GLOBAL PRINT/TEXT STORIES

Interactive project: The AP celebrates 50 years of hip-hop

Remember the first rap song you heard? Some of your favorite rappers and DJs do. While hip-hop celebrates 50 years of life, The Associated Press asked some of the genre’s most popular artists - including Killer Mike, JT of City Girls, King Combs and Fat Joe - to recall their fondest memory and how the moment resonated with them. In the second of two parts, the AP spoke with 14 rappers and producers who reminisced about their first time listening to a song from either Tupac Tupac Shakur, Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C, Uncle Luke or a close family member.

IN-DEPTH: Why is R&B music more explicit than ever? It’s complicated.

R&B music seems more explicit, but is it really? Well,it's complicated. R&B is both competitive and collaborative with hip-hopand its more expressive lyrics. With the two often merging and singers andrappers appearing in the same categories, the Grammys eventually added a newcategory, melodic rap. Colby Tyner, senior vice president of programming atRadio One and Reach Media, says there was once “a clear separation of churchand state'' but now the genres are ”a little bit together and so the musicreflects it.” Advances in technology allow artists to bypass radio play andreach listeners directly, eliminating the need for “clean″ censors.

Sadie Sink smiles through the drama

Sadie Sink may have felt imposter syndrome when she first joined the cast of “Stranger Things,” but the 20-year-old actor is absolutely the real deal. Sink has been applauded by fans as her role of Max has become more central to the plot, and her role in “The Whale,” Darren Aronofsky’s buzzy new film, touted as Brendan Fraser’s comeback role, is also receiving critical praise. It could be a busy awards season: Sink will also pay attention to next year’s Grammys, as Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” earned a nod for song of the year and its short film, starring Sink and Dylan O’Brien, is up for best music video.

Q&A: K-pop star KANGDANIEL is on the pursuit of happiness

KANGDANIEL is one of K-pop’s brightest stars, but at just 26years old, he’s already learned there’s more to life than bright lights. Theartist who released his debut album, “The Story,” last year, says the pursuitof happiness is not a fanciful wish, but a way of life. KANGDANIEL publiclystruggled with depression in 2019. He is now wrapping up his first NorthAmerican tour with the final stop in Los Angeles on Saturday. KANGDANIEL'S pathto superstardom began in 2017 after winning the second season of reality TVtalent series “Produce 101,” which led to the formation of the K-Pop boy bandWanna One. He went solo two years later.

Column: Digging into the rich legacy of MTV's 'The Challenge'

Many of the greatest moments in history of “The Challenge” are relived in MTV’s new docuseries, “The Challenge: Untold History." The six-episode docuseries, traces the time-defying evolution of the hit competition series that preceded juggernauts like “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “The Amazing Race.” Sifting through more than 500 episodes, Bunim/Murray, the legacy production company which created the groundbreaking series “The Real World,” interviewed more than 30 past and present cast members, as well as producers, famous fans (Kim Kardashian, for instance) and media members. “The Challenge: Untold History” is airing over three weeks with back-to-back episodes each Wednesday night on MTV.

Steph Curry aims to inspire with 'I Have a Superpower' book

Basketball megastar Stephen Curry is largely credited with transforming basketball from a must-see above the rim game to box office long range shooting. But the reigning NBA Finals MVP who recently broke the league's all-time 3-point record is now aiming at a different target: children’s books. The “I Have a Superpower” author says he wants to inspire young readers and "reach the next generation of kids that are dreaming big,” said Curry of the motivational book illustrated by Geneva Bowers out Tuesday. “We want them to be able to set their sights on what they want to accomplish in the world and really believe that it’s possible.”

Alicia Keys' 'Keys' album returns her to her piano homebase

Alicia Keys hasn’t felt completely free for much of her career. And while that may sound surprising coming from the heralded musician, these days, she’s loving the makeup-free skin she’s in and is settled into a space of confidence and liberation which has manifested into her new album, “KEYS.” The project is a back-to-basics approach for the classically trained pianist with a heavy emphasis on the instrument that catapulted her career into superstardom. The 26-track album is broken down in two sections: “Originals” which features many piano-driven songs, followed by the “Unlocked” portion which contains more hip-hop and four-to-the-floor remixes of those tracks.

Big Pokey, of Houston's legendary Screwed Up Click, dies after collapsing at Juneteenth show

Big Pokey, a Houston rapper known for regional hits such as “Ball 'N Parlay,” “Who Dat Talking Down," died after performing a show in Texas over the weekend. He was 48. Justice of the Peace Tom Gilliam III said Monday that an autopsy to determine the cause of death was pending. Powell was a member of Houston’s pioneering rap collective the Screwed Up Click, led by DJ Screw, the trendsetting DJ credited with creating the slow, pitched-down song that would define Houston and reach mainstream attention. Pokey was credited with helping elevate the city's hip-hop scene nationally. Tributes from other rappers are pouring in across social media. Rapper Bun B called Powell “one of the most naturally talented artists” in Houston.

'All Screwed Up' aims to untangle the legacy of DJ Screw

“All Screwed Up,” labeled as a visual tribute, hopes to celebrate and shed light on the life and legacy of Houston music pioneer DJ Screw. Although Monday will mark 20 years since his death, elements of Screw’s signature slow, pitched-down sound is still heard through some of today’s biggest stars such as Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. “All Screwed Up,” a project that mixes biopic-style footage with animation tells the story of DJ Screw before he started getting attention, will be released Monday as part of a $99 commemorative set. Its creators say they'll release the video for free at a later date.

Babyface doesn’t rest on his laurels with ‘Girls Night Out’

A random trip to Walgreen's spurred Babyface to create his new album, ‘Girls Night Out,’ after a young fan said she was introduced to his legendary catalog after his 2020 Verzuz appearance with Teddy Riley. The new 13-track album features collaborations with many of today's popular R&B female singers, like Kehlani, Ella Mai and Ari Lennox. The Songwriters Hall of Fame member wrote with each artist on the album, a way of collaborating that he hasn't always used in his career. “They’re far more invested in their voice in terms of what they say and how they say it…that wasn’t so much of the late ’80s and ’90s,” said Babyface of this new generation of female talent. “They got to make sure it’s an honest thing from them.”

Kelsea Ballerini jumps heart-first into ‘Subject to Change’

Kelsea Ballerini's new album, “Subject to Change,” is a record traversing through love, heartbreak, infatuation, confusion and accountability. Despite recently announcing her five-year marriage to fellow country singer Morgan Evans was ending, the new project is far from a heartbreak album. "It’s the most upbeat record I’ve ever put out. But there’s so much more meat on the bones,” explained the pop-country songstress. Ballerini has writing credits on all 15 tracks of the album — her first since 2020’s pandemic-marred “Kelsea” — and only boasts one guest appearance, “You’re Drunk, Go Home," a collaboration with Kelly Clarkson and Carly Pearce.