Black Thought was midway through another episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with his band The Roots, a typical Tuesday—at least for him. This time, Fallon was having him freestyle about various audience members for a segment called “Freestylin’ with The Roots.” He rapped off the cuff about a guy who was convinced… Keep Reading
Navigating through all of the new rap artists emerging out of NYC can be tough. Finding someone who is fresh, interesting, and likes to get stoned might even be a mission. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon Cleotrapa. Cleo being from Staten Island, which happens to be my hometown, made the assignment even more intriguing.… Keep Reading
Comedian Stavros Halkias is ready to chill the fuck out. After blazing through the comedy scene over the past year—self-producing his debut comedy special, Live At The Lodge Room, and recently dropping his first Netflix special, Fat Rascal, just over a year later—the New York-based comedian hailing from Baltimore is ready to finally rest for… Keep Reading
Since breaking through with Sixteen Stone in 1994, Bush’s Gavin Rossdale has been a music industry mainstay. The debut album peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts, leading to successful albums and side projects over the next three decades. In all, Rossdale and Bush have amassed 24 million record sales and over a billion streams. … Keep Reading
JoJo Valente, a.k.a. The JoJoSnaps, has found her place in cannabis through photography, using her craft to share the many stories and characters throughout the cannabis industry and broader community. The first inklings of her Puff Portraits series began in 2020, and since then, she’s captured some of the most notable people in the culture.… Keep Reading
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins stayed drunk through most of the psychedelic ’60s. When I encountered him, in the early spring of 1973, he had put his Black & White scotch aside and was on the wagon. He drank coffee, a great deal of it, and orange juice. He smoked cigarettes, a great many of them. Sometimes… Keep Reading
Bernard “Bun B” Freeman was whipping through Los Angeles traffic to make his LAX flight after a whirlwind trip from his home in Houston, Texas. The UGK legend had vowed to fit in as many business meetings and lunches as possible prior to celebrating his wife Queenie’s birthday in Turks and Caicos. Just days earlier,… Keep Reading
Browsing through an antique bookstore in Quito, I stumbled on a book called Shabono: A Visit to a Remote and Magical World in the South American Rain Forest, written by an anthropologist named Florinda Donner. Published in 1982, I expected it to be like most academic texts: interesting but long-winded and dusty. Instead, I got… Keep Reading
We’re less than halfway through October but boy has it been a banger already, so we’re stacking this one extra fat to catch up on all the action. I feel like I’m constantly saying to myself ‘that was only last week’ after talking about things that seemed to have happened months ago, and I don’t… Keep Reading
Paul Wall laughs easily—even through his customized silver grillz, a staple for the Houston-bred rap legend. His laid-back demeanor, approachability, and obvious humility have made him “The People’s Champ,” a rapper and entrepreneur who isn’t afraid to admit his shortcomings and deepest insecurities. It’s a refreshing quality, especially in hip-hop where bravado and ego often… Keep Reading
