Happy Bornday to The Notorious B.I.G. who would’ve turned 41 today!

Six days before his untimely death on March 9, the legendary smooth-flowing rapper stopped by Sway and Tech’s “The Wake Up Show” where he discussed Tupac’s death, Death Row, and delivered his last freestyle reciting some chilling last words.

Watch Biggie’s freestyle below.

“His production methods, his ear, his inner ear…the way he heard music was unlike any other producer, ever.”

The late legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla needs no introduction.

His mother Maureen and friends J. Rocc, DJ Spinna, Frank Nitt and Grap Luva celebrate his life and open the storage locker of his vinyl collection, never-before-seen to the public, in this segment of Fuse’s profile series, Crate Diggers.

If you’ve never heard of this iconic producer before, you are definitely in for a treat.

Watch “J Dilla’s Vinyl Collection – Crate Diggers” below.

World-renowned tap dancer and choreographer Savion Glover has been professionally showcasing his footwork since the late ’80s, making notable appearances on TV shows like Sesame Street, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Kennedy Center Honors and even Puff Daddy and the Family’s “It’s All About the Benjamins” music video.

Savion Glover Rhymes and Taps on Sesame Street (1990s)

Like a musician or any kind of artist, his delivery is ever-changing and the complexity in his rhythms tend to become mind-boggling. That light footwork takes you on the ultimate musical journey. I sometimes find myself in a trance. “My style is young. Funk. I feel like it’s one of my responsibilities to keep the dance alive, to keep it out there, to keep the style”, says Glover. In short, the brotha is bad!

Savion Glover: Tap Dance Improvisation, Live in the Greene Space (2013)

Recently, the legend sat down with the folks at THNKR to explain why he loves the art of tap dance and why it is an important art form.

Watch ”Roots of a Tap Dance Legend – Savion Glover” below.

Brooklyn-based oil painter Tatyana Fazlalizadeh sat down with the folks at Freshthetic to discuss the inspiration behind her social and political artwork, as well as her fight against sexual harassment in her “STOP TELLING WOMEN TO SMILE” street art project.

“Street harassment is a serious issue that affects women world wide. This project attempts to take women’s voices, and faces, and put them in the street – creating a presence for women in an environment where women are a lot of times made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe – outside in the street.”

Watch Artist Talk: Tatyana Fazlalizadeh below.

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s links: Official Site, Twitter, Tumblr

This is dope!

Mike Breach aka Baristart is a 28-year-old New York-based barista extraordinaire who has an amazing talent for painting―into his lattes! He uses the foam to create different figures.

Watch “STORYBOARD: The Fine Art of Coffee Portraiture” below.

Talib Kweli sat down with the folks at THNKR and reminisced about the beloved Brooklyn bookstore, Nkiru Books, which he was once employed at and eventually operated with fellow Black Star rapper Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) back in 1998.

Nkiru Books was the oldest Black American bookstore founded in its city by teacher Leothy Miller Owens in 1976. The community-based shop featured literary works by Black authors and also held workshops, lectures, and open mics once Talib and Yasiin took over.

For a number of reasons, including the rise of gentrification in Park Slope and the competition with big bookstore chains, Nkiru Books was unfortunately shutdown in 2000 and replaced with a hair salon. Talib has hopes of reopening the bookstore one day. I sense a KickStarter project in the future.

Watch Talib Kweli’s sit down with THNKR below.

(Photo by Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times)

Dr. Christopher Emdin from Teachers College Columbia University, along with GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, are using hip-hop culture to hack the science education model currently used in secondary schools in order to establish a new generation of science geniuses.

Watch Dr. Christopher Emdin break down the basis of their project, Science Genius.

Mike Friton is a freelance shoemaker, weaver, paper sculptor, and innovator with over 30 years of experience at Nike. His innovations are responsible for many elements of athletic footwear that people wear today. Each of his crafts informs one another and he is constantly exploring the fringes of his field. Mike’s work is a great example of how non-traditional methods of exploring one’s craft can lead to unique end results.

Watch “The Innovator” below.