Some musical genres are natural fodder for hip-hop beats: funk, soul, jazz -- even hard rock. But light rock? Mixing soft acoustic strains with aggressive 808 beats can be a recipe for disaster -- or ...

Hip-hop at it's core is lyrics on a beat, with both being vital for the final product. Throughout the genre's history, there have been some truly incredible beats that turned producers into stars, and ...

When you think about love in rap, Common's "The Light" is an essential example. From his album "Like Water for Chocolate", Common raps heartfelt lines of devotion over a mesmerizing J Dilla beat, ...

Hip-hop beat-makers are usually unseen. Not all sample-based producers are as reclusive as the torch-bearing loop artist Madlib, but even the most prominent among them are part of the backdrop. After ...

Something interesting is happening in the “Progressive R&B” category at this year’s Grammy Awards. Four of the six nominated albums contain songs that bear the unmistakable rhythmic signature of a ...