Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre’s rap column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, weird tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention. These are a few of ...

There’s no sound more prominent in rap right now than that of Auto-Tune. Since the mid 2000s, seasoned OGs like T-Pain and Lil Wayne have finessed the vocal effect into a hit-making cheat code. Based ...

Origins and pioneers: Early innovators like Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony began merging rap with melody and harmonies, creating a more accessible and versatile sound. Mainstream ...

From T-Pain’s Auto-Tune revolution to Jay-Z’s sampling mastery and Metro Boomin’s cinematic trap beats, hip-hop’s biggest names have redefined what modern rap can sound like. Each artist’s distinct ...

In the opening minutes of his new album, rap's biggest superstar sets himself a lofty goal: to resuscitate the genre that made him famous, to reel it back from the cliff edge of pop parody. He lays ...