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Celebrating 25 years of the Original

Artist-Driven Platform
Discovery Destination
Culture Hub
Message Boards
Social Media
It’s a true honor to be both reporters and guardians of a culture as vibrant and dynamic as hip-hop. For 25 years, Okayplayer has supported and championed artists and musicians blazing new trails and charting new sonic territories. As our co-founder, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson proudly stated, “I started this to be a playground for people to come and discover new records and incredible new artists.”

That spirit of discovery and authenticity is still alive and well 25 years after the original Okayplayer Boards came into existence. In the current zeitgeist, the platforms for music distribution have changed, global messaging apps have evolved, and the super information highway is definitely more cluttered than ever before. But even through all these transitions and the inevitable march of time, the initial ethos and mission of Okayplayer still remain steadfast.

We’ll always strive to uplift real artists, talented musicians, and fearless shapers and drivers of culture.

Happy 25th Anniversary Okayplayer — here’s to the next 25 years. 

Peace, Love, and Good Vibes,
- The Okayplayer Team

D’Angelo's Masterpiece 'Voodoo' Laid Out the Blueprint for a New Masculinity

John Legend Wishing OKP A Happy 25th

Okayplayer Through The Years

25 Essential Artists From The Okayplayer Boards

By Miki Hellerbach
The Okayplayer message boards was the OG site for hip-hop heads and artists to gather online and discuss the music. For our 25th anniversary, we've put together a list of 25 artists for whom the boards played a key part of their careers.

OKP Shoutouts From Our Extended Family

By Okayplayer Family Members
Okayplayer was the original spot for hip-hop heads and artists to gather on the internet before social media was ever around. We're celebrating our 25th anniversary and our extended family is looking back.

Little Brother Has Come a Long Way From the Okayplayer Boards

By Kyesha Jennings
Ahead of their block party, Little Brother spoke with Okayplayer about celebrating their debut album The Listening, De La Soul, working with Lil Wayne, and more.

Here's The Story Of How Yasiin Bey Made Questlove Into An MF DOOM Fan

By Elijah C. Watson
"He kept breaking it down to me until he finally planted the seed in me," Questlove recalled.

Black Thought Recalls How The Notorious B.I.G. Felt About the “What They Do” Video

By Jaelani Turner Williams
In a new episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli, The Roots frontman Black Thought discussed the alleged diss towards The Notorious B.I.G. in the 1996 “What They Do” music video.

The Soulquarians Quietly Won the Late ‘90s, Early 2000s Rap War

By John Morrison
With a sound that was carved out in the late ‘90s, early 2000s, the Soulquarians have influenced the underground and mainstream alike, bridging a commercial and aesthetic divide that once seemed insurmountable.

1999-2003

It’s almost as if renowned drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (of The Roots fame) and decorated television writer Angela Nissel could feel the pulse of the times; moving their musical collective Okayplayer to the World Wide Web in 1999 changed the landscape of the internet. Evolving from a blog centered around The Roots to becoming an irreplaceable online community, Okayplayer (or OKP, for short) was the online center for fans of neo-soul, underground rap and everything in that stratosphere to bond, talk to their favorite artists, build friendships and create together. On Okayplayer’s 25th anniversary, we’re looking back at just how impactful the site has been.

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Rap music in 1999 into the early 2000s has been unfairly viewed as warring factions, as mainstream rap and their underground counterparts found success at the same time. When Eminem, Nelly, DMX and Jay-Z were etching their names in the record books, Yasiin bey (fka Mos Def), Common and The Roots were creating timeless music of their own. Of course, there were also artists, like the inimitable OutKast, who existed at such a large scale that they fit into both worlds. Even though Okayplayer was more attuned to rap that was off of the beaten path, there was room for fans of the biggest commercial stars there. OKP wasn’t only a home for rap; the website was instrumental in the then-burgeoning Neo Soul movement.

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D’Angelo’s Voodoo dropped in 2000, as did Erykah’s Mama’s Gun, and both were huge on OKP. The musical sensibilities of these artists, both of which are mired in funk, the blues and vulnerability within their lyrics, directly aligned with those of your typical Okayplayer member. Both albums are Neo Soul monuments, and helped elevate a musical genre that was soaring with no signs of slowdown. Lauryn Hill and Maxwell were two of the genre’s earliest superstars, with Alicia Keys coming along in 2001 and taking the world by storm.

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Okayplayer’s first five years required dedication, resilience and belief in the community. The site and message board went on to become the stuff of legends, and it all started with Questlove and Angela not only taking a chance on themselves, but believing in the power of the early internet.

Culture Makers:
‍1999-2003

THE NEO SOUL MOVEMENT

The name “Neo-soul” is the work of Kedar Massenburg, president of Motown Records in the late ‘90s, as well as CEO of his own label, Kedar Entertainment. Best described as R&B without boundaries, the genre took off. He managed D’Angelo and signed Badu to his label, two of the most popular neo soul artists of all time.The origins of neo soul’s sound began in the late ‘80s, but truly rose to prominence in the mid-to late 90’s, when artists such as D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell and Erykah Badu became stars by putting their own spin on R&B. Maxwell and Badu sang like otherworldly beings; D’Angelo felt both perfectly anchored in the now and the vivid past of soul, funk and the blues; Lauryn Hill was a songstress with razor sharp MC chops, like nothing the world had previously seen.

Neo soul continued into the year 2000, with D’Angelo’s Voodoo, Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun and Jill Scott’s Who is Jill Scott? all being critical and commercial successes. The next year was just as competitive, with Maxwell’s Now, Alicia Keys' Songs In A Minor, Angie Stone’s Mahogany Soul and Bilal’s 1st Born Second all receiving high acclaim. Later years produced Musiq Soulchild’s Juslisen, Raphael Saadiq’s Instant Vintage, along with other neo-soul standouts.

RAWKUS RECORDS

Started in 1995 by co-founders Brian Bater and Jaret Myer (with funding from James Murdoch), Rawkus Records is easily one of the most important labels of the late ‘90s. Rawkus Records was a key part of underground hip-hop’s surge at the time, as they signed the young producer Hi-Tek, the worldly MC Yasiin Bey (then Mos Def), the politically-attuned Talib Kweli, fiery wordsmith Pharoahe Monch, street rap legend Kool G Rap and more. 

Rawkus Records understood where underground rap was headed, and pushed their chips in on the right acts. After releasing Company Flow’s well-received 1997 debut Funcrusher Plus, the label kicked off their legendary compilation series, Soundbombing (1997)  and Lyricist Lounge(1998). Striking while the iron was hot, Rawkus dropped two classics in Black Star’s Talib Kweli and Mos Def are Black Star in 1998, then Yasiin Bey’s timeless debut album, Black On Both Sides in 1999. These albums were star makers for both rappers, and entrenched Rawkus as a real factor within hip-hop.

From late 1999 to 2003, Rawkus was responsible for notable releases like Pharoahe Monch’s Internal Affairs, the Soundbombing sequel, Big L’s The Big Picture, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek’s Train of Thought and Talib’s solo album Quality. Pulling off this kind of run is what label’s dream of, and Rawkus made it reality with a crew of talented and unique artists.

THE OUTKAST TAKEOVER 

The 1999-2003 era really cemented Outkast’s superstar status within hip-hop. Their Stankonia album (released in 2001) was a masterpiece on so many levels. Helmed by the frenetic lead single, “B.O.B.” André 3000 and Big Boi proved they were more than capable of living up to their group’s moniker. Other standouts on that album included the melodic “Sorry Mrs. Jackson” and the slick, “So Fresh and So Clean.”

The follow-up to this record was the chart-topping double album, SpeakerBoxx/The Love Below, which was released in 2003. 3 Stacks was always the member of the duo with a penchant for completely coloring outside the lines — and on this project, he went all the way with the monster single, “Hey Ya.” The video for this track featured Andre in bold kelly green get-ups, flowing perms, and even preppy equestrian uniforms. This was southern hip-hop on steroids and the rap world ate it up wholeheartedly. Not to be outdone, Big Boi scored a chart-topper as well with the soulful and funky bop, “The Way You Move” featuring fellow Dungeon Family artist, Sleepy Brown.

Years earlier, Andre 3000 had said at an award show that “The South got something to say.” It’s fair to say that after these two albums, they’d arrived, said their peace, and carved a permanent spot for themselves in hip-hop.

THE ROOTS:
THINGS FALL APART + PHRENOLOGY

From Philadelphia to the world: The Legendary Roots Crew released two of their most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful albums between 1999 and 2023.

‍Things Fall Apart, (released in 1999) was a rare and impactful work of art — everything from the harrowing cover art of two black women running from white policemen in Jim Crow America to the excellent drum-and-bass tinged smash single, “You Got Me.” This song, with accompanying features from Erykah Badu & Eve (and of course, the brilliant Jill Scott version) will most likely take its place as one of the most well-conceived storytelling records in hip-hop history. Other gems on this LP included “Adrenaline!” featuring fellow Philadelphia artists, Dice Raw and Beanie Sigel, and the timeless “Act Too (The Love of My Life)” featuring Common.

That album was followed in 2002 by the more mainstream-aspiring Phrenology which revealed a more accessible side of the eclectic  rap band. It featured such gems as “Break You Off” featuring Musiq Soulchild and the soulful rock-infused “The Seed (2.0)” feat Cody Chestnutt. You’d be hard-pressed to find a back-to-back release in modern rap history that mirrors the quality of the aforementioned Roots albums. 

THE OKAYPLAYER BOARDS 

As one of the most enticing (and futuristic) components for Day-1 Okayplayer users, the message boards were a place for people from all over the world to come together and discuss what they loved most: music. The boards were the first online music playground, and through them, a sense of community was forged that had never been experienced before.

Eventually, these conversations transcended beyond just music, and people were willingly sharing the details of their ups, downs, triumphs, tribulations, and everything in between. “We were a real life group of friends that knew each other from the internet,” says Donwill, an avid user of the boards since its launch in 1999. 

Co-founders Questlove and Angela Nissel started Okayplayer as a way to connect people to music, and in turn, brought people from all walks of life together in the most surprising way imaginable. Often times, the most monumental movements in culture see their birth as a result of a fleeting whim or flash of inspiration — but when that spark of ingenuity is pure and untainted, the resulting reverberations spread like unwavering ripples through time.

OKP Coverage:
1999-2003

How Rawkus' 'Soundbombing II' Launched a New Era of Independent Rap

By Dart Adams
On May 18th 1999, Rawkus Records released Soundbombing II, the landmark album that paved the way for one of the greatest independent rap runs ever.

The Secret History Of Talib Kweli’s “Quality”

By Jerry Barrow
Talib Kweli walks us through the creation of his debut solo album, Quality, on what marked the project's 15 year anniversary.

The Secret History of Outkast's 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below:' the Last Truly Great Double Album

By Mr Wavvy
We break down the creation of Outkast's Speakerboxx/The Love Below double album, through stories from many of its coveted collaborators.

The Story of The Roots' "You Got Me": Why Jill Scott's Version Reigns Supreme

By Jaelani Turner Williams
A retrospective look on the Roots' "You Got Me," and how it spawned two versions - the original with Jill Scott and the re-recording with Erykah Badu.

Raphael Saadiq Explains How His Search For A Joint Led To Him & D'Angelo Making "Untitled"

By Elijah C. Watson
The singer said he and D'Angelo made the song in two hours.

Hi-Tek on the "Bittersweet" Making of His Classic Solo Debut 'Hi-Teknology'

By Preezy Brown
We spoke with producer Hi-Tek about his solo debut Hi-Teknology, the underlying drama surrounding its release, the impact of "Round & Round," and how the album's creation led to the eventual split between him and Talib Kweli

2004-2008

By 2004, rap’s relationship with the internet started to become more intertwined. The web was turning into a breeding ground for learning more about rap scenes worldwide, along with being a place to trade music. As the internet surged, so did underground rap, allowing artists who were burgeoning stars in niche scenes to stretch further than anyone could have imagined. Acts like MF DOOM, J Dilla, Slum Village, Justus League, and more surely benefitted from the internet, and OkayPlayer was one of the vehicles for that. OKP was starting to hit its stride now, and the timing could not have been more perfect.

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Some household names made noise from 2004-2008, one continuing with their previous momentum, and the other breaking out as a superstar rapper and producer. The Roots dropped The Tipping Point, Game Theory, and Rising Down in those 5 years, continuing to evolve their sound. Out in the Midwest, Chicago’s own Kanye West released his debut album, College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s & Heartbreak, four great albums that formed the core of his career.

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Okayplayer also took a step into the real world in 2008, the year of the first-ever Roots Picnic. The Philly music festival not only served to showcase The Roots and other talented acts like J*Davey, Santigold, and Gnarls Barkley; it also allowed OKP message board members to meet up in one place. The online community was now tied to a yearly event that would only grow larger. These five years were a great time in music, as new talent popped up left and right, with a solid amount of them standing the test of time.

Culture Makers:
2004-2008

Slum Village & J DIlla

Time is to be cherished; you never know how long the experience will last. For Detroit rap legend J Dilla/Jay Dee (real name James Yancey) and his impactful group, Slum Village (consisting of his childhood friends Baatin and T3), the years of their peak flew by, but their influence in hip-hop will never be forgotten. J Dilla was a producer and rapper who was nothing short of a magician behind the boards. His ability to manipulate samples and convey emotion with his beats was second to none. 

Dilla had an otherworldly understanding of how to make his beats knock, while also cooking up some of the smoothest melodies hip-hop has ever heard. The juxtaposition of his more “conscious” sounding production next to Slum Village’s lyrics about women and money was new and uncharted territory. While they were formed in 1996, they bootlegged their debut album Fantastic, Vol. 1 in 1997, leading to them taking off locally. 

Dilla’s skills on the mic and behind the boards got him onto the radar of Q-Tip, another hip-hop mainstay who similarly danced between both disciplines. Around 1996, Dilla was now a part of The Ummah, a production team featuring Q-Tip and his A Tribe Called Quest comrade Ali Shaheed Muhammad. This partnership led to Dilla’s production being instrumental to ATCQ’s Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996),  The Love Moment (1998), and Q Tip’s solo album Amplified in 1999. Dilla continued to get bigger, working with stars like Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson, and Erykah Badu. J Dilla would leave Slum Village in 2001, the year after Slum Village released their second album Fantastic, Vol. 2. Dilla would release his debut album, Welcome 2 Detroit, that same year.
Slum Village would reach their highest point in the mid-2000s. Now without Dilla, but with Detroit MC Elzhi in the group, Slum Village would drop one of their more popular singles with 2002’s “Tainted” with Dwele, along with the timeless “Selfish” featuring Kanye West and John Legend in 2004. Baatin would leave the group due to his health struggles in 2002; he eventually passed away in 2009 due to an accidental cocaine overdose. Dilla would be well on his way to becoming an underground phenom while facing serious health issues of his own.

Dilla went on to drop Champion Sound in 2003, with the ever-elusive producer Madlib, teaming up as JayLib. The album was each producer rapping over the other producers' beats and became known as an underground classic. In 2004, Dilla revealed that he was ill, experiencing significant weight loss, and performing in a wheelchair at a certain point. He passed away in 2006 while suffering from lupus and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. His death came shortly after the release of his third album, Donuts, which is widely regarded as a classic instrumental project. His death rocked the hip-hop world, and at the same time, put music fans everywhere onto the music he had already created. RIP to Dilla, RIP to Baatin, the sound can never die.
Slum Village would reach their highest point in the mid-2000s. Now without Dilla, but with Detroit MC Elzhi in the group, Slum Village would drop one of their more popular singles with 2002’s “Tainted” with Dwele, along with the timeless “Selfish” featuring Kanye West and John Legend in 2004. Baatin would leave the group due to his health struggles in 2002; he eventually passed away in 2009 due to an accidental cocaine overdose. Dilla would be well on his way to becoming an underground phenom while facing serious health issues of his own.

Dilla went on to drop Champion Sound in 2003, with the ever-elusive producer Madlib, teaming up as JayLib. The album was each producer rapping over the other producers' beats and became known as an underground classic. In 2004, Dilla revealed that he was ill, experiencing significant weight loss, and performing in a wheelchair at a certain point. He passed away in 2006 while suffering from lupus and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. His death came shortly after the release of his third album, Donuts, which is widely regarded as a classic instrumental project. His death rocked the hip-hop world, and at the same time, put music fans everywhere onto the music he had already created. RIP to Dilla, RIP to Baatin, the sound can never die.
Operation Doomsday caught everyone’s attention, as it was a rapper weaving a backstory that aligned with a comic supervillain, complete with cartoon samples, that also served as an outlet for his emotional anguish. This was uncharted territory, but it wasn’t gimmicky; DOOM at his core is an incredible rapper. No slouch behind the boards, he began his Special Herbs instrumental series in 2001, now referring to himself as Metal Fingers. In 2003, he released Vaudeville Villain under the name Viktor Vaughn and Take Me To Your Leader as King Geedorah, both of which are different personas within Dumile’s world.

MF DOOM’s best year creatively may have been in 2004, when he dropped two classics with strikingly different tones. First up was Madvillainy, a collaboration album with Madlib, which is DOOM at his most ethereal. There was something about the soundscapes Madlib was coming up with, whether haunting jazz samples or looped accordion music, that perfectly fit DOOM’s one-of-a-kind style. DOOM would then follow up with MM Food later that year. Much brighter and easier to digest than his previous work, MM Food was 15 songs, all named after food (besides “Vomitspit”), metaphorically. Doom can sometimes be hard to understand, but MM Food was more straightforward upon a closer listen.

At this point, DOOM was legitimately popular, catching the attention of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and creating The Mouse and The Mask for them, and his collab album with Danger Mouse, as Danger Doom. DOOM continued to work, from production for Ghostface Killah, a Bishop Nehru collab album,  touring (where he occasionally sent out an impersonator to take the stage), and more. DOOM would pass away in 2020 from angioedema, shocking hip-hop as a whole in the process. He will be missed; his influence shall live on forever.

The mad genius of MF Doom

Dumile Daniel Thompson, aka MF Doom, was an NYC via London MC/producer who was truly one-of-a-kind. He had an off-kilter flow that sounded like a mad scientist at work, peppered with lyrics that were abstract thoughts and tightly coiled words of wisdom. He rapped over some of the craziest loops in rap, whether he produced them or was working with all-time greats like Madlib. From 2004 to 2008, he released two of the best albums of his career in MM Food and Madvillainy, all the while reaching an entirely new level of popularity.

Rhyming since 1988 in the group KMD (as Zev Love X),  Dumile’s stretch as a solo act began after his brother and groupmate DJ Subroc died in 1993. A long hiatus to deal with this sudden death and music industry struggles followed, but that all changed around 1997. Then, he started to appear at open mics in New York’s Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where he hid his identity and embraced his new MF DOOM moniker. Along with that new alter ego came a metal mask, modeled after Marvel’s Doctor Doom. In 1999, he dropped his first solo album, Operation Doomsday, the beginning of his run in underground rap.
Operation Doomsday caught everyone’s attention, as it was a rapper weaving a backstory that aligned with a comic supervillain, complete with cartoon samples, that also served as an outlet for his emotional anguish. This was uncharted territory, but it wasn’t gimmicky; DOOM at his core is an incredible rapper. No slouch behind the boards, he began his Special Herbs instrumental series in 2001, now referring to himself as Metal Fingers. In 2003, he released Vaudeville Villain under the name Viktor Vaughn and Take Me To Your Leader as King Geedorah, both of which are different personas within Dumile’s world.

MF DOOM’s best year creatively may have been in 2004, when he dropped two classics with strikingly different tones. First up was Madvillainy, a collaboration album with Madlib, which is DOOM at his most ethereal. There was something about the soundscapes Madlib was coming up with, whether haunting jazz samples or looped accordion music, that perfectly fit DOOM’s one-of-a-kind style. DOOM would then follow up with MM Food later that year. Much brighter and easier to digest than his previous work, MM Food was 15 songs, all named after food (besides “Vomitspit”), metaphorically. Doom can sometimes be hard to understand, but MM Food was more straightforward upon a closer listen.

At this point, DOOM was legitimately popular, catching the attention of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and creating The Mouse and The Mask for them, and his collab album with Danger Mouse, as Danger Doom. DOOM continued to work, from production for Ghostface Killah, a Bishop Nehru collab album,  touring (where he occasionally sent out an impersonator to take the stage), and more. DOOM would pass away in 2020 from angioedema, shocking hip-hop as a whole in the process. He will be missed; his influence shall live on forever.

good morning mr. West

There are countless stories in hip-hop lore of a young Kanye West shuffling from label to label, trying to get anyone to listen to his early demos. Considering that he was largely overlooked at the time, no one could’ve predicted the impact that Kanye would have on music for the rest of the 2000s. While Kanye was most notable for his producing ability, 2004 marked his turn to step into the spotlight. 

Kanye’s debut album, The College Dropout, presented a fresh and unique perspective of hip-hop, and this quality made it an instant hit with the national audience. The album had raw emotion, plenty of humor, and special appearances ranging from Common to Aretha Franklin, and luckily for us, there was so much more where that came from. Kanye had made it clear upon his debut that he had something to say, and this was more than evident with the release of his 2005 album, Late Registration. His sophomore album went on to receive more widespread recognition and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. By that point, everyone had realized that Kanye was quickly becoming a global superstar — not only in music but in fashion and culture as well.
On his 2007 album, Graduation, Kanye made sure to push the boundaries of his previous projects, incorporating more elements of genre-bending and exploring a more electronic sound. His 2008 album, 808’s & Heartbreak was his most experimental album yet, and was easily one of his most vulnerable ventures following the death of his mother. His evolution in music style during this era was unmatched, and the industry hasn’t seen another hip-hop debut and rise to fame as quick and wide-reaching as that of the young Chicagoan, Kanye West.
On his 2007 album, Graduation, Kanye made sure to push the boundaries of his previous projects, incorporating more elements of genre-bending and exploring a more electronic sound. His 2008 album, 808’s & Heartbreak was his most experimental album yet, and was easily one of his most vulnerable ventures following the death of his mother. His evolution in music style during this era was unmatched, and the industry hasn’t seen another hip-hop debut and rise to fame as quick and wide-reaching as that of the young Chicagoan, Kanye West.
The Tipping Point album (2004) especially stands out during this time. Similar to Things Fall Apart, released in 1999, the album’s artwork was directly influenced by social issues and race relations in America. It featured a mugshot of Malcolm X, taken by the Boston Police Department in 1944. Musically, the album veered between soul, rock, and funk influences, from the soothing “Star” to the addictive guitar riff of “Guns Are Drawn.” Producer Scott Storch had also further perfected his futuristic, bass-riddled sound — his deft touch was definitely present on the cuts “Don’t Say Nuthin” and “Duck Down!” 

The 7th and 8th albums followed the same manifesto of bold evolution and undiluted social commentary. Game Theory (2006) featured stellar cuts like “Don’t Feel Right” and the seductive, ‘Clock With No Hands.” Rising Down, released in 2008, had a more aggressive and in-your-face edge, and featured notable guest contributions on tracks like the title track (featuring Mos Def and Styles P) and “The Show” featuring Common. 

Ultimately, this trio of studio releases proved once again that The Roots couldn’t be confined to one neat and tidy box; their sound would always traverse barriers and they were never afraid to speak truthfully about society's evils.

THE ROOTS:
Game Theory + Tipping Point

The 2004-08 era was a period that saw The Legendary Roots Crew further evolving their sound, and experimenting more with different genres and sounds. But regardless of what sonic direction they embraced, the pure elements of thumping percussion, potent subject matter, and lyrical excellence were always present. 
The Tipping Point album (2004) especially stands out during this time. Similar to Things Fall Apart, released in 1999, the album’s artwork was directly influenced by social issues and race relations in America. It featured a mugshot of Malcolm X, taken by the Boston Police Department in 1944. Musically, the album veered between soul, rock, and funk influences, from the soothing “Star” to the addictive guitar riff of “Guns Are Drawn.” Producer Scott Storch had also further perfected his futuristic, bass-riddled sound — his deft touch was definitely present on the cuts “Don’t Say Nuthin” and “Duck Down!” 

The 7th and 8th albums followed the same manifesto of bold evolution and undiluted social commentary. Game Theory (2006) featured stellar cuts like “Don’t Feel Right” and the seductive, ‘Clock With No Hands.” Rising Down, released in 2008, had a more aggressive and in-your-face edge, and featured notable guest contributions on tracks like the title track (featuring Mos Def and Styles P) and “The Show” featuring Common. 

Ultimately, this trio of studio releases proved once again that The Roots couldn’t be confined to one neat and tidy box; their sound would always traverse barriers and they were never afraid to speak truthfully about society's evils.

The Roots Picnic: A Hometown Medley

When Okayplayer launched in 1999, it was clear that something had shifted in the music community for artists and fans alike. This new movement in left-of-center, boundary-free music reached new heights nine years later when The Roots held their Inaugural Roots Picnic — a festival held in their hometown of Philadelphia. 

The Inaugural Roots Picnic in 2008 featured artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Gnarls Barkley, The Cool Kids, and more. For the next year, the lineup was even more impressive, and it further revealed the expansive musical universe of the Philadelphia collective. The musical acts included: TV on the Radio, The Black Keys, Public Enemy, Antibalas, Santigold, Busdriver, along with an appearance from Zoe Kravitz.
Co-founders Questlove and Angela Nissel started Okayplayer as a way to connect people to music, and in turn, brought people from all walks of life together in the most surprising way imaginable. Often times, the most monumental movements in culture see their birth as a result of a fleeting whim or flash of inspiration — but when that spark of ingenuity is pure and untainted, the resulting reverberations spread like unwavering ripples through time.
Currently, The Roots Picnic is bigger than ever, and the annual concert is actually part of the Live Nation circuit. 2024’s headliners include Jill Scott, Lil’ Wayne, Nas, Gunna, and a special performance by the one and only, flute-toting Andre 3000.

OKP Boards evolve

With the immense presence of social media today, it’s difficult to conceptualize how revolutionary the Okayplayer boards were for the time. In an era where the internet was just starting to kick into full swing, the boards served as an important space to connect with all sorts of people about all kinds of music, but it really started to get interesting when the conversations began to drift elsewhere. 

While music discussion was still a huge part of the boards, all of the contributors had lives outside of music, and there was little to no hesitation to share the nitty gritty details. From chatting about personal problems to arranging friendly meetups, Okayplayer had quickly become a place where people could forge lifelong friendships. 

If you take the (albeit extensive) amount of time to scour early entries on the boards, you’ll find countless exchanges regarding topics varying from social issues to buying and selling concert tickets. Even conversations surrounding the 2008 election had a fair amount of prevalence at the time. Most interestingly, the boards were a great place to find discussions that artists would pop in on from time to time — the usual suspects were often Questlove and Common. 2004-2008 was definitely an interesting era on the boards, with some of the most iconic moments in music being the center of compelling and thoughtful conversations.

THE JUSTUS LEAGUE 

Another noteworthy hip-hop movement that took off around the same time as the Okayplayer Boards was the extremely talented Justus League hailing from North Carolina. It was a sizable crew with each member bringing a unique set of skills and abilities to the larger collective.  

The original members were: Little Brother (Phonte, Big Pooh, 9th Wonder), The Away Team (Sean Boog, Khrysis), Chaundon, Edgar Allen Floe, Median, Cesar Comanche, L.E.G.A.C.Y., DJ Flash, The Planet (9th Wonder, Khrysis, Eccentric, The Son Of Yorel). Now how’s that for a collection of rap super-heroes! 

Beginning in 2002, the Justus League dropped a series of well-received albums that garnered respect and admiration from the entire hip-hop community. These included, NC State of Mind (2002), Little Brother’s The Listening and The Minstrel Show  (2003 & 2005), Foreign Exchange’s Connected (2004) and The National Mayhem (2005).
As Khrysis would tell Okayplayer in a recent interview, “OKP was pretty much ground zero for the online presence of The League.” He also recalled vivid memories of Questlove’s reaction to The Listening album, and seeing Little Brother perform with The Roots at a dope concert in D.C.

When asked about the overall contribution The Justus League made to Hip-Hop, Khrysis responded: “We definitely changed the way cats make beats — I would also say we expanded the dynamics of what was talked about in hip-hop as far as different walks of life are concerned.” 

The key members of the Justus League are still active in hip-hop to this very day, and the entire culture is better due to their collective achievements.
As Khrysis would tell Okayplayer in a recent interview, “OKP was pretty much ground zero for the online presence of The League.” He also recalled vivid memories of Questlove’s reaction to The Listening album, and seeing Little Brother perform with The Roots at a dope concert in D.C.

When asked about the overall contribution The Justus League made to Hip-Hop, Khrysis responded: “We definitely changed the way cats make beats — I would also say we expanded the dynamics of what was talked about in hip-hop as far as different walks of life are concerned.” 

The key members of the Justus League are still active in hip-hop to this very day, and the entire culture is better due to their collective achievements.

OKP Coverage:
2004-2008

MF DOOM Had One of the Best Rap Years Ever in 2004

By Elijah C. Watson
From indie classics Madvillainy and Mm..Food to notable guest appearances, 2004 was a defining year for the underground hip-hop villain.

10 DJ Drama Mixtapes That Defined the Golden Era of Gangsta Grillz

By Michael Gonik
Take a look back at DJ Drama's wildly influential Gangsta Grillz mixtape series, the soundtrack to the DatPiff era of rap.

Behind the Beat: Cool & Dre on How "Hate It Or Love It" was the Beginning & End for The Game & 50 Cent

By Thomas Hobbs
For Behind the Beat, Thomas Hobbs spoke with Cool and Dre about producing The Game and 50 Cent's "Hate it or Love it," the best rags-to-riches song since The Notorius B.I.G.'s ''Juicy."

The Female Rappers Who Dominated 2000s Hip-Hop Fashion

By Jaelani Turner Williams
From Missy Elliott to Lil Kim, these are the female rappers in the 2000s who places their stamp on Hip-Hop fashion using pure authenticity.

10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Common's Masterful Comeback Album 'Be'

By Rashad D. Grove
In celebration of the album's anniversary, we dug up facts about the creation of Common's sixth studio album Be.

Watch the Pilot Episode of Kanye West’s 2000s HBO Pitch, 'A Little Inappropriate'

By Jaelani Turner Williams
Titled A Little Inappropriate, the pilot episode of Kanye West’s planned Curb Your Enthusiasm-influenced HBO show has surfaced to YouTube.

The 13 Best 'The Boondocks' Episodes of All Time

By Dashan Smith
These are the best The Boondocks episodes, from "The Story of Thugnificient" to "Smokin’ With Cigarettes."

Peanut Butter Wolf Debunks The Folklore Surrounding The Creation of J Dilla's 'Donuts'

By Michael Gonik
The Stones Throw chief corrects the record on a long-running myth about J-Dilla's final studio album Donuts.

2009-2013

In the five years of 2009 to 2013, hip-hop was going through a changing of the guards. The power of social media and platforms like YouTube was becoming evident, with the lowered barrier of entry allowing a lot of young upstarts to break through. A new vision of west coast rap was taking hold as rap stalwarts turned global Top Dawg Entertainment, and the talented troublemakers known as Odd Future began to take off. There were also solo acts that carved their own niche in the rap game: acts like Drake, Chance The Rapper, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Kid Cudi, A$AP Rocky and more. The blog era encapsulated a variety of styles and sounds, and the artists of that time are still inspiring artists now.

Top Dawg Entertainment, the California record label, fully burst onto the scene in 2012 when Kendrick Lamar dropped a classic in good kid, m.A.A.d city. This began their run as the lyrical rap label that everyone else was chasing, buoyed by the talents of the aforementioned Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock. All four rappers brought something different to the table, and captured the attention of hip-hop at large.

At the same time, Odd Future, also from Cali, were a group of wild teens and adolescents making shock-value rap. Behind the crazy videos and graphic, horror-core adjacent lyrics, there was raw talent, whether it was from the crew's de-facto leader Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt or any of OF’s many members and affiliates. Both TDE and Odd Future would produce one-of-one R&B/pop stars, with TDE being the home of SZA, a clear superstar, while Odd Future was the ever-mysterious Frank Ocean’s first taste of widespread popularity.

Chance The Rapper’s offbeat, jazz, gospel, and R&B-tinged rap turned him into a star and media darling quickly, as there was simply no one like him. By the time the Chicago rapper dropped his game-changing mixtape Acid Rap in 2013, he was everywhere, a standout artist amongst a sea of look-alikes. He existed in an era where artists felt comfortable being themselves, no matter what kind of music they made.

Of course, OkayPlayer’s favorite group, The Roots, were still hard at work. In 2010 and 2011, the band would release How I Got Over and Undun, respectively. Both albums would be well received as The Roots sound continued to twist and change with the times. Even as rap and music at large went to new places around them, The Roots remained true to themselves and marched to the beat of their own drum.

This was also a major time for commercial rap, as some of the genre’s biggest stars made their mark. Young Money, Lil Wayne’s rap crew that featured a budding Drake and Nicki Minaj, had two Billboard Hot 100 hits in “Every Girl” and “BedRock.” Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’s “Empire State Of Mind” was the number one song in the country for five weeks that same year. Kanye West would go on to drop what is widely considered his magnum opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, in 2010, just two months after Pittsburgh newcomer Wiz Khalifa would score his first No. 1 hit with “Black And Yellow.” If there was any time that was perfect to make a name for yourself in rap, it was then, where veterans and brand new names found new ways to rise higher.

Culture Makers:
2009-2013

T.D.E.

Founded in 2004 in California by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Top Dawg Entertainment (aka TDE) will go down as one of the most important labels in hip-hop history. The label's core rappers (Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul) were all signed in the mid-to-late 2000s. Their breakthrough moment happened in 2012, when a young Kendrick Lamar’s otherworldly buzz birthed his multi-platinum major label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city. Happening right as TDE signed a joint venture with Aftermath/Interscope, the critical and commercial success of GKMC effectively put TDE on the map, and made Kendrick Lamar a star. His layered and profound rhymes about his upbringing, the Black experience, inner-city survival and his childhood in Compton were fresh and new, and helped usher in a new era of West Coast rap. 

While Kendrick Lamar was undeniably the star of TDE, the label had talent everywhere. ScHoolboy Q signed to TDE as he was still finding his sound, and evolved into a rapper who is just as charismatic and lyrically clever as he is gut-wrenching. Ab-Soul is the well-read, outside-of-the-box thinker with flows to spare, while Jay Rock is the clear-eyed street rapper, whose vivid imagery and sharp lyricism show why he was TDE’s first signing. TDE can also attribute their early returns to Dave Free and Terrence “Punch” Henderson, the label’s then co-presidents. Their highly-respected in-house engineer, Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, tied it all together, with the incredible work he did on some of TDE’s biggest releases.
Also, in 2013, TDE would sign an up-and-coming R&B singer named SZA, who is now a superstar in every sense of the word. Her time would eventually come, with her talent shining, even in her early days. From 2009-2013, TDE laid down the framework to dominate for years to come, and rose higher than anyone could have imagined.
Also, in 2013, TDE would sign an up-and-coming R&B singer named SZA, who is now a superstar in every sense of the word. Her time would eventually come, with her talent shining, even in her early days. From 2009-2013, TDE laid down the framework to dominate for years to come, and rose higher than anyone could have imagined.
Their music was loud, uncomfortable, and crass, much to the dismay of adults everywhere. While their content and performances were incendiary and provocative, their mission was clear — to make art with their friends. Odd Future consisted of unique individuals who would go on to become some of the biggest names in entertainment today: including (but not limited to): Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin, Travis (Taco) Bennett, and Lionel Boyce. 

Their music was able to reach new heights of popularity because of its raw expressionism, and Odd Future expanded into ventures that were well-equipped to showcase their creativity. Their live-action sketch comedy show, Loiter Squad, premiered on Adult Swim in 2010, and features some of the wackiest plotlines, costumes, and guest stars imaginable. The show reached astounding levels of success, and its clips still hold relevance on the internet today. While Odd Future isn’t currently functioning as a tight, cohesive unit, it's been an amazing journey to watch them evolve and grow into independent, well-rounded, creative entities.
Their music was loud, uncomfortable, and crass, much to the dismay of adults everywhere. While their content and performances were incendiary and provocative, their mission was clear — to make art with their friends. Odd Future consisted of unique individuals who would go on to become some of the biggest names in entertainment today: including (but not limited to): Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin, Travis (Taco) Bennett, and Lionel Boyce. 

Their music was able to reach new heights of popularity because of its raw expressionism, and Odd Future expanded into ventures that were well-equipped to showcase their creativity. Their live-action sketch comedy show, Loiter Squad, premiered on Adult Swim in 2010, and features some of the wackiest plotlines, costumes, and guest stars imaginable. The show reached astounding levels of success, and its clips still hold relevance on the internet today. While Odd Future isn’t currently functioning as a tight, cohesive unit, it's been an amazing journey to watch them evolve and grow into independent, well-rounded, creative entities.

OFWGKTA: The Odd Future Collective 

Any teenager in the early 2010s with a hint of a rebellious streak was well-versed in the raunchy and abrasive lyrics of Odd Future, an alternative music group from Los Angeles, California. 

The Roots - New Albums

By 2009, the Roots had undoubtedly made their mark on the music industry and were ready to venture into new realms, namely television. They made their debut as the revered house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that year and have remained a constant presence on the show ever since. The Philly band’s interactions with the guests and host were organic and unforced — it’s really no surprise that their union has continued till this day. 

In 2010, The Roots released their ninth studio album, How I Got Over, which is truly one of the slept-on gems in their entire music catalog. The project had a more mellow and somber sound, incorporating jazz, neo-soul, funk and even shades of gospel. It felt like the elder statesmen of rap experimentation had officially arrived and were ready to bask in accolades of their extensive and impressive catalog.  
Their 2011 album, Undun, was also released during this period. It was a cerebral, concept album about a fictional character named Redford Stevens, and its message revolved around the harsh realities of urban poverty. Filled with soul samples, meaningful lyrics, and skillful instrumentation, it’s another stellar project that adds to the impressive legacy of the legendary Roots crew.
Their 2011 album, Undun, was also released during this period. It was a cerebral, concept album about a fictional character named Redford Stevens, and its message revolved around the harsh realities of urban poverty. Filled with soul samples, meaningful lyrics, and skillful instrumentation, it’s another stellar project that adds to the impressive legacy of the legendary Roots crew.

Acid Rap: A Good A** Intro to Chance the Rapper 

In April 2013, while coming off the hype of his debut mixtape, Chi-town native, Chance the Rapper, released a 14-track mixtape that would completely alter the course of his career. 

No one at the time would have predicted the mixtape’s perpetual relevance and how much of a lasting impression it would leave on the world of music. What makes Acid Rap so different from the other projects of its time is the everpresent elements of Chance’s life woven into the lyrics and melodies of the mixtape. 

His open depiction of his struggle with controlled substances set to whining, soulful gospel chords make the songs feel more relatable and familiar. In addition to his vulnerability, his appreciation for his hometown of Chicago was clear, and this hometown reverence was a constant throughout the project. In so many ways, Acid Rap was the vessel that allowed Chance the Rapper to express his greatest loves to the world: family, Chicago, and God. 

The Blog Era

There will always be huge inflection points in art, a span of time where something that’s never been seen before comes along and changes everything. In hip-hop’s history, the blog era is one of those key moments that created new stars and future legends, in real time. Imagine a time when names like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Curren$y, Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa were fresh new faces, talented upstarts who were simply trying to find their way. 

Nowadays, streaming platforms are where a lot of people get put on to new rappers; back in 2009, the source was popular rap blogs, like NahRight, YouHeardThatNew, 2DopeBoyz, OnSmash, RapRadar and more. Each blog had its own style and focus, but all of them helped elevate newer rappers. The existence of these blogs, along with free mixtape websites like LiveMixtapes and DatPiff, made new music easily accessible.

One of the biggest keys to the success of the blog era, was the variety amongst artists. The blog era created a climate where a Houston-influenced Harlem rapper like A$AP Rocky, DMV rap pioneer like Wale, a Canadian hitmaker like Drake and a Chicago wordsmith like Lupe Fiasco could all coexist. 
If you were into modernized boom-bap, The Cool Kids were on every blog you could find. Looking for lyrically dense MC’s? J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar fully embody that and more. On top of that, any conversation about the blog era that doesn’t mention Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa, the coolest rappers of the time, isn’t a serious one. Whether you were into the thoughtful and deeply personal styling of Big KRIT or the frenetic energy of Odd Future, the blog era spoke to every type of rap fan. The freedom within hip-hop at the time, along with getting to see the early days of today’s legends, made it a truly unique moment in time.
If you were into modernized boom-bap, The Cool Kids were on every blog you could find. Looking for lyrically dense MC’s? J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar fully embody that and more. On top of that, any conversation about the blog era that doesn’t mention Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa, the coolest rappers of the time, isn’t a serious one. Whether you were into the thoughtful and deeply personal styling of Big KRIT or the frenetic energy of Odd Future, the blog era spoke to every type of rap fan. The freedom within hip-hop at the time, along with getting to see the early days of today’s legends, made it a truly unique moment in time.

OKP Coverage:
2009-2013

Year's Best: Okayplayer's 13 Best Albums Of 2013

By Eddie "Stats" Houghton
OKP lists its best albums of 2013.

Odd Future Give 'Beyond Scared Straight' A Proper Parody On 'Loiter Squad'

By Michael Gonik
Take a look back at DJ Drama's wildly influential Gangsta Grillz mixtape series, the soundtrack to the DatPiff era of rap.

Remembering JAY-Z & Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne' Era

By Rashad D. Grove
Jay-Z & Kanye West's Watch the Throne was more than just an album. It was a moment - a time capsule of an era when the two biggest, culturally defining personalities on the planet reigned with unquestioned supremacy in pop culture.

The Making of Miguel’s 'Kaleidoscope Dream' Album

By Miki Hellerbach
Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream is an album that splits time between rebellious youth and reverence for a classic feeling. We spoke to Miguel and some of his collaborators about the album, which recently turned 10.

For Chance The Rapper, ‘Acid Rap’ is More Than One of the Best Blog Era Projects

By Mark Braboy
Chance the Rapper spoke to Okayplayer about his Acid Rap shows, working with Donald Glover, and why he considers Acid Rap “one of the best projects to ever be made not just in hip-hop but across any genre.”

How Kendrick Lamar Used Narration to Become Rap’s Best Storyteller

By Miki Hellerbach
Since his breakthrough in 2011, Kendrick Lamar has toyed with the use of a different cinematic narrator within all of his bodies of work. Here is a breakdown of how he has maneuvered and grown this tool with each of his releases.

The 16 Best Frank Ocean Songs

By Heven Haile
From “American Wedding” and “Rushes” to “Wither” and “Chanel,” these are the 16 best Frank Ocean songs.

2014-2018

In the world of music, 2014-2018 was a fun time. The upstarts of recent years, like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole were turning into superstars and Atlanta hip-hop was moving into a new era of dominance, thanks to Migos, Future, Young Thug, and more. Drake had the most dominant career stretch, Donald Glover spread his wings as a multi-hyphenate and Rihanna, Beyonce, and SZA took over the charts. Rap veterans like Jay-Z and Roc Marciano reinvented themselves and The Roots continued rolling. On top of that, rap crews like the A$AP Yams and A$AP Rocky-helmed A$AP Mob, the Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers link-up Beast Coast, and Vic Mensa’s SAVEMONEY (which also included Chance The Rapper) rose to prominence.

Hempstead, Long Island native Roc Marciano, and Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z both found themselves between 2014 and 2018. Roc had already put the streets on notice after his 2010 album Marcberg, and even more so with Reloaded in 2012. But his stretch from 2017 into 2018 where he dropped Rosebudd's Revenge, its sequel, RR2: The Bitter Dose and Behold a Dark Horse showed the world that he is a special talent and an inarguable pioneer of street rap. With the dark minimalist beats, and the conversational flow woven with clever turns of phrase and wisdom; he is simply the best at this often-copied style. Jay-Z, long a rapper who was more than happy to rap about the spoils of his success, began to look back on his past with a different eye when he dropped 4:44 in 2017. An album about his infidelity within his marriage, the birth of his daughter, racism, and wishing he made better decisions in his youth was a coming of age moment for him, a far cry from the same man who made “Big Pimpin.” Jay revealing so much about himself was a curveball at the time, and 4:44 became a great moment in the later stage of his career.

Rap’s ecosystem is truly something to behold, as so many different sects of the genre were blowing up in these five years. Kendrick Lamar was already a media darling by 2014, but his release of To Pimp A Butterfly in 2015 and Damn in 2017 took him to another stratosphere. J. Cole was in a similar position, releasing his most-acclaimed album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, and later, KOD in 2018. In Georgia, Migos were stacking up hits and dropped a game changer in Culture, Future released DS2 and was fully into his star turn, Young Thug was turning his potential into real success and Donald Glover was making his presence felt through TV (Atlanta), rap (“This Is America”) and funk (Awaken My Love). Drake, already a superstar, started to run away with the lead in this era, dropping No. 1 projects (Views, More Life, Scorpion, etc.) and multiple diamond singles.

This period was also major for the ladies, as Rihanna dropped Anti in 2016, Beyonce released Lemonade the same year and SZA dropped the career-defining Ctrl in 2017. All three of these singers are superstars in their own right, releasing music that has stood the test of time. They all coexisted, with each of them showing love to the other; it was also a clear turning point for all three acts. Rihanna hasn’t put out an album since Anti, Beyonce hit another gear with her releases after Lemonade and SZA turned into an arena-filling songstress off the strength of Ctrl.

Of course, the heart of OKP, The Roots crew, had an album in 2014, titled ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. The band hasn’t released an album since, but are on television nightly as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, along with appearing at The Roots Picnic every year. OkayPlayer lives on, and so do The Roots.

Culture Makers:
2014-2018

ATLANTA TAKES OFF

Hip-hop has been global for decades now, but the true epicenter of the genre has bounced around over the years. For nearly the last 20 years, the city of Atlanta, Georgia (and its surrounding areas) has set the tone within hip-hop and produced stars at a historical pace. While regionalism and generalized hate for Southern hip-hop have made swaths of people hesitant to give them their credit, Atlanta’s place in hip-hop is etched in stone. From 2014-2018, Atlanta continued their run at the top of hip-hop, as more of their homegrown stars turned into household names.

In 2011, Future was already rising in Atlanta and on the internet, thanks to his mixtapes Dirty Sprite and True Story, and his appearance on the hit single “Racks,” with YC and his single “Tony Montana.” A Dungeon Family member who had been making music for over a decade at this point, Future’s auto-tune-laden melodies were starting to take over.  Towards the end of that year is when everything connected for him; he dropped Monster, the first mixtape of his legendary “three-peat,” followed by the Zaytoven-produced Beast Mode and then 56 Nights. Future’s buzz was through the roof, and that fed right into the release of his sophomore album DS2 in 2015. Just a few months later, he dropped What A Time To Be Alive, a chart-topping surprise mixtape with Drake.  He never looked back; DS2 was his first Billboard No. 1 album, and all of his solo albums up to 2018 (Evol, Future, and Hndrxx) followed suit.

In this same timeframe, three close-knit friends in the Atlanta suburb, Gwinnett County, were honing a sound that would change the rap game. Migos, consisting of Quavo, Offset, and the late rapper Takeoff (and Quavo’s nephew) were dropping mixtapes in the early 2010s, with their 2013 release Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas) putting them on the map. On their breakout single “Versace,” their layered “triplet” flows, which were a key part of 3-6 Mafia’s style, veered away from what was popular at the time. Their unique voices, slang, and tweaks to the flow turned them into budding stars, who just had to keep building towards their big moment. Migos are also the crown jewel of Quality Control Music, a label that would later become a powerhouse with them, Lil Baby, City Girls, and Lil Yachty. That time came in 2016, when they released their first No. 1 single, the inescapable “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert. Their first major label album, Culture, came in January 2017, cementing their place in modern rap. Culture II followed the next year, producing yet another hit lead single in “Motorsport,” featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj.

Around 2014, the world was also getting to know Young Thug. In the early 2010s, Young Thug was slowly picking up steam online for how distinct he was. His early work was reminiscent of Lil Wayne if you took Weezy’s more “out there” work and dialed up the strangeness. Thug eventually evolved into a slick style all his own, with specific turns of phrases, rhymes within rhymes and flow patterns that are inimitable. Thug’s standout projects, like Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 with Birdman and Rich Homie Quan, Barter 6, the Slime Season series, Jeffery, and Super Slimy with Future built his name up and primed him for the spotlight. Over this time, he built his YSL (Young Stoner Life) crew, which would feature another future rap star in Gunna. Thug’s true breakthrough would come in 2019 when his debut album So Much Fun would be released.
Also, in 2013, TDE would sign an up-and-coming R&B singer named SZA, who is now a superstar in every sense of the word. Her time would eventually come, with her talent shining, even in her early days. From 2009-2013, TDE laid down the framework to dominate for years to come, and rose higher than anyone could have imagined.
Two younger upstarts were building traction in Atlanta in 2017. Lil Baby, a member of the aforementioned who jumped on the scene with his single “My Dawg,” stood out from day one. Baby’s voice has a specific Atlanta lilt to it, and his penchant for going from flow to flow at will make him special. In just a year, he had career-defining songs like “Freestyle,” “Drip Too Hard” featuring Gunna, “Yes Indeed” with Drake, and more. His debut album, Harder Than Ever, opened at No. 3 on the Billboard Albums chart, making Baby a star on the spot. Meanwhile, his friend Gunna (who helped teach Baby how to rap), was making his way as a rapper, too. A member of Young Thug’s YSL, Gunna was one of the coolest rappers out at the time, taking a more melodic version of Thug’s namesake flows to rap about money, clothes, and women. He dropped Drip Season in 2016, but the tape’s sequel and the Wheezy-produced EP Drip or Drown in 2017 got eyes on him. He took off running in 2018 when he dropped Drip Season 3, “Sold Out Dates”  with Lil Baby, and their collab album, Drip Harder, which debuted in the top 5 on the Billboard album chart and went platinum.

Atlanta’s grip on hip-hop both expanded and evolved from 2014-2018, and their run has only continued. There are so many different people who were key parts of Atlanta’s rise, from Southside, to Rich The Kid, Rich Homie Quan, Zaytoven, and more. It feels like there's a new name out of Atlanta every few months, a testament to the region’s contributions to hip-hop and music, period.

If the discussion is about popularity and success in modern hip-hop, Drake is always in the conversation. The best-selling rapper of his era, Drake went on an incredible run from 2014-2018, stamping himself in the record books with each new release. Peppered with some of his biggest projects and hit singles, he just couldn’t be touched; the grip he had on music has yet to be repeated.

During this period, he delivered the projects, Rosebudd’s Revenge, and its follow-up  Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose, and capped off the trilogy with the darker, and more fully developed, Behold A Pale Horse. What sets Marci apart from other rappers of a similar ilk is that even though he’s the originator of his unique sound, he still manages to find new flows, fresh descriptors, and unchartered sonic corridors to differentiate his music. A perfect example of this is the track “Corniche” on RR2 (featuring Action Bronson) where he adopts a remarkable sing-songy flow and spits lines like: “Sling yayo, kept my neighbors woke/ I was still focused on ways of making dope/ wrap the brick up like its Mumm-Ra.” His willingness to switch up the program and delve deeper into his Marci-fied chamber is further revealed on 2018’s Behold A Pale Horse where he eases his tight production reigns and allows Q-Tip, Alchemist, and Animoss to participate in production duties. 

14 years after Marcberg, Marci is still as sharp as ever. There are just a few rappers in the game who’ve had a run as long and influential as his. Currently, there are leagues of rappers (and producers) who he can literally call his offspring (we won’t name any names), but the truth is they all know who gave them life. Earlier this year, he dropped off his newest album, Marciology, and the vibes are still as pure as ever. Long live the glorious Marci Empire.
Their music was loud, uncomfortable, and crass, much to the dismay of adults everywhere. While their content and performances were incendiary and provocative, their mission was clear — to make art with their friends. Odd Future consisted of unique individuals who would go on to become some of the biggest names in entertainment today: including (but not limited to): Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, Jasper Dolphin, Travis (Taco) Bennett, and Lionel Boyce. 

Their music was able to reach new heights of popularity because of its raw expressionism, and Odd Future expanded into ventures that were well-equipped to showcase their creativity. Their live-action sketch comedy show, Loiter Squad, premiered on Adult Swim in 2010, and features some of the wackiest plotlines, costumes, and guest stars imaginable. The show reached astounding levels of success, and its clips still hold relevance on the internet today. While Odd Future isn’t currently functioning as a tight, cohesive unit, it's been an amazing journey to watch them evolve and grow into independent, well-rounded, creative entities.

The Underground King, Roc Marci 

Marcberg in 2010, Hempstead, Long Island rapper, Roc Marci, has stuck to the script and continued to craft his own rap lane. While other rappers of his generation spoke longingly and waxed philosophical about their nostalgia for the 90’s golden era, Marci put his head down and worked. He took elements from that beloved period, added his signature sparse beats, perfected his slick, ultra-confident talk, advanced rhyming ability, and delivered album after album of elite rap material. These projects included 2012’s Reloaded and Marci Beaucoup, the following year. By the time the 2014-2018 period rolled along, he was already firmly entrenched in the throne as de facto leader of the underground — but instead of Jansport backpacks and Huarache kicks, think more, Goyard bags and low Gucci steppers. 

…And Then You Shoot Your Cousin 

Perhaps one of the more slept-on albums in The Roots’ extensive catalog, And Then You Shoot Your Cousin might just be one of the band’s greatest artistic triumphs. As far as concept albums go, this LP ranks just as high as Masta Ace’s Disposable Arts and the masterful De La Soul is Dead. Everything from its somewhat jarring and unmistakable cover art to its deliberate pacing and sequencing prove that this project wasn’t made for mass consumption or endless radio spins. 

Contentwise, the subject matter is quite heavy and intentionally so. Over the albums compact 11 tracks, Black Thought, Dice Raw, and fellow rapper, Greg Porn tangle with inner-city issues spanning violence, existential angst, materialism, religion, despair, and poverty. Musically, the themes vary from soulful and introspective, to dark and aggressive. Must-listen cuts include “Understand,” “When The People Cheer,” and “Black Rock.” Even the piano-laden interludes on songs like “The Coming” add drama and heightened disquiet to the LP. 
Their 2011 album, Undun, was also released during this period. It was a cerebral, concept album about a fictional character named Redford Stevens, and its message revolved around the harsh realities of urban poverty. Filled with soul samples, meaningful lyrics, and skillful instrumentation, it’s another stellar project that adds to the impressive legacy of the legendary Roots crew.
‍Undun, the album preceding &TYSYC was a concept album too, and as a pair, these albums foretell the pivot for Questlove into more visual storytelling and narrative-driven undertakings. What else would you expect for a group that has eschewed convention at each and every stage of their remarkable evolution?

Who Runs The World? Girls!

Some of the biggest tracks of the 2014-2018 time period were by women, and of course, we’re giving them their flowers. Beyoncé’s 2016 studio album, Lemonade, was hugely successful for its angsty and riveting subject matter, bringing a sharp yet welcomed turn to her overall discography. 

This time was also a huge era for Rihanna (if you’re reading this, please drop more music), who released Anti early that year. The album was an instant hit, and although we haven’t had another album from her since, it definitely cemented its place as a timeless body of work. 

SZA also made a huge splash on the scene, with her 2017 debut album, CTRL, which was largely celebrated for its hauntingly sad lyrics and melodic chord progressions. Truly one of our favorites from the time, “CTRL” had a candid, conversational vibe that made it feel personal to the listener — which was a great reason for its overarching success. These exceptional works by these incredible women have enjoyed well-deserved global acclaim and continue to impact culture to this day.

DRAKE’S CHART DOMINANCE

In 2015, Drake ‘surprise-dropped’ the classic mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late in February. This project was a change of pace for Drake as it mostly consisted of just rapping as best as he could, without adhering to a specific theme or structure. IYRTITL was darker than his previous work, with Drake rapping openly about his street ties and the paranoia that came with his success. He sounded aggravated, and it showed through the music. Months later, he released What A Time To Be Alive, a collab mixtape with Future, executive produced by Metro Boomin. The tape was big for all 3 of their careers, as the success of it and the shock of Drake and Future putting 11 songs together raised all; of their profiles. Done in 6 days in Atlanta, the duo traded bars and blended their adjacent styles. Also in the summer of 2015, Drake dropped one of his biggest singles ever in the Diamond-certified “Hotline Bling.”

Drake was just as dominant in 2016, as he released his highly-anticipated album Views. Selling 852,000 units in its first week (and eventually going 8 times platinum), Drake’s impact on music was now inarguable. A self-reflective and insulated album, with a mostly slower pace for its first half, Views felt like Drake made this more for himself. The public still embraced it, showing that he moved the needle, no matter how he wanted to go about it.

In addition to “Hotline Bling”, Views featured the smash hit “One Dance.” This was Drake making an afrobeats song of his own, as the genre was blowing up all over the world. Featuring Afrobeats superstar Wizkid and featuring a sample from British house artist Kyla, “One Dance” took over the airways and clubs almost immediately. The one-two punch of “One Dance” and another dancehall-influenced Views single, “Controlla” got spins everywhere; Drake had yet again, found another way to dominate the charts. “One Dance” is an eye-popping 11 times Platinum, while “Controlla” is 5 times platinum; both are timeless. He then jumped into 2017 with More Life, a feature-packed mixtape where he flowed through all of the sounds he was exploring at the time (dance, pop, dancehall) while also delivering on his tried and true outright rap and R&B-tinged songs. He went four times platinum in the process.
If you were into modernized boom-bap, The Cool Kids were on every blog you could find. Looking for lyrically dense MC’s? J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar fully embody that and more. On top of that, any conversation about the blog era that doesn’t mention Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa, the coolest rappers of the time, isn’t a serious one. Whether you were into the thoughtful and deeply personal styling of Big KRIT or the frenetic energy of Odd Future, the blog era spoke to every type of rap fan. The freedom within hip-hop at the time, along with getting to see the early days of today’s legends, made it a truly unique moment in time.
Drake’s 2018 was punctuated by the release of his album Scorpion, four No. 1 singles, and beef with a long-lurking adversary. Scorpion was almost evenly split between rap and R&B and had a bit more of an edge to it as he was mired in a dust-up with Pusha T. The hits were there, with “God’s Plan,” “Nice For What,” “Nonstop” and “In My Feelings” all topping the charts. Overall, Drake handled the tall task of both making a successful album while not getting overly tied up in aggressive competition with Pusha T. In “The Story Of Adidon,” Pusha, amongst other things, accused Drake of hiding his son. Drake faced this by addressing his son on multiple songs on Scorpion, along with sending barbs at Pusha T. While it’s pretty clear Drake lost that battle, he still dropped what would become a 7 times platinum album.

In a period that featured adversity, growth, and doubts about how long he could stay at the top, Drake hung in there and created some of his most impactful music. Drake’s career from 2014-2018 was key in not only building his legacy but in how rap fans received him. Longevity means a lot in hip-hop, and his ability to move with the ebbs and flows of popular music has extended his lifeline like none other.

Childish Gambino Goes Mainstream

When Donald Glover took on the stage name of Childish Gambino, it was clear that he had something to prove. Gaining substantial media traction for his role on the beloved sitcom, Community, Glover’s move to music was a bold pivot that revealed his multifaceted creative abilities. 

Not too far down the line, Glover would become a household name. His hit song, “Redbone” was a both a fan and critic favorite, and was most notably featured in Jordan Peele’s directorial debut film, Get Out. Outside of the music realm, Glover brought his talents back to television with his own show, Atlanta, which received critical acclaim during its airtime. 

Unfortunately, this era was also a time that marked a serious shift in social justice issues within the Black community. Glover released a remarkable piece of art that brought a glaring spotlight to this dire issue. His 2018 song, “This Is America,” used striking imagery and symbolism to bring awareness to the increase in unprovoked violence that Black Americans were facing at the time. While the video is definitely graphic, Glover’s intention is clear, making it impossible for his message to be misconstrued. Looking back on such a productive era of his career, we can’t wait to see what new creative endeavors await he’ll embark on in the future. 

We (Still) Miss 2016

It won’t take too long of a scroll on Twitter (does anyone really call it X?) to find a post expressing how much they miss 2016. Easily one of the most fruitful years in Black culture and pop culture, 2016 had a vibe that really can’t be explained. You just had to be there, if you know, you know. 

Rap definitely had “a time” that year, with Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, and Travis Scott making huge musical contributions. Kanye’s Life of Pablo not only influenced music, but also shaped fashion with the help of the late design genius, Virgil Abloh. Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book was an album that showcased his acrobatic lyricism and signature, unmistakable cadence. Travis Scott’s second studio album, Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight, captivated audiences everywhere, and the widespread appreciation for his sound has yet to slow down since its release. 

The hype era was alive and well during this year — big names like Lil Uzi Vert and XXXTentacion loomed large in online circles, blowing up on social media platforms with their catchy beats and fast-paced rhythms.

2016 was also the year for awe-inspiring, powerful films including Fences, Moonlight, and Hidden Figures, all of which were widely celebrated by critics and general audiences alike. 2016 was truly a special time in music, entertainment, and culture. It’s a year that will be constantly revisited for both nostalgia and artistic inspiration.

OKP Coverage:
2014-2018

Platinum with a Few Features: J. Cole was Trying to Get Yasiin Bey to Appear on '2014 Forest Hills Drive'

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J. Cole was this close to ruining the "Platinum with No Features" meme before it could even start.

Roc Marciano's 'Reloaded' Provided the Blueprint for Modern Underground Rap

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Yoh Phillips breaks down how 4:44 should not have its classic status attrbuted to Jay-Z, but instead to Shawn Corey Carter.

Without SZA’s 'CTRL,' R&B Wouldn't Be Where It Is Now

By Deasia Paige
Released five years ago, Sza's major label debut is a peerless piece of work. Ctrl is an honest, compelling R&B album that wasn't seen in the genre prior to its release.

Beyoncé Finally Releases 'Lemonade' on Spotify & Apple Music

By Larisha Paul
Damn, Tidal.

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Check back with us in 2 weeks when we look back at culture's biggest movers and shakers from 2019-2024 through the Okayplayer lens.