Lil' Kim

Critics' Picks: Lee "Scratch" Perry, Buck 65, Lil' Kim, and more

Bryant McKinnie was really, really bad with money while with Vikings

Former Vikings offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie has been ordered to immediately pay back a $4.3 million loan he took from Pro Player Funding on the eve of last year's NFL lockout. In court, Pro Player Funding argued that after he was cut from the Vikings last August, McKinnie missed a payment, trig ... More >>

Nicki Minaj will paint your fingernails to chaos

​When you think of rapper/singer/walking-psychologist's-desk-reference Nicki Minaj, the notion of getting your nails did probably doesn't spring to mind. Now you don't have much choice, because in January the Cash Money/Young Money queen is partnering with OPI to release six nail polishes named af ... More >>

What Bryant McKinnie did with his summer vacation

Bryant McKinnie, preparing for training camp.​Bryant McKinnie is no longer the giant man on the end of the Vikings offensive line, thanks to his reported losing battle against weight gain.McKinnie was placed on the "non-football injury" list on Monday, which was taken to mean he was simply too out ... More >>

Pitchfork rips are fun and entertaining

​Pitchfork ribbing is kind of like kickball, something people do perennially and with no really good reason. It's like baseball, right? It's been a minute since our tasteful overlords got some mud in their face, especially of their own making. So what a relief it was to see this morning, amids ... More >>

Kele, Aimee Mann, Muja Messiah, and more

​Pitchfork ribbing is kind of like kickball, something people do perennially and with no really good reason. It's like baseball, right? It's been a minute since our tasteful overlords got some mud in their face, especially of their own making. So what a relief it was to see this morning, amids ... More >>

Ludacris

​Pitchfork ribbing is kind of like kickball, something people do perennially and with no really good reason. It's like baseball, right? It's been a minute since our tasteful overlords got some mud in their face, especially of their own making. So what a relief it was to see this morning, amids ... More >>

Juggalo gathering's 20-minute infomercial hits your brains today

The 11th annual Gathering of the Juggalos is upon us! Taking place August 12-15 in Cave In Rock, Illinois, Psychopathic Records has released an insanely long promo video for the event, over 17 minutes long. I watched all of it. That's not a complaint, but more of a dare.

The Year in Music: America's worst verses

The most unintentionally hilarious lyrics of 2009

Soulja Boy, Limp Bizkit top our list of five worst songs of the 00s

We get on with the business of singling out the past decade's least defensible, most insufferable tunes.

Bonde Do Role; Juice Boxxx

We get on with the business of singling out the past decade's least defensible, most insufferable tunes.

Hip Hop's Lone Ladies Call for Backup

The B-Girl Be Summit preaches strength in numbers

Going Down in Music History

The B-Girl Be Summit preaches strength in numbers

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish, Barely Awake

Corporate rap cipher 50 Cent sleeps his way to the top

We Were Wrong

City Pages writers look back on 25 years of arts criticism, and the sentences that still make us cringe

Kwan Manasseh Versus Himself

He was a homeless ex-con with nothing to lose. Now he's a homeless fighter with nothing to gain.

Abusing Steers With George W. Bush

This week: A swig of Tonic and a Coachwhip to the booty

Missy Elliott: This Is Not a Test!

This week: A swig of Tonic and a Coachwhip to the booty

Grae's Anatomy

Jean Grae proves she's more than just another female MC

Missy Elliott: Under Construction

Jean Grae proves she's more than just another female MC

Lil Wayne: Lights Out

Jean Grae proves she's more than just another female MC

The Rubber Band

Elastica's punk comeback makes something out of saying nothing

Rap In Peace

With new tracks exhumed from the vaults, Biggie and Tupac add to their corpses' corpora

Ain't I an MC?

Ruff Ryder Eve strikes a blow for hip-hop sisters; Solé merely comes to blows with them

Something About Mary

With her humble poise and non-Diva tone, Mary J. Blige is the unlikely heiress to Aretha's throne

Song of Myself

With her sophomore outing Da Real World, Missy Elliot empowers her pocketbook--and not much else

For the Record

The music industry released 30,000 albums in 1998. You can live without 29,990 of them.

Bad Rap

The Hennepin County library system just wanted good clean fun on its CD rack. What it got was a free-speech debate that won't quit.

Teenagers in Love

The Hennepin County library system just wanted good clean fun on its CD rack. What it got was a free-speech debate that won't quit.

Queen Pen-My Melody

The Hennepin County library system just wanted good clean fun on its CD rack. What it got was a free-speech debate that won't quit.