Taylor Crumpton is a GRAMMY.com contributor.
Since its inception in 2019, Afro Nation has brought together the world's best and brightest entertainers in Afrobeats, amapiano, R&B, and hip-hop to perform on stages across the world. For the second year in a row, the festival takes over Bedrock's Douglass Site in Detroit — promising to continue its tradition of highlighting the best in Black music. With its…
Every July, millions of Black people, specifically Black women, descend upon New Orleans for the Essence Festival of Culture (EFOC). Known for many years as the Essence Festival, the festival is a celebration of Black culture, community, and heritage. Since its inception in 1995 as a one-off event to commemorate the publication’s 25th anniversary, the festival has evolved into a…
The most powerful thing for a Black woman to be is free; to embrace freedom of expression, freedom of agency and freedom of autonomy. In all aspects and areas of our lives, Black women strive to be free. In the Black American consciousness, freedom takes on a political nature. But the ways in which we reach our freedom, individually and…
In the days leading up to Usher’s Super Bowl performance, the singer waxed poetically about the significance of this moment not only in popular culture but for Black music. Speaking with Kelly Carter on "Good Morning America," Usher reflected on the history of Black entertainers who performed for the masses under restrictive laws. Although a majority of those laws have…
Even after a flight and an hours-long photo shoot, Coi Leray exudes brightness and warmth as she discusses her monumental year. She carries a vibrant energy that matches her music — all of which is reminiscent of hip-hop's beginnings and bright future. Leray brought that vitality to "A GRAMMY to 50 Years of Hip Hop," where she held her own…
While 2023 marked hip-hop's 50th anniversary, the year comes to a close with a show that proves the celebration can't, and won't stop. On Dec. 10, the Recording Academy's "A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop" paid homage to the culture's originators, innovators, and contemporary leaders. Co-produced by Questlove, the two-hour televised special featured legendary acts and contemporary artists…
When hip-hop began to emerge in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia, every song, album, and artist had a go-go reference. Read on for a history of the genre and how it influenced the many sounds of DMV hip-hop. In 1987, Salt-N-Pepa's "My Mic Sounds Nice" became an instant favorite in clubs and radio stations across…
For decades, hip-hop was regulated to New York, even though its musical stylings traveled to neighboring cities such as Boston and Philadelphia. In those cities, hip-hop was a cultural production of the city’s individual sound and history, rather than that of an entire region. The power of L.A.'s emergent style of gangsta rap was the first attempt by an outsider…
