Kathy Iandoli
Jay-Z ‘Unplugged’ Album: Hip-Hop Experts Revisit Each Song
Ten years ago today (Dec. 18), Jay-Z changed the face of hip-hop. Wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt, flanked by the legendary Roots crew in an MTV studio, the Brooklyn native went through 13 of his hits for the 'MTV Unplugged' series, filmed a month prior to the release of the 'Jay-Z: Unplugged' album...
Reminisce Over You: R&B Acts From the 1990s We Miss
It's safe to say that the R&B and hip-hop of the '90s was experimental. Today's superstars were still newbies, having not yet shifted tax brackets, while the divas of the day had been locked in place since the '70s and '80s. Hip-hop was just finishing up business school, praying that mainstream fans would stop being scared of it. Du...
10 Reasons Why Lil’ Kim’s ‘Hard Core’ Is Good for Hip-Hop
November 12 marks 15 years since Lil' Kim dropped her solo debut. 'Hard Core' took a burgeoning femme fatale and placed her in the heart of the neo-gangster movement hip-hop was embracing at the time thanks to the Notorious B.I.G. Oozing slick sexuality and punchy, reckless man-eating musings, 'Hard Core' was an X-rated experience...
Eric Roberson ‘Skypes’ With Son, ‘Studies’ Tech N9ne
Eric Roberson doesn't believe in writer's block. "There's always something to write about," the soul singer tells The BoomBox. "There's always someone in pain, there's always someone in love, there's always someone searching for something...
15 Best R&B and Rap Collaborations From the 1990s
Now it's common practice for hip-hop and R&B to intertwine, but the '90s marked an era where the lines didn't quite yet blur. Rappers were rappers, singers were singers. Sometimes one would parlay into the other, but for the most part, if an R&B chanteuse wanted a rapper on a song, she would get one rather than try to rap herself.
As ...
Top 10 Neo-Soul Acts We Miss
Sitting comfortably within the vastly experimental era of late '90s "urban" music is neo-soul. The sub-genre is one that has taken on many forms since the term was first coined by former Motown Records president Kedar Massenburg to describe what his artist Erykah Badu was accomplishing at the time...
20 Songs About Men and Women Cheating
The Boombox has tallied up songs about the act of cheating.
Ziggy Marley Says Marijuana Is ‘Nutritious,’ Tour Is ‘Best Ever’
Most of today's younger generations have only really experienced Bob Marley through music or sparse interviews. However, the spirit of the legend undoubtedly lives on through his eldest son, Ziggy Marley. Ziggy's career in music began in the late '70s, alongside his father and siblings on the track, 'Children Playing in the Streets...
15 Best Lyrics From Tupac
Sept. 13 marks 19 years since Tupac Shakur left this planet. One of the most prolific MCs that hip-hop has ever seen, the West Coast native's early days of poetry were omnipresent in his music. His lyrics combined tongue-in-cheek bravado with cryptic lines predicting his early demise. 'Pac's catalog is intensely extensive, with posthumous releases still circulating to date.
20 Best Lyrics From Jay-Z
Jay-Z may not have invented the art of clever wordplay, but he certainly perfected it. Starting out with Jaz-O working high-speed syllable flips, Jay eventually slowed down his flow, making sure every line was felt and processed, along with killer double entendres...