Street Songs was Rick James’s masterpiece, his ghetto symphony. The Stone City Band raps about the making of this historical funk document. Read some interview extras here. In our back-cover feature, Brian Coleman presents an oral history on New York hip-hop club the Latin Quarter.

re:Discovery Jonas Gwangwa and African Explosion, Danser’s Inferno, Passport, The Buggers, Rafi Val y La Diferente In Memoriam: Calvin Lockhart (1934-2007), Ronald Muldrow (1949-2007) Old Soul Black Milk’s New Sound for the D Audio Heritage: An Archival Perspective on Recorded Media Ingrained Selection is Natural to DJ Shadow Chocolate Star Connecting the Dots with Gary Davis Brooklyn’s Own DJ Spinna Embraces His Block Party Roots Ghetto Symphony Making Rick James’s Tour De Force Street Songs The Master Drummer Chico Hamilton’s Nomadic Science Disco Savant Avant-Garde Cellist Arthur Russell Deconstructed Dance Music Francois Kevorkian on Remixing “Go Bang” Band of Brothers Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Throws Hooks with Horns The Godfather Reggae and Dancehall Don Bunny “Striker” Lee The Latin Quarter Hip-Hop’s Celebrity Warehouse Bright Time RAMP Finally Sees the Daylight The Time is Now Sa-Ra Counts Down to their Debut Music Works Thes One Finds Selling Points in Jingles