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Once upon a time, Lil' Kim gathered Missy Elliott, Da Brat, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Angie Martinez to record a sequel to her "Hardcore" offering "Not Tonight." Together, at the height of their careers, the seasoned rap stars and a "rookie on this all-star team" (Martinez) released their 1997 hit "Ladies Night Remix," one of the greatest female collaborations in hip-hop history. Not only did the iconic, femme-forward track dominate on radio, sweep up a 1998 Grammy nomination, and become an official girls-night-out staple, but its massive success set the tone for what future female rap collaborations would aspire to be, even to this day.

Kim's original "Not Tonight" is raunchier than its remixed anthem, as it sounds more like a sultry after-hours track where the rap star doesn't mince words about her demands for lip service - "I don't want d*ck tonight / Eat my p*ssy right." But the "Ladies Night Remix,...

The year was 1992. Not yet a multibillion-dollar industry, hip-hop was still considered an emerging cultural movement hailing from New York City's most disenfranchised borough: the Bronx. However, it had spread across the East and West coasts and specific pockets of the US, speaking intimately to Black and brown communities as both an outlet to address socioeconomic issues and a form of entertainment provided by rappers, DJs, dancers, and visual artists.

Related: All Hail the Queens: Honoring Women in Hip-Hop, 50 Years Later

While mainstream magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stone were in no rush to prominently feature hip-hop acts, publications such as Right On!, Word Up!, and Hip-Hop Connection centered them, filling a growing void in print media. The rap-centered Source would later enter the media landscape in 1991, too. But there was one magazine that was prematurely underestimated yet paved the way for hip-hop culture to prominently sit on newsstands.

Vibe,...

HBO Max’s “On the Record” is a searing look at sexual harassment allegations against music mogul Russell Simmons.

The documentary follows former Def Jam Records executive Drew Dixon, who has accused Simmons of rape and sexual harassment. Other survivors — Sil Lai Abrams and Sheri Hines — and academic thought leaders — Kimberelé Crenshaw, Joan Morgan, and Tarana Burke — also share their stories in the doc.

Directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, the team behind “The Hunting Ground” (about rape on American college campuses) and “The Invisible War” (about rape in the military), are no strangers to lensing stories on the tough subject.

As Dixon lets us into the powerful world of hip-hop, she exposes the ugly truth behind closed doors, recalling how Simmons exposed himself to her and persuaded her to come to his apartment on another occasion.

The film (streaming beginning May 27) received rave reviews out of the Sundance Film...

Lloyd Daniels’s grandmother Joan Morgan has hit out at X Factor judge Louis Walsh for being ‘mean’ to her grandson.

When Walsh was choosing between Olly and Jedward on Sunday night, he claimed that it should have been Lloyd in the sing off.

Morgan told the South Wales Echo: “I’m so pleased for Lloyd and think he really deserved to go through and not be in the sing-off as he really improved this week.

“But what Louis said was mean and totally unnecessary. Lloyd is only 16 and still developing as a singer. I thought he was more confident and comfortable this week. The judges said so.”

She added: “He’s loving every minute of his time there and I really think he could make it to the final.”...

Lloyd Daniels's grandmother Joan Morgan has said that she is unhappy with Louis Walsh for criticising her grandson on The X Factor. Walsh has repeatedly said that Daniels is "out of his depth" on the programme and later suggested that he should have been in the bottom two on Sunday's results show. Morgan told the South Wales Echo: "I'm so pleased for Lloyd and think he really deserved to go through and not be in the sing-off as he really improved (more)...