Urban Bytes

Once every year or two, there's at least one phrase that takes over onstage, on record and in day-to-day conversation between rap fans. As popular as the word may be, it's usually run into the ground within months. In 2013, that phrase is undoubtedly "turn up...

Once upon a time in hip-hop, fans heard about new music videos through the grapevine, then they sat in front of the TV for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of the newest cut from whoever was hot at the time. Big budget directors like Hype Williams and Mr...

Since the start of rap, emcees have been known to hit the streets and the stage with what seems like at least 50 "close friends and family." Many times, the members of the quintessential crew have clocked years together -- hanging out since grade school -- so of course when one out of the clique gets on, the whole team gets on...

When asked about his status as hip-hop's current infallible "hook man" in November 2012, Future told Billboard that he's more than a master of hooks. "I'm the master of music, period." he scoffed. "I feel like nobody in music can do what I do...

With the maturation of hip-hop culture, rappers are learning to experiment with different wardrobes and foreign labels. There's something to be said about the fact that the biggest artists on the bill in 2013, are wearing some of the most outrageous looks straight off the runway, whether it be on red carpets or the stage...

In July 2012, A$AP Rocky hit the red carpet in Los Angeles in his classiest attire seen up until then. In all-black, the Harlem native took tailored looks for rappers to a whole other level that evening. The 'Wild for the Night' creator kept things simple in a black button-down, rolling the sleeves to elbow-length and pairing it with Euro-cut black slacks and an Hermes belt, with the signature gol

Just two years ago, a 22-year-old, baby-faced Harlem emcee was making noise with his Houston-inspired music. A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, was something unlike what anyone had seen up until then. He embodied the uptown flair that Jim Jones and his Dipset crew made popular within the hip-hop scene in the early years of the millennium...

In September 2012, A$AP Rocky made an appearance on the carpet for Adidas Y-3's 10th Anniversary. Depending on who you ask, the emcee was either at the top or at the bottom of his fashion game that night. Regardless of what the expressed opinion is, most people haven't seen anyone in everyday life rock the outfit this Harlem rapper donned to that event...

Around the time A$AP Rocky was born, mesh tank tops were all the rage, so much that when it played out, it was done -- destined to remain a punchline in most conversations about fashion after the early 1990s. At the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S III in June 2012, Rocky hit the event donning a black mesh tank with "88" printed on the front, which coincidentally (or not), is his birth year

The video for 'Live Long A$AP' features Rocky toning things down just a bit in his style choices. The young rapper sits on a throne in a dreary castle, looking like he was trapped in some sort of time warp. His wardrobe isn't that of a classic king, but Rocky's crown is a white and black bandana draped over his signature plaits...