Over the steady beat of the cymbals, rap duo Lunatic find their pace and announce themselves on their debut track “Le Crime Paie”: “Wesh, wesh, écoute fils.” That was in 1996. Nearly three decades ...

PARIS — Since November, the French hip-hop world has been in turmoil. A true French art form is currently under siege, and defending the future of the genre means remembering its past — and its roots ...

Think back to the 1990s — to movies like Boyz n the Hood or Menace II Society. Now, imagine one of those movies shot in black and white, with prayer beads and scenes from a mosque. And imagine it all ...

(From L) Members of 4Keus Gang rap music band, Bne, Djeffi and HK pose during a photo call prior to the first edition of "Les Flammes" music award ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre, in Paris, on May 11 ...

This is a small section of a far longer text about music, called "Some Musical Notes" which was originally published on the old endangered phoenix site. It was published at the beginning of 2006.

Soon after the fall 1979 release of “Rapper’s Delight,” versions of the first commercially successful rap recording began cropping up around the world. The rapid spread of “Rapper’s Delight” is an ...