Jacqueline Michael Whatley

Last October, West Coast production legend and innovator DJ Quik tweeted that he was selling all of his musical equipment. In a 2013 interview with HipHopDX, Quik made it clear that he wasn't retiring, just focusing on his own work: "I get paid for engineering and mixing people's records, and......

Despite recent claims by various media outlets of a Wu-Tang "reunion," Method Man clarified in a September interview with the Daily Beast that the iconic rap posse had "never broken up" and are preparing to release a new album, A Better Tomorrow, in November. The album will feature all surviving......

Sponsored by game maker Capcom, the 13-city Drake vs. Lil Wayne Tour finally enters its West Coast phase. The "Street Fighter"–inspired tour features multiple Grammy winners Drake and Lil Wayne battling one another with individual hits, then joining forces to perform their chart-topping collaborations. Through the Drave vs. Lil Wayne......

KDAY's annual Fresh Fest returns with a rather unexpected lineup. The show features performances by Mobb Deep, Mack 10, Trick Daddy, Above the Law, Jayo Felony and 2nd II None. Perhaps the most interesting choice is Mase, the former Bad Boy affiliate who rose to international music acclaim alongside Diddy......

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Legend teams with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and American funk darlings Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings to perform Marvin Gaye's highly political 1971 concept album, What's Going On, in its entirety. The timely masterpiece, for which Motown founder Berry Gordy initially expressed disdain, discussed structural inequality, corruption......

Two of music's more polarizing figures, Eminem and Rihanna, team up once again for their national, six-date Monster Tour. The Bajan singer stirred things up in July after flashing the crowd at the closing of Brazil's World Cup games. Eminem was this year's most Grammy-nominated artist yet left the ceremony......

Formulated by music industry vet and b-boy–at-heart Adam Torres, the Masters of Ceremony Hip-Hop Reunion comes to Los Angeles after a highly lauded stint in January at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The lineup, which reads like a primer on hip-hop cultural history, features performances by Doug E. Fresh,......

Jurassic 5 is the globally renowned, six-piece hip-hop act featuring Chali 2na, Marc 7 and Cut Chemist (formerly The Unity Community), Akil and Zaakir (formerly Rebels of Rhythm) and later, DJ Nu-Mark. Founded in 1993 via Los Angeles underground rap hub the Good Life, they are widely respected standard-bearers of......

Following last year's wildly successful inaugural event, BET Experience returns with an equally star-studded roster of performances from some of the biggest names in R&B and hip-hop. Headlining the three-day affair are Grammy Award winners Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Maxwell, Outkast and Jennifer Hudson. Marsha Ambrosius and rap darlings......

Since its inception in 2006, the weekly Lincoln Heights - based Low End Theory party has been a mecca for fans and a launch pad for performers of experimental instrumental hip-hop (sometimes called "beat music"). Founded by Alpha Pup's Daddy Kev, Low End Theory was inspired by the weekly 2003......