Paul Thompson
Latest Stories
Freestyle Fellowship’s P.E.A.C.E. Perfected the Rap Battle
The exuberant keystone of the Los Angeles group died this month, at the age of 51. We spoke with friends and collaborators about P.E.A.C.E.’s legacy.
Kendrick Lamar's Albums, Ranked From Worst to Best
What is Kendrick Lamar's best album? We ranked them all, from 2009's 'The Kendrick Lamar EP' to 2024's 'GNX.'
The Best Rappers of the 2010s
The best rappers that defined the 2010-2019 decade, including Drake, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and more.
How 2 Best Friends Went From Throwing High School Parties to Founding Rolling Loud
Two lifelong friends started a music festival that has blown up in 3 years. From stolen kegs & fake IDs to epic lineups & performances, here's what happened along the way.
Drake's 'Scorpion' Brings Summer Hits, But Can't Stop All the Bleeding
His fifth studio album is successful as pop rap, but less so as spin.
Inside Rae Sremmurd's Messy, Incomplete, Deliriously Fun Third Album, "SR3MM"
The duo's triple album is their most ambitious, interesting piece of music yet—a taking apart and putting back together of what makes Rae Sremmurd so fun—and so good.
Thug Motivation: Young Jeezy's Unlikely Career As Trap's Transformative Star
Young Jeezy never expected to be a rap star. Then he launched an entire genre and one of the most consistent runs hip-hop's ever seen.
18 Artists To Watch In 2018
From Rico Nasty to Sheck Wes to Smooky Margielaa to Lil Skies, these are the artists you should be keeping an eye on this year.
Honor Up: Watching Dame Dash's New Film at Kanye's Calabasas Office—With Kanye
We sent a writer to Kanye West's offices to watch 'Honor Up,' the new movie written and directed by Dame Dash.
The 50 Best Future Songs
This is he definitive look at Future's catalog, including all the mixtape cuts, non-album singles, and loosies.
The Best Songs of 2017
2017 proved that proved that, while the world is losing its mind, music may be getting more exciting. Here's our picks for the best songs of the year.
Exclusive: Jaden Smith Drops "Icon" Video and Explains Why It Took 3 Years to Make 'SYRE'
Jaden Smith spoke with us about his ambitious debut album, 'SYRE.'
Inside Lil Pump's Manic Race From Rabid Internet Love To Real World Stardom
A 17th birthday party at a strip club, go-kart racing, and very little eye contact: We trailed the king of SoundCloud as his debut album hits the charts.
The 30 Best Cam'ron Songs
Cam'ron is an underrated rapper with a slew of hits that sometimes get overlooked due to his long hiatus and laidback demeanor but here are his best songs
The 50 Best Ghostface Killah Songs
See which of The Wally Champ's most notorious bars make it on the list of the best Ghostface Killah songs.
The 35 Best Young Thug Songs
Jeffrey Williams has troves of music, recorded obsessively and released (or not) according to his whim. These are the best he's let loose so far.
Nav Is the "First Brown Boy to Get It Popping" and His Meteoric Rise Is Far From Over
In his first-ever interview, Nav explains how he fell in with XO, and what it's like to become a star in the blink of an eye.