Lamar's blowout Juneteenth concert, held at the Forum in Los Angeles and live-streamed on Amazon Music, planted flags for the future of LA rap, while uniting in hate for a certain Toronto titan.

Canon-making is a core part of rap fandom, the subject of endless barbershop parleys and message-board battles. But something curdles when the companies that control the music business enter the chat.

The duet-packed F-1 Trillion marks a new chapter, but it's no wild swerve — the one-time SoundCloud rapper has had his eye on Nashville for years.

I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, the artist's fifth album and first since his Kanye collabs made him a snark target, swings back at everyone in sight — but saves a few knocks for himself.

The Brooklyn MC, who died this month at 52, rapped from an intense commitment to writing as a form, and a DIY ethic that put him in charge of every aspect of his business.

Musically, CHROMAKOPIA is the rap auteur's most confident album. Emotionally, it might be his most self-effacing, as it stares down a new set of responsibilities.

The Carters have it all: wealth, influence, critical cred, fanatic fandoms. So what drives their quest for approval from institutions like the Grammys, who may never truly see them?