Our Writers

Ten critics, ten perspectives. Each brings a different lens to hip-hop — from production technique to cultural sociology, from Southern trap to the global diaspora.

Marcus

Senior Music Critic

Hip-hop journalist with two decades covering the culture. Has written for print and digital outlets across New York. Based in Brooklyn.

Reviews (9)

Mac Miller — FacesBeastie Boys — Licensed to IllPusha T — DAYTONASnoop Dogg — Tha Return of Doggystyle Records: Tha MixtapeLittle Simz — Sometimes I Might Be IntrovertJ. Cole — 2014 Forest Hills DriveNas — IllmaticThe Notorious B.I.G. — Ready to DieKanye West — Late Registration

Danielle

Southern Hip-Hop Correspondent

Covered the rise of trap, crunk, and dirty south from the strip clubs to the stadium tours. If it came out of the South, she was there first.

Reviews (7)

Future — MonsterDrake — Take CareThe Roots — Things Fall ApartKendrick Lamar — To Pimp a ButterflyEminem — The Marshall Mathers LPOutKast — Stankonia50 Cent — Get Rich or Die Tryin’

Victor

Production Analyst

Beatmaker turned critic. Trained in audio engineering, spent five years making beats before picking up a pen. Hears what most writers miss: the EQ, the chop, the space between the kicks.

Reviews (6)

Madvillain — Madvillainy2Pac — Me Against the WorldMobb Deep — Hell on EarthKanye West — GraduationDrake — Nothing Was the SameLil Wayne — Tha Carter III

Keisha

Lyric Analyst

Background in English Literature. Breaks down bars the way professors break down sonnets. Has published academic work on hip-hop as American poetry.

Reviews (14)

billy woods — AethiopesEarl Sweatshirt — Some Rap SongsAesop Rock — Labor DaysIsaiah Rashad — Cilvia DemoMos Def — Black on Both SidesArmand Hammer — HaramIsaiah Rashad — The Sun’s TiradeBas — Milky WayThe Notorious B.I.G. — Life After DeathNas — StillmaticKendrick Lamar — DAMN.Jay-Z — The Black AlbumKanye West — The College DropoutPlayboi Carti — Die Lit

Ray

West Coast Editor

Los Angeles native. Covers everything from G-funk to the new LA underground.

Reviews (7)

ScHoolboy Q — OxymoronBlack Moon — Enta da StageTyler, The Creator — IGORWu-Tang Clan — Enter the Wu‐Tang (36 Chambers)Tyler, The Creator — Flower BoyEminem — The Slim Shady LPJay-Z — Reasonable Doubt

Tariq

Global Hip-Hop Correspondent

Covers the international spread of rap — from grime to Afrobeats to the Canadian wave. Sees American hip-hop from the outside looking in.

Reviews (16)

Drake — For All the DogsDrake — Honestly, NevermindDrake — Certified Lover BoyDrake — ScorpionDrake — More LifeDrake — ViewsDrake — Thank Me LaterDrake — If You’re Reading This It’s Too LateJay-Z — The Blueprint2Pac — All Eyez on MeOutKast — AqueminiFivio Foreign — B.I.B.L.E.A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight MaraudersRun the Jewels — Run the Jewels 2Lil Wayne — Tha Carter IINas — King’s Disease

Nina

Culture & Identity Critic

Writes about hip-hop through the lens of identity, gender, and community. One of the most recognized Latin voices in independent music journalism.

Reviews (3)

Dr. Dre — The ChronicMobb Deep — The Infamous…J. Cole — Born Sinner

Zeke

New Generation Critic

Came up on blog-era rap and streaming culture. The youngest voice on the team and the one most likely to disagree with everyone else.

Reviews (11)

Young Thug — JEFFERYDanny Brown — Atrocity ExhibitionBenny the Butcher — Burden of ProofBROCKHAMPTON — Saturation IIITravis Scott — UTOPIATravis Scott — Birds in the Trap Sing McKnightTravis Scott — RodeoSmino — Luv 4 RentTravis Scott — ASTROWORLDKanye West — My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyPublic Enemy — It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Malcolm

Industry & Business Analyst

Spent years working in A&R and artist development before turning to journalism. Understands the business behind the music — the deals, the politics, the strategies that shaped careers.

Reviews (7)

EPMD — Strictly BusinessChance the Rapper — Acid RapConway the Machine — God Don’t Make MistakesKanye West — YeezusNas — It Was WrittenJ. Cole — The Off‐SeasonWu-Tang Clan — Wu‐Tang Forever

Diane

Sociology of Sound

Graduate researcher in cultural sociology. Studies hip-hop as a social movement, not just a genre. Connects albums to the neighborhoods, economies, and politics that created them.

Reviews (6)

Common — ResurrectionTalib Kweli — QualityRun the Jewels — Run the Jewels 3Dr. Dre — 2001Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d cityA Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory