On this day in 1996, Brooklyn’s own Lil’ Kim dropped her groundbreaking debut album, Hard Core, a project that would forever redefine the image and power of women in hip hop. Before the era of ...

"If challenging power is a core tenet of hip-hop," he continues, "few album covers encapsulate that as stylishly as Hard Core." The full list is now available at Billboard.com.

Artists like G-Dragon, one of the pioneers of K-pop’s modern sound, openly credit hip-hop as a core influence. Groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, and Stray Kids have built their global brands by blending pop ...

Hip-hop has always been music’s mirror to the social and political climate in a reflection that crosses global boundaries, and a new generation of artists has rewritten the definition of rap to make ...

Albums like To Pimp a Butterfly and 1999 blend jazz harmonies with sharp lyricism, proving the genre’s deep connection. Hip-hop may keep evolving, but funk and jazz remain its heartbeat, fueling its ...