“The Message” is often credited with stretching what hip-hop could be — not just party music but also social commentary. Big Daddy Kane, Daddy-O of Stetsasonic and longtime hip-hop promoter Charlie ...

How to encompass half a century of hip-hop? You start by acknowledging you can’t. Too many stars, too many songs, too many places, too many scandals: Hip-hop is an entire universe — a musical genre, ...