Christina Lee

Nov 27, 2023 | vulture.com | Christina Lee

As the YSL trial begins, we’re re-running this 2022 feature on the connections law enforcement have made between Atlanta’s gangs and the local hip-hop community. Rap has been associated with gang stereotypes for decades. During Snoop Dogg’s 1993 murder trial, prosecutors riffed off Snoop’s “Murder Was the Case” lyrics (“Murder was the crime they committed”) to make their (ultimately unsuccessful) closing arguments.

Oct 26, 2023 | bustle.com | Christina Lee

Pianist and composer Chloe Flower acknowledges that she works in an industry still largely segregated by categories, which can frustrate her. “I was always too classical for pop, and I was always too pop for classical,” she says. “Even in something as simple as playlisting, they still don't know what to do with me half the time.” But rather than worry about how to best fit in, Flower has carved out her own lane and thrived off of finding new ways for modern audiences to appreciate the classics.

Aug 7, 2023 | npr.org | Daoud Tyler-Ameen |Sheldon Pearce |Christina Lee

Hip-hop is 50. Its formula for global domination? Staying local Illustration by Jackie Lay/NPR When DJ Kool Herc spun records at a small party in the Bronx in August of 1973, no one would have predicted his unique style would give birth to the most influential and dominant music in the world: hip-hop. In this special episode, we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the genre.

Aug 4, 2023 | grammy.com | Christina Lee

Jazz, psychedelic rock, ambient and more permeate the work of artists such as Kassa Overall and Decuma. As hip-hop turns 50, meet the artists who are continuing to push the genre's multifarious sounds. |GRAMMYs/Aug 4, 2023 - 01:06 pmDJ Kool Herc was messing with soul vocals and drum breaks when he invented what’s now known as the break beat — the very element that gave birth to the genre on Aug. 11, 1973. Hip-hop was literally built off a sample.

Jun 14, 2023 | atlantamagazine.com | Christina Lee

What do Atlanta Public Schools teachers, “Cop City” forest defenders, the rappers Young Thug and Gunna, and former president Donald Trump have in common? All have been—or may be—prosecuted under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, aka RICO. For most, RICO laws bring to mind their original intended target: the mafia. But increasingly, prosecutors have used the statutes to go after street gangs, stock traders, strip club owners, mixtape DJs, varsity coaches, and actresses.