Born and raised in the notorious Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Papoose took his first jabs at being a rapper at the young age of 11. Given the name by his grandmother meaning "Indian baby", whom he resembled as a child, Papoose is the true definition of a real MC.

New York, NY (July 2007) – Talib Kweli, the Brooklyn wordsmith, returns with his eagerly awaited sixth album Eardrum, in stores on August 21 on Kweli's own label, Blacksmith Music and Warner Bros. Records. With this career defining new album, Kweli mixes hard hitting beats with inventive rhymes that serve to not only entertain, but also to educate.

Prince, Krs-One and Outkast star Andre 3000 have teamed up with civil rights activist Dr Cornel West for a new album project to promote hip-hop. The trio will join the likes of Talib Kweli, Killer Mike and the late Gerald Levert on Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations, the brainchild of learned West and his brother Clifton.

Talib Kweli will release his eagerly awaited new album -- "Ear Drum" -- on July 24th. A career-defining work that showcases the Brooklyn rapper's advanced lyricism and faultless musical taste, "Ear Drum" is Kweli's first album released on his own label, Blacksmith Music and Warner Bros. Records.

Somali-born MC and singer K'Naan has joined Stephen Marley on his Mind Control North America Tour. The two will be joined by Jr. Gong himself, Damian Marley. K'naan will be performing in support of his upcoming debut album The Dusty Foot Philosopher due out later this year.

Further establishing their status as one of the preeminent soul/funk groups in music today, Soulive joins the famed Memphis soul label, Stax Records. The band’s Stax debut, No Place Like Soul, is set for release July 31. The album marks the inaugural release by one of the label’s trio of newly signed artists, which also includes Angie Stone and Isaac Hayes.

Veteran rocker Lou Reed will be the first act to play the new HighLine Ballroom venue in New York City. Reed will take the stage at the new 700-capacity club in the city's Meatpacking district on April 30.

First it was the reunion of the Wu-Tang Clan in 2004. Then it was A Tribe Called Quest later that year. Now, Rock The Bells will make history again as Rage Against The Machine announces their plans to perform three exclusive engagements with the critically acclaimed world-class hip-hop festival this summer. The epic line-up will see Rage Against The Machine join Wu-Tang Clan for two dates on the west coast (August 11--NOS Events Center, San Bernardino, CA, August 18--venue TBA, San Francisco) and for Rock The Bells’ inaugural venture into New York City

Consequence was born in Queens at the dawn of the hip-hop era, when all rap was East Coast rap and all of rap's influential early artists were based in the New York City area. Throughout his career, Consequence gained credibility not only on the streets with his peers but with the critics as well. A gifted storyteller, he has a keen and unwavering sense of what he is all about.

Rapper Talib Kweli has created his own online virtual world, where fans can form neighborhoods and build homes. The digital parallel universe, called Second Life, is a new feature of Kweli's website, where devotees can also take a tour around his own New York home.