Keith Murphy

D’Angelo: The Last Soul Man The majestic multi-instrumentalist changed the course of soul music and did it with Blackness as the focal point of his iconic career. On a late October evening, an unrecognizable number appeared on the phone. “Hello, Keith… it... See more

Music With the ‘Legend Has It’ series, Mass Appeal and Nas are betting big on hip-hop The seven album series features rap icons like Slick Rick, De La Soul, Big L and more Mike Herard could not believe it. For weeks, the veteran A&R man who operates t... See more

Nothing about Biz Markie’s unapologetically wacky, is-this-guy-for-real? 1989 hip-hop love song “Just A Friend” screamed POP HIT! The “vocalist,” a Long Island, New York MC, deejay and beat boxing jokester, was laughably out of key. Yet the beloved “Just ... See more

Wu-Tang Clan: A Country For Old Men It was the late summer of 1997, and the Wu-Tang Clan was imploding. The two-fisted Staten Island, N.Y. Hip-Hop crew had been on the road with radical leftist rockers Rage Against The Machine on one of the summer’s most ... See more