Awesome Hip Hop

They wear a mask just to cover the raw flesh. Or, uh, soul? Hiphop Heaven pays homage to the late MF Doom with a cute crossover featuring Nintendo characters. This kick-ass collection of 12″ plushies features Kirby, a goomba, and a boo wearing the rapper’s iconic mask. You can also get all three as a discounted bundle.

With tracks like Clint Eastwood, Feel Good Inc., and DARE in their catalog, Gorillaz has made some great music. Throughout most of its history, only two things remained constant – musician Damon Albarn, and artist Jamie Hewlett, who brought the group’s image and backstory to life. Music Vibe explores the history of the band, its characters, and its collaborators.

UK printmaker Dorothy and artist Malik Thomas teamed up to create this large-format A0 (33.1″ x 46.8″) digital print, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. Its giant boombox is filled with iconic moments and musicians, including Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., Sugarhill Gang, Beastie Boys, Salt-N-Pepa, De La Soul, Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, and many more.

Amen, Brother is an obscure B-side from a 1969 record by The Winstons, but it’s also the source for a six-second, 4-bar drum and bass sample which has found its way into literally thousands of hip hop, techno, dance, and pop songs. It’s even in the Futurama theme.

Freestyle hip hop dancer and So You Think You Can Dance season 10 champ Fik-Shun Stegall shows off his incredible muscle control, balance, and precision in this performance from the 2014 World of Dance in Las Vegas.

Blue Monday Press offers this fun take on tarot cards, replacing the traditional imagery with famous rap stars. The deck includes all 22 Major Arcana cards, with illustrations of RZA, MF Doom, 2PAC, Drake, and others to help predict your fortunes.

Lamar + Nik created this clever music video for Taylor Bennett f/Mr. Hudson’s soulful hip hop track Don’t Wait Up. Rather than shooting on location, they placed the musician into scenes using the screen from an iPhone. They made the sets from cardboard, hot glue, and assorted miniatures. Behind the scenes here.

Leo Moracchioli covers Run DMC’s 1986 hip hop hit It’s Tricky, taking a rap metal approach not dissimilar to Red Hot Chili Peppers version of the Ohio Players’ Love Rollercoaster. We love how Leo still managed to work in some scratching.

With the NPR offices temporarily off-limits, they’re continuing the Tiny Desk series with new episodes recorded at musicians’ homes. Here, MC Sa-Roc brings her smooth blend of hip hop, soul, social commentary, and spiritualism to bear, with a set of four poetic tracks loaded with meaningful messages. That’s Sol Messiah on DJ duties.

(PG-13: Language) Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia melds pop, disco, and funk into a chart-topping dancefloor banger. But Kyle Brauch gave the album a whole new sound by deftly remixing every track with 1990s hip-hop. The mashup includes raps from DOA, Xzibit, DMX, Dre, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and more.

Let Beastie Boys members Adrock and Mike D walk you through their story in “revealing and funny accounts”, from their amateur days to the release of their classic albums. Also features contributions from their friends such as Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson.

“Now I slay beats… ‘member when I would slay freaks.” Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe’s smooth sound and positive vibes are a breath of fresh air, complemented by soulful backing vocals and jazzy instrumentals as he performs Houston Tribute, Caged Birds, Against the Grain, Shine, and I’m Dope. at the NPR offices.

(PG-13: Language) “Somewhere in the middle of all that s**t was the hope that one of us was gonna make it.” Showtime’s Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men is a four-part documentary series about the rise and the legacy of rap’s one true supergroup. Premieres Spring 2019.

(PG-13: Language) The Wu-Tang Clan celebrated the 25th anniversary of Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) with this live set at NPR Music. They performed a medley of their hits, both from their discography as a group or from individual releases.

(PG-13: Language) Eminem produced this upcoming comedy film about the world of battle rap. In Bodied, a Berkeley grad student accidentally competes and wins a rap battle. He continues to find success but alienates the people around him. Premieres 11/2/18.

“Success brings sacrifice. And if you thinking it’s a piece of cake, you can have a slice.” Hall of fame MC Rakim dropped by NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert to perform King’s Paradise from the Luke Cage Season 2 OST, as well as his classics Paid in Full and Know the Ledge.