There’s something like a renaissance, we’ve been told, in Los Angeles hip-hop right now. The success of good kid, m.A.A.d. city sparked renewed interest in hip-hop’s second-oldest metropolis.

Guns are recurring characters in American life. They sit front and center in some versions of rap music, whether to be glorified or denounced (Nas’ “I Gave You Power” comes to mind). They play key ...

Gangsta rappers such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac (2Pac) Shakur can be heard blasting from car speakers all over the city. They can be seen on MTV, and on the covers of Rolling Stone and a ...

A gangster-themed project would be typecasting for Al, who not only starred in the ultimate gangster films of all time, but also had roles in Carlito’s Way, Scarface, and more. Al’s rep reportedly ...

Freddie Gibbs may have flat-lined gangsta rap. As one of the most hyped up-and-comers, the Indiana native has amassed a publicity portfolio that includes magazine covers, plaudits from The New Yorker, ...

For fans and critics who intellectualize it, gangsta rap, or “reality rap,” is serious business. For them, the defining genre of West Coast hip-hop represents true stories from the ’hood as told by ...

The storied Seattle hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces have returned with a new album called Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star, their first since 2014’s excellent Lese Majesty, and their third album ...

“I would describe my music as just like tough, the sh*t you wanna hear for real,” says Quadie. “Just let loose and listen.” Over the chorus-less course of “GANGSTER,” Quadie Diesel raps in long ...

Chenrick Robinson was once a gangsta rapper. As a teenager, Robinson rejected the violence and braggadocio that defined that once dominant rap style, a family tragedy inspiring him to pursue conscious ...

“This is black superhero music,” Jay-Z proclaims in his excellent new “Roc Boys.” That means live horns, grooving on some kind of Afro-beat riff over Seventies rumble-in-the-jungle funk, while Jay-Z ...