Son of a jazz organist, virtuoso drummer Karriem Riggins broke with legendary vocalist Betty Carter’s band at age 17. Now the 32-year-old, who has amassed some impressive hiphop production credits, including finishing up the posthumous J Dilla release, The Shining, has partnered with prolific producer Madlib for his rapping debut and a hiphop-informed jazz excursion. […]
Jalylah Burrell
Posted inMusic
Man Up
Me’shell Ndegéocello Untangles the Mood
SiNCE her soulful debut 14 years ago, Me’shell Ndegéocello’s music has conveyed want. Lust and lack have underpinned the singer/songwriter’s output, which has covered the waterfront of style and sentiment and shone light on its coves. Just recall her nimble cover of Bill Wither’s “Who Is He and What Is He to You,” a funk-laden, […]
Posted inMusic
The Conflict of Clipse
More Than Coke and Birds
“You know the Clipse—we’re pretty much standoffish as far as other emcees go,” spouts Gene “Malice” Thornton, the shorn half of the Virginia Beach rap duo. Speaking five years to the day after he and his younger brother Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton dropped their debut, Lord Willin’, and less than a year since they willed […]