid Ink, Travis Porter and many others, here's an excerpt from my book Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop, which wa ... More >>

Top Five Rapping Basketball Players Phil Jackson Might Actually Like

​Phil Jackson, of all people, recently had some harsh words for "Fix The Knicks," the odd, showtuney-tune penned by New York Knicks owner James Dolan. (You can hear it here.) Dolan needs either "a better lyricist or a better musician," Jackson said. Ouch! Of course, it's hard to disagree with ... More >>

Odd Future, Move Over: Flying Lotus Gets Jazz Treatment By Canadian Trio

Alex Sowinski on drums, in a pig mask​Who says jazz is dead? Nobody, if Canadian trio BADBADNOTGOOD has anything to do with it. Back in April, we happened upon the group's eight-minute re-imagining of two songs from Tyler, the Creator's Bastard and (our personal favorite) Gucci Mane's "Lemon ... More >>

Top Ten Bands Who Need To Reunite, NOW

Nope, this doesn't count​Last week, we discussed ten bands who ruined their legacy by reuniting. Don't get the wrong idea, though -- we're not complete haters. And so, here are the groups we'd like to see put together one last reunion tour. Note: We're only talking about bands with all of thei ... More >>

Top 10 Least Sexy Sex Stunts in Rap Songs

​Rappers aren't known for their ability to make our toes curl at the merest suggestion of sex--they leave that to Jill Scott, or Jodeci, or J*Davey. No, they're likely to get us all twisted up in our bedsheets for a different reason--confusion. Hearing one too many lines that made us go, "Hu ... More >>

Odd Future Coming to a Candlelit Jazz Club Near You

The Pianist​Sure, you were surprised to hear Tyler, the Creator's "Yonkers" smack dab in the middle of Power 106 DJ Felli Fel's four-hour nighttime mixshow, instead of tucked away in Sunday's midnight "Wake Up Show," but what if you heard him in a jazz club? Matt Tavares, whose neglected MySp ... More >>

Music Picks: Talib Kweli, Pete Yorn, Lucy Schwartz

Also Rise Against, Piney Gir, Deradoorian and others

Music Picks: Balkan Beat Box, Cake, Ted Leo, Vanessa Paradis

Also Red Cortez, Troy Walker, Bun B and others

Big Boi: The Legend

Outkast's less flamboyant half steps into the spotlight at Club Nokia

Waka Flocka Flame Surrenders to Police, His Mom Still Denies She's a Pimp

​Billboard reports that rapper Waka Flocka Flame has "turned himself in on drug and gun charges [...and] his bond was listed at more than $31,000." This incident follows another one from two weeks ago when ATL police barged into the houseof Waka Flocka Flame's mom, a lady by the name of Deb A ... More >>

Slow Soul: The Rise of Neoclassical Soul

Can R. Kelly’s latest be called “throwback” when all of R&B seems to be playing Back to the Future?

Wacka Flocka Flame's Mom Denies Being a Pimp

​Flamboyant rap star Gucci Mane (see yesterday's awesome list) and his "associate" Wacka Flocka Flame (who maybe is a novelty rapper, maybe not, we don't know, maybe the joke's on us, maybe not) are both managed by Wacka Flocka Flame's mom, a lady by the name of Deb Antney. Today, ATL police b ... More >>

Top 5 Hip Hop Guest Appearances Of 2010 (All of Them Involving Gucci Mane)

Gucci Mane loves accessories​Gucci Mane has a knack for making memorable song appearances. Whenever he leaves the studio he gets arrested so it's best he keeps busy at work. See, Gucci Mane is genuine. His real name is Radric, which contains the word "rad" and sounds like an Elizabethan Romanc ... More >>

News Haiku: Gucci Mane Arrested, MC Hammer Is Terrible, Weezy's Last Days in the Can, New Michael Jackson Tracks Fake?

News Haiku: Gucci Mane Arrested, MC Hammer Is Terrible, Weezy's Last Days in the Can, New Michael Jackson Tracks Fake?

Across the Universe: New Flying Lotus Video, Weezer Best Coast, RHCP Lawsuit, R.I.P Eyedea

Across the Universe: New Flying Lotus Video, Weezer Best Coast, RHCP Lawsuit, R.I.P Eyedea

Rap Supergroup Alert: Bun B Cool Kids Freddie Gibbs Black Keys Other Guy = P.O.C.

Freddie Gibbs collaborates with Bun B, Chuck Inglish, Chip tha Ripper and Dan Aeurbach​Hey! It's a new rap supergroup and Snoop Dogg isn't involved this time. Our favorite L.A. (via Gary, Indiana) nü-gangsta rapper Freddie Gibbs has teamed up with an almost all-star lineup for an outfit tent ... More >>

Movie Review: Takers

O.G. Trilogy

In the age of shuffle, rapper Bun B bets on the concept album

Bun B Releases New Album 'Trill OG': Rapper Remembers Pimp C, Talks Soulja Boy Collaboration and Why Hip-Hop Can't Afford to be Lazy

Oldemar Alfaro[L-R] Talib Kweli and Bun B at the 'Trill OG' listening event​It's 9:27 AM in Houston when rapper Bun B picks up fellow emcee Dizzee Rascal from the airport. In Bun's car they cruise the streets, pull up to a house, and once inside, slide a stack of bills across a table. In excha ... More >>

Music Picks: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Donovan, Ana Tijoux, John Wicks

Also, Janelle Monae, Devendra Banhart, the Low Anthem and others