Rap in 2025 was all about experimentation. From the year’s first runaway hit, NBA player-turned-musician Gelo’s single “Tweaker,” to the maximalist ecclesiastics of Playboi Carti’s Music, or even in ...

It was the best of hip-hop times. It was the worst of hip-hop times. Ha! 2025 was a rollercoaster of rap music’s highs and lows. The duality was so real. I can’t recall a year with such a wide array ...

S ince debuting in 1991 with a feature on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque,” Nas has been intent on amplifying New York hip-hop. His first full-length album, Illmatic, was an evolution in hip-hop ...

**For clarity, rap and hip-hop are used interchangeably throughout the article, as both represent the same space in music charts.** Additionally, in mid-September 2025, only four hip-hop songs were on ...