The time has come, my beautiful beat heads. This week's Ear Candy is Lowkey Hip-Hop & Rap. Maybe I'm partial, but plugging into this playlist, copping a squat, lighting one up, and blithely watching ...

In “Straight Loops, Light & Soul,” a project evoking Roy DeCarava’s Harlem jazz pictures and the music of J Dilla, Williams captures the underground beat-maker scene of Queens.

But in an era where hip-hop is dominated by trap beats, melodic rap, and hyper-personal storytelling ... tastes while staying true to their artistic identity. Will Smith’s music, once celebrated for ...