H.L. is first in the Passion of the Weiss re-up gang to sate your winter mix fix

Harold Stallworth feels like a black republican. Boots Riley, the afro sporting, blackfist wielding frontman for The Coup, has always defied the notion that politically-charged rap requires a certain level of compromise—a willingness to serve the medicine with a generous side of corn syrup. In their heyday, which lasted through the better part of the […]

Harold Stallworth ain’t the one for the dibbin’ and dabbin’. The U Street Corridor is probably the most party-driven stretch of Wale’s adopted hometown of Washington D.C. It’s a vibrant hub for nightlife, ripe with craft beer and musicianship, hookah and second childhood. Transplants adore the yuppified bar-hop scene; natives roll their eyes in disgust […]

Harold Stallworth insists that life is like a dice game. Willie The Kid’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is best known for being a world leader in office furniture manufacturing, but you would never know it from the plush tone of his music. Willie’s studio persona is anything but functional. He raps wealthy, even when […]

In the conclusion of a special two part series, the Passion of the Weiss staff crown their top albums of 2014 and learn the value of friendship, decency, and karate.

The Passion of the Weiss staff break down the top albums of 2014 and learn the dangers of teenage steroid abuse.

Harold Stallworth is still spending bitcoins from ‘88. What kind of music can you imagine being played at your very own funeral? It’s a morbid question, to be sure, but one that Chicagoan bedroom producer SlumLord88 aims to answer with his latest beat tape, Funeral Music. Presumably, the title is indebted to a 50 Cent […]

Harold Stallworth called all across town to borrow a four-pound. Hus Kingpin is a poor man’s Roc Marciano. But in a year where Roc has managed to keep an uncharacteristically low profile, poverty is relative. Hus’s latest project, Nahright Hype, is just that: a whopping 27-track mixtape sanctioned by the time-honored hip-hop blog of the […]

Harold Stallworth is a world champion spades player. Autumn, the season of meaningful baseball, has finally reared its temperate head over the nation’s capitol. This mix was originally inspired by what was thought to be a balls-deep playoff run for the Washington Nationals, tailor-made for long, uncomfortable train rides to the ballpark. Green Line jams, […]

Harold Stallworth went to see Papi and all he got was this lousy t-shirt. In the mid-to-late-90s, an elusive figure by the name of Papi played the foil to some of the most talented rappers that New York City had to offer. Papi was a shrewd businessman, sinister in his dealings with hip-hop’s elite—a habitual […]