Communities have a long history of storytelling, the dozens (a form of verbal sparring), and spoken word poetry, all of which laid the groundwork for what would eventually become rap music.

Explore hip-hop and rap-related collections from across the Smithsonian that offer perspective on the African American experience and its impact on American culture. Visit an online experience on the ...

As a core member of Terror Squad, Pun not only brought mainstream recognition to the crew but also helped push its sound to ...

Hip-Hop has evolved tremendously in its 50 years of existence. Technology is one of the main factors that help the art form move forward.

Live Crew Released Their Classic 'As Nasty As They Wanna Be" LP 36 Years Ago 2 Live Crew 'As Nasty As They Wanna Be" ...

Black Moon debuts, Erick Sermon goes solo, Eazy-E releases a scathing Dr. Dre diss, MeShell Ndegeocello creates a new soul standard, U-God and Pharoahe Monch make their solo debuts. On this day ...

Rapsody is the third female rapper to win Best Melodic Rap Performance, following Lauryn Hill, who won the award in 1999 for ...