These 40 MCs prove relevance is a state of mind — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. Back in 2006, The Game made clear hip-hop’s sentiment regarding the aging MC. “You 38 and you still rappin’? Ugh!” the then-26-year-old lyricist scoffed on “It’s Okay (One Blood),” in a…

Aging used to signal the end of a rap career — now it’s a way to forge a tighter bond with fans — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. I don’t remember the first rapper I ever interviewed — a 20-plus-year career in journalism will do that — but I definitely remember the first rapper I thanked: Common, aka Lon-chikka-Lonnie…

Hot lines < hot songs < hot albums. Here are the best of the best. — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. Summer 1977: The art of emceeing begins. Among the first triumvirate of greats — Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Melle Mel, and Kool Moe Dee — the average age is just under 16…