If public speaking is a fear for some, try doing it under a spotlight on stage, in rhyming couplets, with cogent ideas and narrative, and the threat of being booed off the stage if you’re not ...

There is power in a well-written verse and potential in a skillfully crafted freestyle, yet some rappers don't do both. They know where their specialty lies. Some of hip-hop's favorite rappers speak ...

Growing up in the Oakland public school system, MC Hyim began freestyling when he was 8 years old. Today, he performs and produces conscious hip-hop, encouraging listeners to do tikkun olam — take the ...

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from ...

“Trying to outdo the last verse is our curse” – Andre 3000AllHipHop sat down with Big Boi of OutKast and got the legendary rapper’s views on lyricism and the art of freestyling. As told to ...

For Bay Area artist and mentor Megan Correa, known on stage as Lil MC, hip-hop has always been more than music; it's been a lifeline. "I don't even know if I'd be here today if it hadn't been for ...

With all that success, it’s easy to forget that the Wesleyan University alum, 45, got his start as a freestyle rapper. Newly released footage of Miranda and the Hamilton cast visiting Late Night with ...

Ray Anthony Barrett, “Porchmonkey Pawns For Manicured Lawns Jockey For Position Without Inquisition (Battle Chess), (from Porch Monkeys) (2014l) (all images courtesy of the artist and Diane Rosenstein ...