Hip Hop
British rapper Akala on the virtues and limits of practicing what you preach
Spittin' conscious lines — From independent records to speaking truth to power, British rapper Akala has strived to practice what he preaches. But, by his own admission, sometimes even he gets it wrong.
Written by: Oliver Pelling
In Pictures: Rare portraits from Wu-Tang Clan’s golden era
Icons of Wu — British photographer Eddie Otchere shot intimate portraits with every member of Wu-Tang Clan over a five year period when the group were at their creative peak.
Written by: Alex King
How a dying musician created a visionary hip hop masterpiece
Donuts Dissected — J Dilla super-aficionado and head of music at Boiler Room, Raj Chaudhuri reveals the inspiring tale of a dying musician’s inextinguishable spirit and his magnum opus, Donuts.
Written by: Gabriela Helfet
Video: Japanese dancers chase the hip hop dream in LA
L.A. Dreamers — Five Japanese hip hop dancers share their experience of trying to make it in Los Angeles in a beautiful short documentary from Dani Fortuny and Igor Kosenko.
Written by: HUCK HQ
Video: Stones Throw Records’ 360-degree virtual reality tribute to the late great J Dilla
J Rocc and Karriem Riggins go in for Dilla — On the tenth anniversary of Dilla’s iconic Donuts, Stones Throw release a special Dungeon Sessions tribute video.
Written by: Alex King
Legendary NYC photographer Ricky Powell looks back on three decades of hustling
"Thirty years of pro photos on a hangout tip" — A walk-and-talk with photographer Ricky Powell, the New York City busboy who took over the downtown scene.
Written by: Alex King
Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, announces retirement in freestyle rap message
"No more parties in S.A." — The artist formerly known as Mos Def rounds off a week of bad headlines by releasing an audio message on Kanye West's official site where he announces his apparent retirement. Also plugs Swish.
Written by: Adam White
Great new music to look out for in early 2016
New albums, tracks and videos — Huck takes a look at some of the new punk, hip-hop, soul and electronic sounds to catch in the upcoming months.
Written by: Josh Gabert-Doyon
New documentary Rubble Kings shows how hip hop grew out of New York gang culture
The Warriors in real life — Bombed-out buildings, empty blocks, rampant fighting – NYC was rough.
Written by: Joshua Gabert-Doyon
How Dan Bull became one of the biggest MCs in the UK with no radio play
Good rhymes are good rhymes — Meet Dan Bull, the DIY rapper who topped the charts with perseverance alone.
Written by: Rob Boffard