Tamara Palmer

“You can sell out if you want to, homie, but I’mma stay short and funky,” rapped Too $hort on his sixth album Short Dog’s in the House, repping Oakland to the fullest. Today’s history corner finds a host of artists who, like $hort, stayed true to their artistry and brought it to the world.

We chatted with The Sade Project's co-creator Diana Maciel about the mission behind the photos.

Today’s look at hip-hop history is bittersweet as we reflect on those who we have lost, like Eric Garner and Guru, as we also celebrate milestone releases in hip-hop and R&B.