Run-DMC

Hip-Hop for Dogs: The Worst Dog Hip-Hop Book Ever?

If you like your music blog experiences to be timely and relevant, I suggest you stop reading now. This piece is neither. It concerns a book from five years ago that's as inconsequential now as the day it was published. This book hasn't dropped a track on Soundcloud, and it's not in a Twitter fight ... More >>

The Class War Between Food Culture and Music Culture

Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship I'm a sucker for the Food Network. Chopped is my jam, I have strong opinions about specific Iron Chefs, an ... More >>

On Safari at Bass Center VII

Bassnectar spent the weekend rattling skulls in Midtown at the Chaifetz Arena. This wasn't his usual show, however: This was Bass Center -- the huge DJ's annual blow-out tribute to low frequencies and the ways they make you move. On hand to celebrate the occasion were Zeds Dead, Gramatik and Gladkil ... More >>

The Top Five Hip-Hop Albums of All Time, According to Lyfestile

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 >>

You Have One More Day to Submit Your Band for An Under Cover Weekend Six

The annual hero-halloween for St. Louis bands known as An Under Cover Weekend* is scheduled for September 7 and 8 at the Firebird. Want to show everyone your excellent Spice Girls impression (someone please do this)? Now's your chance. The event is taking submissions for another 31 hours as of this ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows In St. Louis This Weekend: May 11 to 13

Local music fans in the know spent last night at KDHX's massive party at the City Museum, Midwest Mayhem -- I myself had to wash my eyeballs this morning to try and purge them of the things I saw at the skatepark burlesque show. The whole event was huge, weird, fun and extremely exhausting, but ther ... More >>

Idle Warship at 2720 Cherokee: Review

Idle Warship | SoundClash 2720 Cherokee February 15, 2012 Since setting up shop in the burgeoning Cherokee Street Art District in 2009, 2720 has made a name for itself in the national club scene as one of the top venues for street-inspired dance music. Last night's performance with Talib Kweli in ... More >>

Don Cornelius Welcomed St. Louis Artists Aboard the Soul Train

Music fans are still reeling from the death of Don Cornelius, the unmistakable and irreplaceable host and creator of Soul Train. Cornelius was found dead on Wednesday in Los Angeles of what police believe to be a self-inflicted wound. The Chicago native and Korean War veteran was 75. With the sadn ... More >>

Kids These Days: The Six Least Impressive Music Careers Of Respected Musicians' Children

​By now you've probably heard about Pablo Dylan, Bob Dylan's grandson's aspiring rap career, which, if you're like us, probably made you cringe, especially if you've listened to any tracks from his mixtape, 10 Minutes. After we wiped the blood from our ears, we started to think about other o ... More >>

Ten Biggest Musician Death Conspiracies

wikimedia commons​There's always been a sense of glamour in the blur of all that is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and it doesn't end when the music's done, or even when the rock stars die. Instead, an eerie feeling of mystery and unfinished business surfaces when the demise of a music icon is ... More >>

Photos: Nelly's Fifth-Annual Black and White Ball at the Chase Park Plaza

Egan O'Keefe​Last night, Nelly held his fifth annual Black & White Ball at the Chase Park Plaza. Celebrities, athletes and various members of the local glitterati came to to the Jermaine Dupri co-hosted event. DJ Charlie Chan warmed the crowd up with a DJ set full of contemporary pop, hip-hop ... More >>

Last Collector Standing: DJ Mahf on the Relationship Between Hip-Hop & Art, His Formative Years and His Brother Jim Mahfood's Influence

Jon Scorfina​When not out competing in national DJ tournaments, DJ Mahf (a.k.a. Dan Mahfood) can be found scouring local record stores for hours on end, sometimes with a portable record player by his side. A life-long fan of funk, soul and hip-hop, Mahf used to use a fake I.D. to sneak into Bl ... More >>

Photos: KSHE's First-Annual Pig Roast, starring Tesla, Queensryche, Jackyl, Candlebox -- And a Hall of Fame Hip-Hop Icon?

On Saturday, KSHE 95 held its first-annual Pig Roast at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Queensryche, Ratt, Tesla, Candlebox, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, Saving Abel, LOGOS and others performed. Of particular note: Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniel showed up and performed "Walk This Way" with ... More >>

Holiday Jam Countdown '09, All-Star Edition: Mariah Carey vs. Run-DMC vs. the Ramones vs. U2

The big guns come out on Christmas Eve. The classics. The canon. The pillars of seasonal cheer. Have a merry Christmas, if that's your thing. We're not going dark next week, so check back for fun stuff and interviews! MP3: Mariah Carey, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" MP3: The Ramones, "Merry C ... More >>

Are Those Sleigh Bells We're Hearing? Nah, It's Just More Holiday Album Fun with Pet Shop Boys, Beatallica, REO Speedwagon and Michael McDonald...

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer spotlights a number of this year's top holiday releases. Here are several more festive releases that you might have missed. But are you really missing anything? Read on...​The Pet Shop Boys, Christmas Unlike your grandmother's fruitcake, which is always an ... More >>

Old School Back In Session: Vintage Vinyl Unearths Another St. Louis Hip-Hop Original

Last year, while digging through a cluttered storeroom, a Vintage Vinyl employee discovered a pair of rare 12" records with roots that stretched back to the very beginning of St. Louis hip-hop.The records-- "Power of Soul" by Dangerous D and DJ Charlie Chan and "Culture Shock" by Early D--eventually ... More >>

Aerosmith

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, 14141 Riverport Drive, Maryland Heights.

Cleveland Rocks! With the Hall of Fame Inductions, Bruce Springsteen Exhibit and Music History

Last weekend when I was visiting my parents, I had the pleasure of taking a music-centric tour of Cleveland and some of its music landmarks. The timing was fortuitous, because the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are taking place this Saturday, April 4, in the lakefront city. Those ... More >>

Obscurity Knocks: The Cucumbers

(Welcome to Obscurity Knocks, where every Thursday we'll unearth something good -- but obscure -- we think deserves notice.) MP3: "Susie's Getting Married"Artist: The CucumbersAlbum: The Cucumbers four-song EP Year: 1983Label: Fake Doom RecordsWho were/are they?  A band from the New Jersey sub ... More >>

Xmas Jam Countdown: Run DMC, "Christmas in Hollis"

MP3: Run DMC, "Christmas in Hollis" From 1987's A Very Special Christmas. I'm also including the video below, because it's by far the best holiday-themed clip ever.

Review: A7 Reunion Show in New York City

(Last weekend, local hardcore band Cardiac Arrest played the A7 reunion show in NYC. CA singer/songwriter Rob Ruzicka was kind enough to write about his experiences below. More video can be found here, photos over here.) After stopping for some real slices of pizza, we got to the Knitting Factory a ... More >>

Videos: Top Ten Old-School Hip-Hop Jams

Old School: Unearthed in a cluttered storeroom, a pair of vintage St. Louis hip-hop recordings help tell the history of rap

Vintage Vinyl Unearths Rare Local Hip-Hop Vinyl from Charlie Chan, Dangerous D, Early D

B-Sides traces the history and evolution of the power ballad in honor of Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick, and examines An Under Cover Weekend's '80s and '90s participants

Second Spin: The Cucumbers, The Cucumbers

Filthy Lucre

Malcolm McLaren is the godfather of today’s mainstream hip-hop. But not for the reason you think.

A new book explores the history of the influential U.K. label Rough Trade — but does it get history right?

Plus, a sidebar detailing some of the label's essential releases.

Aerosmith

7:30 p.m. Sunday, October 15. UMB Bank Pavilion (14141 Riverport Drive, Maryland Heights).

They Did What?

2005's Top WTF? moments

Coping Mechanism

Citizen Cope turns hip-hop on its tail

Merry Christmas, Beeyotch!

Forget caroling. Here are a few hip-hop jammy-jams to warm your Yule log.

Mark Sandman

Sandbox (Kufala)

Steal These Albums

The ten most radical hip-hop records of all time, including NWA, Public Enemy and...Mos Def?

Best FM Radio Personality

Bob Reuter
KDHX (FM 88.1)

Damn, That DJ Made My Day

Jam Master Jay, 1965-2002

Nelly and the St. Lunatics with the Big Tymers, Lil' Wayne, Fabolous and Amerie

Saturday, November 2; Savvis Center

True Dat

A Run-act play starring the Simmons brothers, Russell and the Rev

Aerosmith with Stone Temple Pilots

Wednesday, October 2; UMB Bank Pavilion

Unhappy Accident

Dee Dee Ramone died the same way he lived -- by accident

Sugar, Sugar

A new book about bubblegum bands provides more than empty calories

Kid Rock

Cocky (Lava/Atlantic)

Marketing Tool

It's all semantics: A single CD and a four-track video compilation now constitutes a boxed set. When will it end?

UniverSoul Man

Cal DuPree's efforts to assemble a "black circus" resulted in an amazing display of color

Goin' Back to Cali

The re-emergence of Del tha Funkee Homosapien heralds a renaissance for Bay-area hip-hop

808 State

Students at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park pay homage to the Roland Corp.'s creations

Grrl Crazy

Artist Jim Mahfood produces a comic for young-adult hipsters in his Grrl Scouts

HANDSOME DAN

DJ-cum-producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura finds his musical niche

Listening Post

Sound Checks