Sampling has been an integral part of hip-hop for decades. It's one of the genre's main foundations. When a producer uses a portion of an already existing song for a new record, the sample turns the ...

Hip-hop has had a strong connection to reggae music since the days of DJ Kool Herc’s summer house parties in the early 1970s. Hip-hop’s foundation was built on elements of the Jamaican sound system ...

This article has been handpicked from the Okayplayer editorial archives and included in our Hip Hop 50 collection as a noteworthy inclusion to the genre's rich and diverse narrative. The article has ...

In the mid-1980s, Ron G. became the master of the blend tape. By putting together R&B and hip-hop instrumentals, he and a DJ named Hot Day (whose "Hot Day Master Mix" married New Edition to Public ...