Music : Hip-Hopâs Newest Faces: Indie, Fierce and Female
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Some performers are finding that early success online can turn into an album contract.
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New releases from Janet Jackson, Ludacris, Scissor Sisters and Los Lobos.
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Hip-hop has such a negative connotation in some circles that some people equate it with thuggery or crime &#151; an unfair depiction that DMC of the legendary rap group Run-DMC is trying to dispel.
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LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - As rap and hip-hop experience an  unprecedented level of influence on American culture,  appreciation for the music is hitting a similar high-water mark  in the creative community.
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In yet another big week for new  releases on the U.S. albums chart, the MTV-constructed band  Danity Kane trumped hip-hop duo OutKast to take the top spot,  while Paris Hilton scored the highest debut for a new solo  female pop artist this year with a No. 6 entry.
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By singing from the perspective of an assertive, self-guided woman, Alicia Keys leads the charge in defying the latest wave of pop and hip-hop sexism.
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LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Three albums that reached stores  ahead of schedule will lead the next Billboard 200 chart and  raise the profile of hip-hop and R&B.
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There was no major-league  comeback to rival Mary J. Blige's 2006 breakthrough or Mariah  Carey's 2005 emancipation. And hip-hop sales overall weren't  anything to write home about. But R&B/hip-hop in 2007 still  managed to chime in with several headline-making notes.
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They may not be the most anticipated releaeses of fall, but don't overlook offerings from R.E.M., Matthew Sweet,  Fatboy Slim, Black Eyed Peas, Duran Duran, Sum 41, Ashanti, Babyface, Fabolous and Mos Def's return to rap.
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A hard-hitting  documentary on hip-hop that asks why it often shows black men  as violent sex-addicts who abuse woman is sparking debate among  a generation of young people raised on rap videos.
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The new breed of pop singers loves to tell us about the burdens of stardom. Their music is better when they don't.
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Rappers love a good feud. Whether  it's East Coast vs. West Coast, or Eminem vs. everyone, the  spats inspire spiteful lyrics that make for juicy listening.
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Hip-hop and rock, onstage together: itâs an idea whose time has come. And gone. And come again. And gone again. And so on.
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With "The Evolution," Ciara aims to  take the success of her 2005 debut, "Goodies," to a new level  musically and creatively.
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A bold Brazilian melodrama that moves to the rhythm of the streets, âAntoniaâ traces a year in the lives of four young women who form a rap group and fend off tragedy.
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Reflecting a change in both, hip-hop music and churches seem to be inching closer together.
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In April, DJ Shadow unveiled the  first taste of music from "The Outsider," his first album in  four years, and some longtime fans scratched their heads. The  track "3 Freaks" found Shadow flanked by hyphy stars Keak Da  Sneak and Turf Talk for a banging hip-hop track -- far removed  from the cinematic instrumentals of his past work.