Rick Ross

Rick Ross Raps About Panera Bread's Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

In recent weeks rapper Rick Ross has made headlines for his controversial verse in rapper Rocko's song "U.E.O.N.O.," with lyrics that describe date rape. Last week Reebok dropped Ross' contract, and he made a public apology for the lyrics. And now Ross is in the news again for eyebrow-raising song ... More >>

Johnny Depp to Collaborate With Nick Cave, Tom Waits on Album of Sea Shanty Songs?

Has anyone noticed that Johnny Depp is a musician now? Wait, has everyone but me noticed that Johnny Depp has been a musician...always? I mean, aside from his singing in movies that I slept through because I thought it'd be funny to get drunk beforehand. Maybe this is just news to me. See Also: - ... More >>

Mystikal, Famous Sex Offender / Rapper to Drop New Album in 2013 With Appearances By Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne

Mystikal has been getting a lot of attention for an interview he did with Rolling Stone recently. In said interview, he mentions that lately he's been listening to James Brown, Sam Cooke, Master P, Ludacris, and Eddie Murphy lately, and is in the midst of working on a new album (recent singles seem ... More >>

Five Rappers Fans Love That Critics Can't Stand

By Marcus Arman Not all rappers need critical adoration to achieve commercial success. Some use negative reviews as motivation, others dismiss them as hate, and a few of them probably don't know what constitutes a review. But it's commendable anytime an artist reaches some level of success. In fact ... More >>

Timmy Stallone is the St. Louis Rap Rookie of the Year

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

East St. Louis rapper Fresco Kane is on the cusp

Meet the (Likely) Next St. Louis Hip-Hop Superstar

This week's music feature, written by Daniel Hill, is about Fresco Kane, the East St. Louis rapper formerly known as Gena who recently signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. Kane (nee Greg Lawary) grew up playing any instrument he could get his hands on. He's been around the scene for some ti ... More >>

27 Hip-Hop Videos You Should Know from St. Louis and Beyond

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

The Power of Time and Truth

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Meek Mill

7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 16. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Win Meek Mill Tickets

Update: We have a winner: Matthew, who submits Scarface's "On My Block" via Facebook. What an incredible song. We're all winners, really, because now we get to listen to this. Side note: How 'bout that new commenting system, eh? Philly mixtape prince Meek Mill brings his Dreams and Nightmares tou ... More >>

Lessons I Learned From Nelly

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Rodney King and The Psychotic World We Live In

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

50-Plus St. Louis Hip-Hop Artists You Should Know

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

The 2012 RFT Music Showcase Lineup for June 2

DJ Jewel on Interviewing Techniques and Getting Hit on at a Schnuck's Parking Lot

Plies--the gold-selling Florida rapper famous for a string of hits including "Shawty," "Bust It Baby Pt 2," and "Lose My Mind"--will be at The Ambassador in North County this Saturday night, continuing a who's who list of top rap acts to play the club in recent months including Jeezy, Rick Ross, T.I ... More >>

Rapper's Sheet: Gang life inspired Yo Banga's music. Now it threatens to derail his career.

Bun B, 8Ball & MJG Promoter Jonathan Burns Talks About This Weekend's Show and His Past

Big time, old school hip hop headlines a weekend of top tier rap acts with 8Ball & MJG and Bun B at the Ambassador in North County this Saturday night (6 p.m., $25-$40). Yo Gotti and his I Got That Sack tour is at the Ambassador on Friday (6 p.m., $35-$75), and Yung Joc is at Posh late on Saturday ( ... More >>

10 Best Things to Do in St. Louis This Weekend (That Do Not Involve Air Supply)

​Just in case you haven't nearly wrecked your car staring at Lumiere Place's toweringly monolithic billboard off I-70 recently, we'll start out by informing you that yes, the legendary Australian wuss-rock powerhouse known as Air Supply will be playing in town this weekend. Hard core soft-rock ... More >>

Kreayshawn And Neon Indian At The Blue Note, 10/26/11: Review And Photos

Diana BenantiKreayshawn​Kreayshawn | Neon Indian The Blue Note October 26, 2011 Better Than: Actually being a minor again. By now the myth of the Kreayshawn is as huge as the chasm between her sound and aesthetic and that of her current mini-tour mate Neon Indian. Still though, this was a N ... More >>

Rebecca Black, Kreayshawn and Tyler the Creator: Hype Hounds from Hell

Michele Crowe/MTV​Behold the three biggest page-view generators of 2011: Tyler the Creator, Rebecca Black, and Kreayshawn. This trio has come to represent the holy trinity of overhype -- with each one famous for dubious reasons, or at the very least, more famous for the wrong things than the r ... More >>

The Ten Best Things to Do in St. Louis This Weekend: August 19-21

Todd OwyoungThe last time they were here, Blink 182 gave us sex, immature jokes and rock 'n' roll. We're hoping for more of the last one this time. ​This weekend is one for nostalgia. There's the PG-13 excess of the Nickelodeon '90s that comes with a concert fronted by Blink 182 (and shared wi ... More >>

Ten Best Things to Do in St. Louis This Weekend: July 29-31

​It's almost all about the locals this week, with Spelling Bee kicking off its tour tonight at Pig Slop and a Saturday night on which we really wish we could clone ourselves: Griffin Kay's last show with So Many Dynamos, Jason Torbitzky's last show with Theodore at the Union Electric 7" relea ... More >>

Waka Flocka, Wiz Khalifa, Ludacris, Keri Hilson Nelly and more at Superjam 4: 6/12/11

Nelly makes a guest appearance to snuggle with Keri Hilson. Photo by Kiernan Maletsky​Super Jam 4 Mindless Behavior | Rockwell Knuckles and Tef Poe | Block Boyz | MoTre | Ruka Puff | Gena | Travis Porter | YC | Lloyd | Yo Gotti | Keri Hilson | Wiz Khalifa | Waka Flocka Flame | Ludacris Verizo ... More >>

Producer Stllegend Picks Dream MCs for His New EP

​Producer Stllegend (a.k.a. Charles Purnell) just posted a bunch of tracks he had lying around as the Soundcloud Leftovers EP. You can download it for free on Bandcamp. Purnell is an encyclopedic hip-hop fan, St. Louis and otherwise, so we thought we'd ask which rappers, logistics and practica ... More >>

Talib Kweli at Pop's, 4/19/11: Review

Photo by Jon Gitchoff​ Talib Kweli/Fred the Godson/Dusty Wallets/Earthworms Pop's Nightclub and Concert Venue Tuesday, April 19 Not to be discouraged by the lightning, hail and winds that tore through the area last night, fans of alternative hip-hop ventured out to see one of the genre's pre ... More >>

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj at the Scottrade Center, April 10: Review

Todd Owyoung​ Lil Wayne/Nicki Minaj/Rick Ross/Travis Barker/Mix Master Mike The Pageant April 10, 2011 Better Than: Whatever the hell else went on last night. They came in jacked-up ghetto cruisers and sensible Hondas; they came in glute-hugging tube dresses, crisp white T's and homemade sh ... More >>

The Ten Best Things To Do This Weekend in St. Louis: April 8 to 10

​It's FRIDAY, FRIDAY! Gotta get down on FRIDAY! Here's where you can find this weekend's FUN, FUN, FUN and partyin', partyin' (yeah), starting with locals Bikini Acid at Floating Laboratories and ending with Lil' Wayne and a few of his famous friends.

Nicki Minaj/Lil Wayne/Rick Ross/Travis Barker/Mix Master Mike

7 p.m. Sunday, April 10. The Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Avenue.

Laurence Maroney Charged With Marijuana Possession, Escapes Weapons Charge

Police HandoutLaurence Maroney as "Pippi Bongstocking"​The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office yesterday charged NFL player Laurence Maroney with marijuana possession following a January 17 arrest outside a Rick Ross concert.Maroney, 26, was pulled over in an Infiniti SUV that police said was bloc ... More >>

Interview: Wiz Khalifa on Dank, Odd Future and His New Film with Snoop Dogg

​A select few got to "Roll With Wiz" last night at the Flamingo Bowl. The chronic-loving Pittsburgh rapper was in town promoting his new album Rolling Papers, which drops next week. Khalifa gamely posed for pictures with fans, signed posters and treated them to free eats -- it's no wonder he's ... More >>

Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross Definitely Playing St. Louis

Todd Owyoung​That alleged Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross show on April 10 at the Scottrade Center we told you about? Totally on. Ticket prices are TBA, and are on sale February 19 at 10 a.m.

Tef Poe fights against complacency, and defies pigeonholing, with War Machine

Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross Allegedly Playing St. Louis

Todd OwyoungLil Wayne at the Chaifetz Arena in 2009​Yesterday, Pitchfork published a list of tour dates for a Lil Wayne headline tour, which included a Sunday, April 10, stop in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center. Keep in mind that the venue hasn't yet confirmed this show (although that date is ... More >>

Interview Outtakes: Girl Talk's Gregg Gillis on Making Music and Liking Katy Perry over Lady Gaga

Dove Shore​Tonight is the long-awaited, very-sold-out Girl Talk show at the Pageant. In this week's paper, D.X. Ferris spoke with Gregg Gillis, the man behind the moniker. (Note: The author is a fellow Pittsburgh native who grew up in the same classic-rock-obsessed area and witnessed Girl Talk ... More >>

Review: Rick Ross, Waka Flocka, Trina and Lloyd at the Chaifetz Arena, Monday, January 17

Jon GitchoffRick Ross​Some of the hottest names in rap and R&B came through St. Louis last night for the State of Emergency concert, and for their respective afterparties (which were held at four different venues). As I expected, the majority of the crowd was in their twenties, with a few olde ... More >>

Saint Louis: State of Emergency Concert with Rick Ross

7 p.m. Monday, January 17. The Chaifetz Arena, One South Compton Avenue.

Interview: Tef Poe on War Machine, His Fantastic New Album

courtesy of Tef Poe​Tef Poe's War Machine is a nineteen-track tour de force. The Force member's musical versatility has always been his calling card, and so it's not surprise that Machine embraces diversity and defies pigeonholing. Genre-wise, it touches on warm R&B, ominous hip-hop, celebrato ... More >>

Michael Jackson's Posthumous Michael and R. Kelly's Long-Awaited Love Letter: New Releases Highlights for December 14

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) Ryan Adams and the Cardinals' III / IV​*Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Cardinals III/IV The Consequence of Sound review of III / IV sang its praises: "This year ... More >>

Show Announcements: Week of December 9

It's too pristine to be glitch hop, it's too pretty to be dub, but the production duo Lazer Sword are hyphy as hell and have taken hip hop sample snobbery to new heights. The San Francisco via LA and Berlin team will undoubtedly bring their sickest to 2720 Cherokee on Thursday--it is 18andCounting' ... More >>

Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Headline a Martin Luther King Day Concert

​Although this time of year is usually slow for concerts, early 2011 is finally starting to pick up steam, starting with the Rick Ross headlining gig at the Chaifetz Arena on Monday, January 17. Dubbed the "Saint Louis: State of Emergency" concert, the lineup also includes Waka Flocka, Lloyd ... More >>

Live-Blogging Nelly's Debut as Drive-Time Host on Hot 104.1 FM

As we reported yesterday, St. Louis hip-hop icon Nelly has accepted a new gig as drive-time host at Hot 104.1 FM. No word on how long this stint will last, but the St. Lunatic is already two hours into his first shift. We thought we'd listen in and see how Nelly rocks the mic in a different way.4:4 ... More >>

Top Sellers at Area Record Stores: Week of July 19 thru July 25

= local, * = coming to town Rick Ross is the Teflon Don​Vintage Vinyl 1. Rick Ross -- Teflon Don 2. The Roots -- How I Got Over 3. M.I.A. -- Maya 4. Eminem -- Recovery 5. Curren$y -- Pilot Talk 6. Black Keys -- Brothers 7. Trip Daddys -- Roll On! 8. Kentucky Knife Fight -- We're All Namele ... More >>

New Album Release Highlights: Tuesday, July 20

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) Rocksteady​*Big Head Todd And The Monsters, Rocksteady Todd Park Mohr, vocalist and guitarist for Big Head Todd and the Monsters, said of the new album: "We ... More >>

Vintage Vinyl's Top 50 Best-Selling CDs and Top 25 Best-Selling LPs of 2008

Vintage Vinyl just released its list of best-selling LPs and CDs of 2008. (Physical product? Remember that?) Interesting to see how many local releases -- and how much hip-hop/R&B/rap -- is on the CD list, while how much old (and new) indie rock is on the LP list. Looks like you kids are downloa ... More >>

Girl Talk at the Pageant, Thursday, January 8: Show Review Photos

Better than: A crowded dorm-room party with cheap beer and cheap vodka drank out of red plastic cups, awkward grinding and an iTunes playlist full of cheesy dance hits. Actually, wait - that was kind of what the show was. Slide ShowThere's no easy way to review last night's Girl Talk show, mainly ... More >>

Busted Rhymes: The Top 10 Most Preposterous Rap Songs of 2008

By Ben Westhoff Hip-hop A-listers including Rick Ross, Akon and Plies were caught grossly exaggerating their gangster credentials this year. (Turns out they were painfully law-abiding. The horror!) But even if your favorite rapper wasn't caught in a lie, you can bet he or she put out a hilariously ... More >>

Royal Contrast: Hip-hop ex-pat Wafeek celebrates paradoxes with new album, The Aristocrats

Halftime Report: Taking a look at some of the most buzzed-about albums of the year

Chingy featuring Amerie, "Fly Like Me"