Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.

Very few people consider Portland the center of the rap universe and even fewer, probably, consider our airport the center of the rap universe. But on Wednesday, all that changed. Because that was the ...

Yesterday, Billboard deputy editor and Stereogum buddy Andrew Unterberger published a piece with some confusing implications: On last week's Billboard Hot 100, there were no rap songs in the top 40.

Last week, we published a list of the 50 Greatest Atlanta Rappers of All Time, focusing on individual artists and their contributions to hip-hop. This approach has its limitations—a framework like ...