Articles by Luke Fox

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  How DMX Found the Light in His Celebratory Final Chapter, with Some Help from Bono

  PUBLISHED May 28, 2021

  Swizz Beatz remembers the look on his friend Dark Man X's face when he received a gift from Bono. Not only had the U2 frontman blessed the...

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  A Rejuvenated J. Cole Attacks Rap Like a Contact Sport Again on 'The Off-Season'

  PUBLISHED May 18, 2021

  In the mini documentary that accompanies J. Cole's sixth studio album, the rapper openly ponders a creative crossroads.   Having already pr...

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  Czarface Collab 'Super What?' Does MF DOOM's Legacy Justice

  PUBLISHED May 11, 2021

  When a person dies, loved ones are often told to remember how they lived. Think of the times they were vibrant and carefree and in his elem...

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  Commerce Trumps Art on DJ Khaled's 'Khaled Khaled'

  PUBLISHED May 4, 2021

  DJ Khaled albums are like Michael Bay movies, as many have noted over the years. Familiar and fun. Loud and glossy. Predictable in their re...

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  Conway the Machine Sticks to His Signature Cadence on 'La Maquina'

  PUBLISHED Apr 16, 2021

  One of the most important — yet least discussed — tools in a rapper's arsenal is beat selection. A decent wordsmith can elevate himself to...

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  Kota the Friend and Statik Selektah Are All Smiles on 'To Kill a Sunrise'

  PUBLISHED Mar 30, 2021

  It feels supremely fitting that Kota the Friend would drop his latest platter at the outset of spring. Breezy and light, the fiercely indep...

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  Benny the Butcher Brings a Fresh Voice to Familiar Themes on Harry Fraud Collab 'The Plugs I Met 2'

  PUBLISHED Mar 24, 2021

  Nowadays, rapping about guns and drugs is like painting fruit bowls and wildflowers. If you're looking to stand out creatively while explor...

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  Mask Off with MF DOOM: A 2004 Face-to-Face Interview

  PUBLISHED Jan 5, 2021

  You wouldn't immediately recognize him on that spring afternoon in 2004. And if it weren't for his metallic disguise sitting on the table b...