Rappers from Arizona haven’t made large national waves. A few got signed and their songs were played on the radio. A few more got signed and went on national, and even international, tours but their projects got shelved by the label. However, those occurrences should not be how we measure those artists. The measuring stick for Arizona artists and this community should be the music. And here, we present to you classic Arizona records and the videos made to promote those record

It all started with the question: what would it take to build an independent hip hop community in Arizona. Dorian Colter, his friend Kyler, and I were sitting in a Smashburger on Baseline in Tempe talking about his music, his plans, and Arizona’s hip hop scene. That’s when the question was posed. At that moment, I didn’t know the answer. Matter of fact, I didn’t know the answer because I hadn’t been paying attention to what Arizona rappers had to offer. I thought about how I

I remember when Phoenix had no hip hop nights except for Blunt Club. Now there are multiple nights, all across the Valley, including this one. Taken from Public Enemy’s Rebel Without a Pause, The Rhythm The Rebel, is a hip hop night put on by the man affectionately known as Uncle Dumps along with Tricky T, and DJ Fact135. Throw into the mix host Roqy Ty’Raid and you got a dream team of Arizona hip hop legends leading the charge. And it did not disappoint. First of all, Roqy w

When I walk into a show, the last thing I want to see is an empty, dead room. Besides some tables, an old jukebox, and some tvs playing sports, that is exactly what I saw at the BeatLab. As I walked further inside however, a crowd framed by a tagged-on doorway sold a picture of intense energy. I couldn’t see who was playing beats nor could I see the stage. Roughly 25 people were facing forward. Every……single……one of them….. bobbing the entire upper half of their body up and d