Something interesting is happening in the “Progressive R&B” category at this year’s Grammy Awards. Four of the six nominated albums contain songs that bear the unmistakable rhythmic signature of a ...

Hip-hop beat-makers are usually unseen. Not all sample-based producers are as reclusive as the torch-bearing loop artist Madlib, but even the most prominent among them are part of the backdrop. After ...

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — In a classroom at the House of Urban Culture, tucked away in the narrow streets of Dakar, Senegal, Aminata Thiam claps her hands in time with a beat she created on her computer. ...

J. Brookinz doesn't want beat makers to be anonymous. Sure, hip-hop fame and glory goes to rappers. But Brookinz is an evangelist for beat makers, who put together the music heard on hip-hop songs. On ...

In the beginning, there was hip-hop, a set of cultural art forms in the Bronx. This is the radically abridged story of how, almost half a century later, it begat Strolling Company, a dizzying, ...

This story is part of our new Hip-Hop: ’73 Till Infinity series, a celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary. Producers are just as (if not more) important than MCs on a track. As much as fans care ...

After nearly 30 years and much debate, Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones Pt. II" has officially been named the greatest hip-hop beat of all time. After nearly 30 years and much debate, Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones ...

Hip-hop at it's core is lyrics on a beat, with both being vital for the final product. Throughout the genre's history, there have been some truly incredible beats that turned producers into stars, and ...

From his booth at the corner of the court, Miami Heat disc jockey M Dot has a front-row look at the harmonious fusion of basketball and music. M Dot — real name Michael Hankerson — has watched LeBron ...