HIP HOP & RAP




more in music

RVA Magazine 20 Years | Stories from 2005

As we look back on 20 years of publishing RVA Magazine, we’re diving into our origins, beginning with our official launch in 2005. That year marked the debut of RVA Magazine, Issue 1, Volume 1, and our April 15th kickoff event at Gallery5. In the process of archiving,...

Sound Check! X-Cops, Velvet Ruin & Camo Face

What Richmond needs is a good music documentary. If you look at these bills, week after week is insane talent front to back. I want someone to document all of these bands, each one deserves it. We need to cherish and capture this Richmond musical renaissance. Got a...

New Year’s Eve! Looking Back at Our Biggest Stories of 2024

So, it’s New Year’s Eve. The drinks are poured, the fireworks are loaded, and before the clock strikes midnight, let’s take a moment to sift through the rubble of the year that was. Richmond in 2024—messy, beautiful, endlessly fascinating. Thanks for sticking with us...

Richmond New Year’s Eve 2024-2025! The Ultimate Rundown

Richmond does New Year’s Eve like only it can—mixing a love for nostalgia with a flair for the unexpected. Whether you’re chasing live music, glamorous parties, or low-key drinks, RVA delivers with gritty charm and a shot of elegance. Here’s everything you need to...

Young Blood | Photographer Vincent Candela

Vincent Candela—Vinny to some—got in touch with me about a year ago. Happens all the time: people looking to get their shots published, their names out there. But his work stood out. There was a rawness, a kind of unpolished ferocity in the way he captured the world,...

Photos | J. Roddy Walston at Canal Club by Joey Wharton

Richmond’s rock faithful packed into the Canal Club for what felt more like a ritual than a concert. J. Roddy Walston, a hometown legend with the kind of raw, unpolished energy that doesn’t just play to a crowd but grabs it by the throat, hit the stage like a force of...

SOUND CHECK! Mexican Slum Rats, Swag Fest, & Tim Cappello

Richmond is feeling like a garage this week. It’s young and clean tuff but not mean. Lean in to it, let loose, get hip, don’t be obtuse.  Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at Griffin@rvamag.com. The Camel | Tuesday, October 1st 2024 Mexican Slum Rats, Winona Forever, Israel’s Arcade...

Read More

SOUND-CHECK-Mexican-Slum-Rats-Swag-Fest-Tim-Cappello-By-Griffin-Smally-RVA-Magazine-2024

Photos | Wet Hot Chandler Summer Tour 2024

A few months back, Chandler and Friends lit up Richmond Music Hall, with photographer Aspen DeRosa snapping the party. We’ve been sitting on the photos, but now seems like the right moment to let them loose—especially since Chandler’s hitting The Camel this Saturday night. If you've been wondering what one of his gigs feels like, look no...

Read More

Wet-Hot-Chandler-Summer-Tour-at-Richmond-Music-Hall_photo-by-Aspen-DeRosa_RVA-Magazine-2024

Sound Check! The Lemonheads, Goth Babe & Shagwüf

This was an overwhelming week of Sound Check as there is just so much amazing music in Richmond this week. Picking which shows to cover was like picking which hand to eat soup with. The weather is beautiful, shows are plentiful, life is good and I want to get out there. Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am...

Read More

Sound-Check_The-Lemonheads-Goth-Babe-Shagwuf-by-Griffin-Smalley_RVA-Magazine-2024-2

Killer Mike to Speak on Free Expression at University of Richmond

Three-time Grammy-winning rapper and activist Michael Santiago Render, better known as Killer Mike, will be a featured panelist in an upcoming discussion on the future of free expression, hosted by the University of Richmond. Co-moderated by UR liberal arts professor Erik Nielson, Mad Skillz and journalist Bonnie Newman Davis, the panel will...

Read More

Killer-Mike-to-Speak-on-Free-Expression-at-University-of-Richmond-photo-by-Dan-Medhurst_RVA-Magazine-2024.jpg

Photos from RVA Pop-Out at RVA Boombox

On Sunday, Ant the Symbol's Vintage Youth presented RVA Pop-Out at RVA Boombox. Hosted by Noah-O and headlined by Richmond rap legend, Michael Millions (who is releasing new material with DJ Harrison this fall), the show featured the best of the best from Richmond's rap and hip-hop scene, including performances by T.R.I.G, Troy, Johnny Ciggs,...

Read More

From the 804 to the World: Nettspend’s Meteoric Rise

Marx coined the concept of historical materialism, the idea that class struggle moves history. I am providing my own, the youth move history. If it were not for an innate audacity to change and push the norm, to delve into a new and dangerous territory, we would still be banging rocks and sticks in a cave. I am sure the first cavekid to grunt...

Read More

From the 804 to the World_Nettspend's Meteoric Rise by Griffin Smalley_RVA Magazine 2024