Hip-Hop

Three new hip-hop releases show a way forward for mid-level artists: albums the length of a network sitcom, and committing to the audience you already have.

Thanks to the inclusion of several gigantic hits like "WAP" and "Up" that had never appeared on an album, Cardi B's Am I the Drama? was guaranteed platinum status before it was even released.

The show's suspension comes amid broader efforts to curb diversity at the institutional level. The next attempt to canonize the movement must learn lessons from its successes — and its missteps.

On her sophomore release, Am I the Drama?, the trash-talking Bronx rapper still has no filter — but could, perhaps, have used an editor.

A favorite of A$AP Rocky and Earl Sweatshirt, El Cousteau is a product of the District in every way. On Dirty Harry 2, he unpacks his upbringing with a nuance absent from national debate.

This week, Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart again. But the two titles just below it are making the most noise: Conan Gray's Wishbone and KPop Demon Hunters, which pulls off something no soundtrack has ever accomplished.

STAR LINE recasts the affable indie rapper as something sharper-eged — a skeptic of the state and champion of the collective, who is ready to scrap if necessary.

Fans who pre-ordered new albums by Lil Wayne and The Weeknd on vinyl got a rude awakening: More than half the songs that appeared on the streaming version were missing on the LP.

The Brooklyn-based rapper reimagines his music with a star-studded band and teary-eyed gratitude.

The idea that each year produces a few unofficial "songs of the summer" has been rattling around for ages. But do we have a strong contender this year?