[Realizing the power of hip-hop is global, Bram Van Splunteren traveled overseas to the City That Never Sleeps, to document life of hip-hop, and helping audiences worldwide understand where it comes from. From LL Cool J to Run-D.M.C, Splunteren gives you the top five reasons to purchase his film, Big Fun in the Big Town .]

Damn you writer’s block, stifling any attempt at a memorable introduction to get things under way. Another piece of paper screwed up and headed towards the bin...what’s that though...Grand Slam grunter Serena Williams has released a hip-hop track? And subsequently has shown true rapper heritage by getting annoyed at having it leaked online? You couldn’t make it up, and that, ladies and gentleman, is this month’s introduction written. Keep on with those volleys and chop-shots Serena. Wanna watch a mid 80s hip-hop documentary overseen by an impossibly-named, Dutch Jarvis Cocker-lookalike? Of course you do ...

R.A.P. Music is the new album from rapper Killer Mike and producer El-P. It's got this sense of urgency earned it comparisons to Public Enemy's Fear of A Black Planet and Ice Cubes AmeriKKKas Most Wanted. This could very well be the best rap album of the year. Have a listen to standouts "Jojo's Chillin"(peep that Slick Rick storytelling, set to a Run D.M.C. beat, with a Compton's Most Wanted groove) and the country rap flavored "Southern Fried" right here . Also hear his ode to roots music on the title track ...

--  Big Fun in the Big Town , the 1986 hip-hop documentary that features footage of Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and others, will be available on DVD on May 22. It's the first time the film has been commercially available in 25 years. Check out a trailer here . --  The Light the Dead See  is the new album from UK production duo  Soulsavers , out May 22 via Mute . The album features contributions from Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan. Listen to the album here . -- Today,  RWD Magazine  released  RWD - The Legacy , a three-CD compilation collecting UK garage, grime, and dubstep. The ...

From Global Grind : There have been a lot of artists recently talking about “good girl gone bad,” Rihanna. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t see why everyone has their panties up in a bunch. It’s just that she is out there allegedly fuckin’ the rockstars of her dreams and you out there fuckin’ groupies. You can’t be mad that she was seen walking out of Ashton Kutcher’s house late one night, cause you know if you were seen walking out of Adriana Lima’s house late one night, you would be in the studio ...

It’s been more than 25 years since Jann Wenner completed the machinations which resulted in the creation of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concept that took tangible form in 1995 when the I.M. Pei designed building opened its doors in Cleveland, Ohio. At its inception, the entire concept seemed ripe with possibilities and existed as a truly inspired focal point for acknowledging the musicians that invented, innovated and propelled rock and roll. Initially, the choices for induction hardly needed qualification; the initial class that included Chuck Berry, Presley">Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Little Richard was followed up quickly by classes that brought The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and The Who into its then-fictional hallowed halls. With artists becoming eligible 25 years from the date of their first release, the ’90s and most of the ’00s saw many classic rock stalwarts like Elton John, The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band receive their rightful ...

Where is The Dirty Skanks’ Nathan Cavaleri? That’s surely the question on everyone’s lips following Australian Guitar Magazine’s list of the Top 50 Aussie Guitarists. Topped by AC/DC’s Angus Young, the list includes many worthy (ie. M+N -approved) contenders such as Deniz Tek, Lobby Loyde, Adalita, Tim Rogers, Marty Willson-Piper, Mick Harvey, Spencer P Jones, Gareth Liddiard (pictured left, giving Dan Kelly an impromptu guitar lesson), Brad Shepherd, Kim Salmon, Ash Naylor, Tom Lyngcoln, Oren Ambarchi and, of course, the late Rowland S Howard, who recently had a custom pedal made in his honour ...

Photo by  Ruvan Wijesooriya Quite a busy year for James Murphy in his post- LCD life, with no signs of slowing, either. Murphy has teamed up with  Pedro Winter  (a.k.a. Busy P) of Ed Banger Records  on a series of collaborations to celebrate the opening of a new Levi's store on Champs Élysées in Paris. The pairing was commissioned to symbolize a union between French and American creative cultures.   Murphy and Winter co-designed limited edition T-shirts and trucker jackets to be sold at the store during its opening months, and curated collections of albums that will soundtrack ...

Run-D.M.C from Hollis, Queens, New York were a crucial part of rap history, helping the Beastie Boys to become the first successful white rap group. Joseph “Run” Simmons–now known as Reverend Run–eschewed racial perceptions of hip-hop and signed the all-white Beastie Boys to his label Def Jam, bringing the group on tour with him and [...]

On May 4 th this year, the turntables of hip-hop stopped suddenly when the shocking announcement of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s death started appearing in our Twitter’s timelines. Music fans across the globe were left spinning and in disbelief by the news, but alas, it was true. The hip-hop pioneer, activist, film director and founding member of one of the genre’s most influential groups, had lost his three-year-long battle with cancer and passed away in his native New York City aged only 47. In his wake, he left a huge legacy, including countless classic albums, tracks and ...

We’re still reeling from the loss of Adam “MCA” Yauch , a founding member of the Beastie Boys who passed away on Friday after a long battle with cancer. While there’s been no official announcement, we can’t see Mike D and Ad-Rock touring as the Beastie Boys in the future, but stranger things have happened.  For this installment of Boot Camp, we’re going to highlight five must-have Beastie Boys bootlegs from throughout their career that every fan should have. None of them are hosted here, but we’ll point you in the right direction. 02/07/1987 ...

Spod (aka Sydney musician Brent Griffin) pays tribute to the Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch, who inspired a whole generation of disenfranchised Australian teens. Yauch passed away on May 4, aged 47. When I woke up on Saturday morning, before breathing or opening my eyes, I rolled over and checked my phone like every other dickhead in this day and age, and my automated computer news advisor was informing me that Adam “MCA” Yauch was dead. So I trot off to Twitter and Facebook and see everyone else posting videos, stories and the like, so I add my little bit ...

Adam Yauch (1964-2012) with his beautiful daughter. Heartbreaking. In the wake of Levon Helm 's death, not to mention the suicide of Junior Seau , who was 6 months my senior and a fellow southern California boy, Adam Yauch 's sudden death at 47 hit me way harder than I could've possibly imagined. MCA was always the coolest Beastie ("cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce"), but the legacy of the Boys will be of three brothers who shared a brain and influenced a culture. Rather than tick off the resume, allow me to regale you with ...

MCA’s body wasn’t even fucking cold yet and those faggots at Digital Gravel put up a t-shirt for sale with the Run DMC font saying RIP MCA.. Those dudes are classless money grubbing cocksuckers. “A PORTION OF PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO THE PABLOVE FOUNDATION (PABLOVE.ORG) an organization funding pediatric cancer research and advances in [...]

by BBG The first two hip hop records that I ever heard in full were nothing less than classics. I'll always remember having the cassette-dubs of the harder-than-hard leather-clad Run DMC, whose Raising Hell was the pinnacle of hip hop...