Lyrics

Controversial rap group Odd Future have been removed from the lineup of traveling music festival Big Day Out's Auckland stop, due to complaints about their lyrical content. The Los Angeles skate-rap crew's homophobic lyrics, which have caused a stir in the past, raised the ire of Auckland activist Calum Bennachie, who entreated the Auckland City Council to take them off the bill...

Listen to many a rapper's tracks and the rhymes of other fellow lyricists are sure to pop up during the listen. While some critics may write that off as an artist none too creative, Jay-Z is justifying his use of Notorious B.I.G.'s words in his songs...

When Alicia Keys sings, her lyrics resonate soundly. From the youthfulness of songs heard on her seminal album, 'Songs in A Minor,' to the maturity expressed over the rhythms on 'The Element of Freedom,' the New York native has served up countless tracks with substance...

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am needed a little digital aid during a recent performance in France. Breezing through recent hits like 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'The Time (Dirty Bit)' from their 2010 album 'The Beginning,' the Peas' taping on French television show Taratata, which aired Tuesday (June 6), went without a hitch -- until they launched into their newest single...

Killer Mike's job could cost him his life. The Grand Hustle MC, who is known for infusing a political strain in his lyrics, says that his rhymes might just turn him into a hip-hop martyr. "I got concerns that they're gonna kill me," he told HipHopDX...

If you thought Waka Flocka Flame is concerned with his lyrical content, think again. The Atlanta native, who is known for his hits, 'Hard in Da Paint,' 'O Let's Do It' and 'No Hands,' isn't exactly poetic with his lyrics, revealing that making money is more important than the substance of his content...

Usher's ubiquitous hit, 'OMG,' noted on many end-of-year lists as a top tune of 2010, is causing some controversy. The R&B singer is reportedly accused of stealing the hook from a song used in a 2003 episode of 'The Simpsons' and remixing it into the version that appears in his current smash. O...

Jay-Z will release his long-awaited first book 'Decoded' on Nov. 16, and while the text will use his lyrics to reflect on his personal journey, it also explores the global evolution of hip-hop. Now making the press rounds for his first foray into publishing, Hov is in elder statesman mode and unsurprisingly thinks a few things have gone wrong in the genre in recent years...

Last night, David Banner and 9th Wonder chopped it up with Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg at New York's 92Y Tribeca for a special listening session, interview and Q&A. The disparate duo have a new record, 'Death of a Pop Star,' that's near completion and should be out later this summer. ...

In March 2007, Maurice Patterson, an incarcerated drug dealer currently on trial for first-degree murder charges, wrote a cryptic letter to some associates on the outside. Just days after the delivery, a man named Eric Sawyer was found shot to death at the hands of those very associates...