Tag: The Bridge

Toast Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary With Our Special Playlist Hub, Murals, Animated Shorts, and More

August 3, 2023

Fifty years ago, hip-hop was born in the Bronx. And today, it continues to influence music and culture on a global scale. To celebrate this massive milestone over the next month, we’re creating murals in some of hip-hop’s biggest capitals, giving fans a personalized hip-hop listening experience with our DJ, and releasing a series of animated shorts. But to kick off the festivities, we’re launching the Hip-Hop Turns 50 hub.

Highlighting the contributions of hip-hop’s greats, this special destination will live on-platform over the next month and house more than 40 global playlists that reflect the various eras, regions, and trends that have shaped the genre over the last half-century. This includes many of our top data-driven and editorially curated playlists, as well as dedicated shelves for the 50 most-streamed rappers and hip-hop albums on Spotify. 

“We wanted to acknowledge the anniversary in more than one way. Three months ago, we kicked off conversations on social media with our Top 50 Hip-Hop lists and are now showcasing how hip-hop’s and Spotify’s history intersects,” said Carl Chery, Creative Director, Head of Urban Music, Spotify. “Throughout August, we’re paying homage to some of the artists that paved the way in their own cities with murals and billboards, creating an animated shorts series narrated by artists, and built out a destination on platform that features a variety of playlists from around the world. Stay tuned for more—here’s to the next 50″

Fans can dive into the best hip-hop songs of each decade with special curations for the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, and ’10s, as well as the ’20s, where listeners can tune in to RapCaviar, our flagship hip-hop playlist, to find the best of hip-hop today. As part of the global hip-hop shelf—which features playlists like Spotify Italy’s Plus Ultra, Spotify India’s Rap 91, Spotify Korea’s KrOWN, Spotify U.K.’s Who We Be, the Spotify Middle East’s Arab Hip-Hop, and Spotify Philippines’ Kayle Hip-Hop—we’re showcasing the hottest, freshest, and most diverse hip-hop sounds being created around the world.

We’re also revisiting some of our editors’ top picks through our 50 years of hip-hop shelf, which features episodes from podcasts like the New York Times’s Popcast and Fab 5 Freddy’s 50 Years of Hip-Hop, as well as Spotify Originals like The RapCaviar Podcast, Dissect, The Ringer Music Show, and Nas and Miss Info’s The Bridge. 

You can check out more of For the Record’s hip-hop content from over the years by visiting our special Hip-Hop Turns 50 hub. 

Spotify celebrates in hip-hop’s biggest meccas

To honor some of hip-hop’s biggest game changers, Spotify is collaborating with illustrator and image-maker Raj Dhunna to design large-scale murals and billboards. These pieces will put a spotlight on artists in their respective hometowns and depict the ways rap’s most influential sounds spread from region to region. 

In New York, Spotify will unveil a mural acknowledging the history of drill as it grew from its origins in Chicago with legends like Chief Keef, and expanded into London and Brooklyn with artists like 808 Melo and Pop Smoke. A second mural will spotlight the impact of women in hip-hop and feature icons like Lil’ Kim and Cardi B. 

In Atlanta, Raj will create a mural that celebrates the evolution of trap music, which was pioneered by Atlanta’s own T.I. and cultivated into a global phenomenon by artists like New York’s Arcángel.

Raj’s designs will also appear on billboards in Miami and Los Angeles. The L.A. billboard will feature Dr. Dre and Mustard, two of the city’s musical titans, with a tagline that reads “Long live the West Coast sound. Hip-hop is everywhere.” The Miami billboard, meanwhile, will pay tribute to the provocative sounds of the region’s most influential women rap acts.

Spotify will also commemorate hip-hop’s growth in Mexico and pay homage to its current and foundational artists with a mural that features over 15 Mexican hip-hop artists, including Akwid, Cartel de Santa, Santa Fe Klan, and Gera Mx.

The party continues

In addition to the on-platform destinations and custom murals, our AI-powered DJ will provide expert hip-hop commentary all month long on Spotify, supplying aficionados with cultural context about musical legends and retracing how hip-hop has grown through history.

To close out the month, Spotify will debut editorially curated animated shorts that underscore hip-hop’s influence in over nine countries, featuring narrations from artists. 

Our celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary will let fans discover and connect with artists of the past, present, and future. But this is only the start. Stay tuned for updates throughout the month as we commemorate one of the most beloved genres in the world. 

Hit play on our flagship RapCaviar playlist and discover the artists who are making their mark in hip-hop’s history books. 

On ‘The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop,’ Nas Dives Into the Stories Behind the Genre’s Biggest Moments

February 22, 2022

For the past five decades, hip-hop artists have leveraged the genre to change society, culture, and the music industry as we know it—and have created icons in the process. So to mark the genre’s half-century milestone, The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop, a Spotify Original podcast in partnership with Mass Appeal’s #HipHop50 program, dives deep into how hip-hop went from the microphones, turntables, and sound systems to big business and a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

Over the past four months, the hosts—rapper and hip-hop icon Nas and veteran journalist Minya “Miss Info” Oh—have interviewed icons such as Ice Cube, Cordae, Mary J. Blige, Jeezy, and Yara Shahidi. Each tells a story as unique as their music, giving listeners a glimpse of their particular place in hip-hop history. But with so many decades and names to choose from, Nas originally wasn’t sure where to begin.

“When I first thought about doing this, I thought it would be impossible to choose who to go after first,” he told For the Record in an interview. “I got love for everybody.” 

We asked Nas to share more about his perspective as a hip-hop icon speaking to other genre giants and about what podcasts he pays attention to.

What are some of the biggest changes to the genre that you’ve noticed in the three decades you’ve been on the scene?

The constant changing of the guard. The pioneers have truly inspired the youth. And that youth, they eventually become giants, and then they inspire the new, next generation to do the same and more. And it keeps growing and growing. I like to see the different artists that come out every 10 years. It’s crazy.

What’s something surprising that you’ve learned on the show so far? 

Just some of the stories—there’s so many untold stories that connect to other stories and allow you to see it as a piece of history. You see the work that was put in that you didn’t know had happened. I didn’t even know how much MC Lyte had done, just being a female artist waking up and going into a male-dominated industry because it was just something that she felt was her calling. 

Then there’s the Ice Cube and N.W.A. stories, like when they talk about coming to New York for the first time and getting booed. Those were hard times in the game. Then Ice Cube had a sold-out solo show at the Apollo Theater. He told the story of it on the podcast. I was actually on 125th Street, outside the theater that night, and I couldn’t get in. It was super lit outside in Harlem, NYC. It was that show that really established him in New York City forever. People were crazy for him. I was happy to see it because I was really into his music. And so just hearing from his side of it, how he tore the house down, was really cool.

How did these deep dives into hip-hop history influence your creative process as you put the finishing touches on your latest album, Magic?

They were really different. With the podcast, I got the opportunity to really be a fan, a student, and enjoy the people that really moved me. With Magic, it was just me putting the artist hat on. So, completely two different things, but I can say that talking to all of these guys made me more happy to be an artist in this art form because I could see that there is so much more for me to do. It makes me more happy to be a part of something that the people I’m talking to on the podcast are a part of too. They’ve inspired me. I am happy to be in their world, pushing what they are pushing.

What was the most surprising thing about creating a podcast? What have been the easiest and hardest parts?

It’s been great to step out of my comfort zone and do something that I never thought would be as fun as it’s been. I thought I’d be terrible at talking. Timing. Listening clearly—and it’s being recorded. I said ‘I’ll just be me.’ I don’t even watch my own interviews, and I thought that I’d upset people with all my prying. But I pushed through the sh*t and it’s exciting; people tell me they like listening so I guess I’m doing aight.

There are a lot of hip-hop legends who are no longer here to share their stories. If you could pick one person to have on the show, who would it be?

It would be Eazy-E or Young Dolph. I would want to learn more about Young Dolph. I’ve heard some of his music, but the people I listen to mostly are older, so I want to know more about the things that I’ve missed that only he can say and explain to me.

What are some podcasts you’ve been listening to besides your own? 

1619, Drink Champs, and a true crime podcast. 

Get more Nas and Teddy Riley (and maybe one day find out which true crime podcast Nas has been streaming?) on the latest episode of The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop every Tuesday, only on Spotify.