Hip Hop | Huck
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Hip Hop

The enduring legacy of Wild Style, hip hop’s first ever film

‘We took over the planet’ — As the 1983 feature – which brought New York’s hip hop scene to international attention – celebrates its 35th birthday this year, we talk to the people who made it happen.

  • Film
  • Miss Rosen

A visual guide to the hidden history of hip hop

Power, pride & principles — Represent: Hip-Hop Photography is a new show exploring the immense cultural legacy of the genre, bringing together years of rarely seen, iconic imagery.

  • Music
  • Miss Rosen

The rise of Sampa the Great: hip hop's brightest spark

Giving into greatness — Sampa Tembo's family hoped she’d lead a conventional life: one where music was just a backup plan. But that was never going to happen. Instead she started opening for the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Joey Bada$$, winning acclaim for her socially conscious rhymes. Now, with a debut album on the way, the 24-year-old is primed for a major breakthrough.

  • Music
  • Niall Flynn

A peek inside the world of hip-hop’s video vixens

Lavish illusion — In his new book, Hip Hop Honeys, photographer Brian Finke goes behind the scenes on the world’s most glamorous music videos – only to find that things aren’t quite what they seem.

  • Photography
  • Miss Rosen

The Native American rapper turning rhymes into activism

A different kind of superhero — After a difficult upbringing and a foray into petty crime, Supaman found himself – and his purpose – through hip hop. Now he’s determined to elevate other voices.

  • Magazine
  • James Stout

The photographer who defined old-school cool

Street symphony — Jamel Shabazz has spent his life documenting the city that never sleeps. But while his shots of urban street style have become iconic, the bigger picture – a world of police and prostitutes, drifters and dancers – reveals something much deeper: a commitment to community.

  • Magazine
  • Alex King

We need to stop celebrating rappers who abuse women

From Where I Stand — Despite facing disturbing allegations of abuse, rappers like XXXTentacion and Kodak Black enjoy flourishing careers. It’s time we stopped letting them get away with it.

  • Opinion
  • Anon

This Syrian rapper risked everything for freedom. Now he wants the world to listen

From activist to outcast — In his homeland of Syria, Mohammad Abu Hajar is considered a fugitive – a political musician who wore out his welcome. But in Berlin, where he lives in exile, the right to exist poses a new set of challenges.

  • Activism
  • Lara Atallah

Soda_Jerk remix films of the past to re-invent the future

Moses + Elvis + Judy Garland? — This two-sister collective are sampling everything cinema, blending characters and narratives together to talk politics, death, and everything in between. Oh, and they don't give a shit about copyright law either.

  • Film
  • Biju Belinky

South Sudan’s youth come of age in the face of chaos

Living in limbo — With South Sudan descending back into civil war, a new generation of returnees need to flee for the second time in their lives. But even in exile, their message is clear: change only comes when you're willing to fight – and music is a weapon.

  • Africa
  • Siobhán O'Grady

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