In 1998 the hip-hop community was reeling from the mysterious and tragic murders of two of its biggest, and most beloved, stars: Tupac and Biggie. Questions swirled around their deaths, the role of rap in their killings, and the future of hip-hop itself. It was into this chaotic uncertainty that Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey,…

Since J. Cole already has two signature songs entitled “Dollar and a Dream,” on one level it makes sense that the first real song on his debut album is called “Dollar and a Dream III.” On another, it introduces an immediate existential crisis for any mathematically inclined listener: by this point Jermaine must have, at…