Underground Hip-Hop

Independent Hip-Hop Icon Murs To Play at Gramophone Tonight: An Interview

One of the icons of independent hip-hop for over a decade, Murs comes to St. Louis tonight at the Gramophone. The fearless leader of the Road to Paid Dues Tour, Murs is traveling coast-to-coast to spread the word about the upcoming 2013 installment of his annual festival, which takes place at the e ... More >>

Talib Kweli

7 p.m. Saturday, December 22. Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street.

The Ten Best Shows In St. Louis This Weekend: September 7 to 9

This weekend is a good one for local artists, as it includes two album release shows and a music video release party. Friday night will see the release of Old Capital Square Dance Club's new CD at Off Broadway, as well as Spelling Bee's latest offering at the Schlafly Tap Room. The former is ten dol ... More >>

Pete Rock

10 p.m. Friday, March 30. Lola, 500 North 14th Street.

Dead Prez Is Coming To The Firebird

​This announcement came in late last week, but we wanted to make sure everyone saw this: The Firebird just booked Dead Prez for a show on August 15th. Tickets are $20 and on sale now. Dead Prez, of course, is stic.man and M-1 -- known throughout its more than decade-long career for its rigi ... More >>

DJ Kase One on J Dilla and the Future of the Hip-Hop DJ

Photo by Jon Scorfina​ Despite vinyl's outdated technology, it is an essential aspect of hip-hop culture. Considering this, up-and-comer DJ Kase One (a.k.a. Aaron Hinton) chooses to spin only vinyl at his regular gig Diggin In The Crates at Delmar Lounge, every second Saturday of the month at ... More >>

Tobacco

8 p.m. Friday, May 6. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Lyrics Born/Skins & Needles/Nato Caliph

9 p.m. Thursday, April 14. 2720 Cherokee, 2720 Cherokee Street.

Kool Keith at the Firebird, Wednesday, April 6

Scott LayneKool Keith throwing it down at the Firebird.​Old-school Bronx rapper Kool Keith brought his warped mind to the Firebird last night. Mathias of Earthworms, Spark1Duh? and Red Zero (playing its first show together) opened. Scott Layne was there; relive the show through his photos. C ... More >>

Kool Keith Coming to the Firebird

Hip-hop shapeshifter Kool Keith - a.k.a. Dr. Octagon, a.k.a. Dr. Dooom, a.k.a. Black Elvis, a.k.a. many other aliases -- is coming to the Firebird on April 6. Tickets are on sale today at noon; no word yet on prices. It's hard to describe Kool Keith's legacy, not to mention this insanely huge catalo ... 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 >>

R.I.P. Guru from Gang Starr, 1966-2010

Guru, one-half of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, died yesterday due to complications from cancer. He was 43. The group's influence on New York hip-hop is unparalleled, while Guru's seminal 1993 album Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 -- which dabbled in jazz, soul and funk -- established him as a talented solo artist ... More >>

New (Local) Music Thursday: Stream a new Jumbling Towers Song, Grab an Awesome Instrumental J Dilla Tribute Mix

After our post about Jumbling Towers' new video, "Gilberta," last week, the band dropped me a line about other goings-on in its world. First up: The release of The Kanetown City Rips, its long-awaited new album, on May 1 at the Firebird. Bassist Nate Drexler tells me that this show will feature plen ... More >>

St. Louis Producer Phaseone Drops New Mixtape: "The Realest Shit I Ever Wrote"

Why is this the cover art? Nobody knows.​Phaseone, the RFT's Best Producer of 2010, has been getting all kinds of Internet lovin' for his new mixtape "The Realest Shit I Ever Wrote." The fifteen-track, 29-minute compilation was featured on Pitchfork's Forkcast earlier this week and Jeff Weiss, for ... More >>

Ill Bill/Tech N9ne

8 p.m. Tuesday, May 13. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard

Lyrics Born

8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. Lucas School House, 1220 Allen Avenue.

Battle of the Beats

A culture war is rocking within St. Louis’ underground hip-hop scene.

Filthy Lucre

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

El-P

I'll Sleep When You're Dead (Definitive Jux)

Terror

6:30 p.m. Sunday, January 21. Pop's (1403 Mississippi Avenue, Sauget, Illinois).

MF Grimm

American Hunger (Day by Day)

Mr. Lif

Mo' Mega (Definitive Jux)

Soul Position/One Be Lo

Friday, April 21, at 9 p.m. Blueberry Hill's Duck Room (6504 Delmar Boulevard, University City)

Full Court Press

DJ Crucial ropes in an all-star cast of collaborators for his latest album

A Bigger Fish to Fry

B-Sides attends a local radio station's Lenten fish fry, explores why a local jazz TV program didn't get off the ground and recommends this week's primo download

Anyone for Doomsday?

B-Sides crafts a mix CD for the dumped, reviews a ringtone blowing up our cells and explores the beef between MF Doom and MF Grimm

DANGERDOOM

The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon youve been jamming and dig this years buried black-music treasures.

MF Doom

MM..Food (Rhymesayers)

Murs

Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition (Def Jux)

KMD/Madvillain

The Best of KMD/Madvillainy (Nature Sounds/Stones Throw)

Can We Kick It?

Old-school hip-hop is ready for revival

Mix Masters

These days anyone can make a mix CD, and everyone does. Two local standouts manage to challenge as well as entertain.

Aesop Rock

Float (Mush)

Slum Village

Trinity (Past, Present and Future) (Priority)

Space Monkeyz vs. Gorillaz

Space Monkeyz vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come Home (Astralwerks)

El-P

Fantastic Damage (Definitive Jux)

Beat Juggler

Hip-hop legend Prince Paul is responsible for some of the music's most transcendent moments

Hipper Hop

The Anti-Pop Consortium built up its reputation by tearing down rap conventions

Vans Warped Tour 2001

Wednesday, July 11; Riverport

The Lo-Lifes

Rack-Lo Rack Lauren (Spit Factory/Skillionaire)

The X-ecutioners and the Souls of Mischief

Thursday, November 2; Galaxy

Deltron 3030

Deltron 3030 (Ark 75)

Goin' Back to Cali

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

Dilated Peoples, Jurassic 5 and Talib Kweli

Thursday, May 4; Galaxy

Space Invader

A case file on the multiple personalities of Kool Keith

LOOTPACK

Soundpieces: Da Antidote (Stones Throw)

Dilated Peoples, Jurassic 5, Beat Junkies

Thursday, August 5 ; Karma

Triple Threat Tour featuring Apollo, Shortkut, Vin Rock, DJ Cue and Mr. Sinister

Friday, July 23; Karma

Local Time