Sign up for our newsletter!   Hip-hop was at a crossroads in the late '90s. The genre was dealing with the aftermath of a senseless war that took the lives of two of its greats. The success of the "jiggy" era was was moving rap away from the street to the mainstream, and times didn't look any better with Big L's murder in 1999. The purists needed stability and a voice that proved credibility and quality weren't a thing of the past. That voice was Rawkus Records. At its best, Rawkus represented a style of hip-hop that was both self and street-aware at the same time. Its first classic, Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus, foretold a desolate, abrasive form of rap that seemed too masterful to not be the future of the underground. But as much of a classic as that was, there was so much more to offer. By the end of the decade they had a roster of MCs that came to be revered as some of the greatest of all-time: Pharoahe Monch, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli, to name a few. At its peak, the label released iconic records like Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Monch's Internal Affairs, and Mos Def's Black on Both Sides.

However, Rawkus' dominance eventually took a turn for the worst when Company Flow and the label had a falling out do to its increasingly mainstream focus (a move that'd lead EL-P to create the Def Jux label). Then, a little known producer by the name of Kanye West expressed interest in joining Rawkus. It seemed like a match made in heaven, given 'Ye's epic beat for Kweli's "Get By." Unfortunately, the label passed up on the opportunity. As West blew up into superstardom, the once legendary label faded to irrelevance. Still, the classics produced during Rawkus' run are too good to be forgotten. In honor of the anniversary of Black Star's legendary album, originally released on August 26, 1998, Complex has compiled a list of The 50 Best Rawkus Records Songs. Written by Brian Josephs (@Bklyn_Rock)Tyga and Desiigner Share New Video for "Gucci Snakes"TDE's SiR Shares New EP 'Her Too'Katy Perry Releases "Chained to the Rhythm," f/ Bob Marley's Grandson, Skip Marley GOOD Music's 'Cruel Winter' Reportedly Still HappeningNicki Minaj and Nick Jonas Team Up on 'Fifty Shades Darker' Track "Bom Bidi Bom" Juelz Santana Reflects on The Iconic Dipset x Supreme T-Shirt7 Gems From Virgil Abloh's Columbia University LectureNike's Releasing the Acronym x Air Force 1 TodayVirgil

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Refuses to Reinstate Trump’s Travel BanMeet the Woman Who Claims to Have the Most Tinder Matches EverLegal Weed States Could Be in Jeopardy With Jeff Sessions as Attorney GeneralDolphins May Be Getting High Off Blowfish Because Nature Is AwesomeTerrifying Footage Shows Abducted Mom Attempting to Get Her Daughter to Safetysimon baz hoodieFerguson has been an important topic of discussion these past couple of weeks. assassin's creed 3 new outfit at manorMichael Brown, the 18-year-old Black teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer, has sparked plenty of protests across the country. httyd hoodiesEarlier this past Sunday, a private autopsy reported that he was shot at least six times, including twice in the head. gevoerde hoodies

On the ground in Ferguson, chaos continued as protesters and reporters are subjected to violent offense as police fired tear gas to break up crowds without warning. Police also enforced a second curfew in attempts to calm things down. Talib Kweli, who is one of hip-hop’s outspoken figures, sent a number of tweets giving his perspective on Ferguson. nike aw77 fleece full-zip men's hoodie black/whiteHe says that celebrities have spoken about Ferguson, but argues he has seen a few give “no accurate info” based on their inexperience in political education, so “they fall into the blaming the victim trap.” He continued, “Artists have traditionally been followers not leaders. We as a community have failed to demand more from our artists.” The Brooklyn MC then stated that Ferguson is a “legitimate boots on the ground movement. It is ground zero for us right now.”

With all that said, he announced to his followers that he’ll be heading to Ferguson this Tuesday as a member of the community, not as a rapper or celebrity. He also followed with his reasons for going to Missouri. 1. Tweets that arent connected to a movement can lead one to falsely believe they've done enough. I need to put my money where my tweets are — Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) August 17, 2014 2. People need to see that our leaders are more than Al and Jesse. Al and Jesse cannot control the narrative for us. 3. Mike Brown loved hip hop and wrote lyrics. He was a fan of hiphop. The hiphop community owes him. 4. We need to direct attention from the very small amount of "looters" to the true community protestors. We need to take back the narrative 5. We need to show the community of Ferguson that we are willing to do more. We need to show them they don't stand alone. 6. Artists who make money off the community are obligated to be there when the community is being brutalized.