Curtis Rowser III

In an industry where artistry is so often bound by expectation, where freedom is a privilege, not a given—Abraham, Angel, Israel, and Momo Boyd stand together as a subtle defiance. The four siblings comprise the heart of Infinity Song, a New York-based soft rock band signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Infinity Song is bound by blood, yes, and also a creative spirit that they weave into harmonies and acoustics in the form of a genre that, for too long, has left voices like theirs—Black voices, to be specific—unheard. Infinity Song was destined to be here. By way of Detroit, their family moved to the Big Apple nearly 20 years ago, which would become their proving grounds where they’d busk and perform on streets all throughout the city en route to cultivating a loyal following. “We didn’t wait for stages,” Abraham, the group’s eldest sibling, tells Time Out New York. “We created stages wherever the people were.” Their first performances can be traced back to the Motor City when they were as young as 4 years old. Photograph: Miguel McSongwe for Time Out New York | Momo and Angel Boyd Abraham, along with five other brothers and sisters, were homeschooled—academically and musically—and raised on a steady diet of gospel music, jazz and classical. “Our musical background—and our life was unconventional from the start,” he continued, “not because we were trying to be different, but out of drive and purpose and necessity.  Our musical background and our life was unconventional from the s

New York is the hip-hop music capital of the world. You can argue with us all you like, but we will simply respond with geography and genius—the raw statistics that tell you everything you need to know about the city and its still-unfurling legacy. Namely? The Bronx: KRS-One, Big Pun, Slick Rick. Staten Island: Wu-Tang Clan. Queens: LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C., A Tribe Called Quest, Nicki Minaj, Nas. Harlem: Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, Mase. Brooklyn: Busta Rhymes, Big Daddy Kane, Foxy Brown, Biggie.Not only is New York the birthplace of hip-hop, it’s also home to the genre's biggest star today: Jay-Z, whose cultural and fiscal influence is evidenced by his financial investment in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, a venue/basketball team/mass-media enterprise that opened with an eight-night run of sold-out shows from the star.Assembling this roster, we kept the big-business aspect of hip-hop in mind—so you’ll find such hefty quarterbacks as 50 Cent alongside art-world crazies like Rammellzee. Time Out invited some of our all-time favorite hip-hop artists and tastemakers—such luminaries as Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul and Peter Rosenberg—to give us their personal picks. And you can listen to the greatest hip-hop songs on our Spotify playlist.Did we argue over this list? Of course. Are we proud of it? As proud as we are of this city. Let us know what you think.—Edited by Sophie Harris

New York City is the birthplace of hip-hop—the world’s most popular genre of music. Everybody who’s anybody in hip-hop must enter the concrete jungle at some point and put their skills to the test in a live setting. And if you don’t believe us, just name an established rapper worth mentioning who’s never performed in New York. Don’t worry, we’ll wait.  New York City is the biggest media market in the world and each year, the city hosts huge annual festivals like Afropunk Fest, Governors Ball, Hot 97 Summer Jam and more, in which artists of all kinds look to captivate the heart of the city. But what about the times of the year in between the festivals? Luckily, hip-hop lovers can get their fill right here in NYC year-round. Here are a few of our picks of the best venues in the city to experience hip-hop in the flesh.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best live music venues in NYC

It may seem counterintuitive, but the Brooklyn Museum's newest exhibition got its start in Los Angeles. A couple of years ago Spike Lee had a small exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in which items from his extensive collection of memorabilia were on display. During an interview with The Los Angeles Times about the exhibition, Lee was quoted as saying, “This is really a very, very small part of all the stuff I have. I could fill the Brooklyn Museum.” Him saying this opened the door to discussions between the Atlanta-born, Brooklyn-bred director and Brooklyn Museum. Now, just over two years later, Lee is currently the subject of an immersive installation, “Spike Lee: Creative Sources,” on the 5th floor of Brooklyn Museum that has been teased since we first reported it was coming back in July. Before the exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, October 7, Time Out New York was invited to a preview. The exhibit’s curator, Kimerbli Gant, says the Brooklyn Museum had been interested in working with Lee for a while. “It was really just figuring out what made sense,” she tells Time Out. “We really wanted to present Spike as a Brooklyn storyteller, but also as a preserver of history and culture.” With Lee being one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers and directors of all-time, this exhibition could very well have been put together as a self-absorbed display of his highlights and achievements, but it’s far from that. Much of the exhibit is