Taking a brief look back at the genre, hip-hop was born from the competitive spirit of MCs going bar-for-bar at block parties ...

Roy Ayers was a beloved sample source who made it a point to collaborate with rappers as the genre rose to prominence ...

This heel turn not only blew up the first incarnation of De La Soul; it tore apart the utopian idea that hip-hop’s balkanized turf wars could be set aside in favor of creative fellowship.

Shante gained local notoriety at “Roxanne Wars,” series of hip-hop battles in the mid-1980s. yielding rap music’s first “diss ...