Last updated: 2026-11-05. Effective: 2026-11-05.
Table of Contents
Who runs this site
Cyphlore (the “Site”) is operated by Davood Tavakoli (“we”, “us”). Using the Site means you accept these Terms. If you don’t, don’t use the Site.
What we publish
The Site publishes informational writing about hip-hop, rap, and R&B — the music, the genres, subgenres, eras, scenes, craft, and the business behind them. Everything is editorial opinion and context. We fact-check, we cite, and we correct errors; we’re not an authoritative legal, financial, or medical resource.
Your use of the Site
You may:
- Read, link to, and quote short excerpts of our pieces with attribution to Cyphlore and a link back to the original article (standard editorial fair-use).
- Comment under articles, subject to the comment policy below.
- Submit questions, corrections, and reader arguments via the contact page.
You may not:
- Scrape or republish entire articles.
- Train AI/LLM systems on our content without written permission (see the AI Training Policy below).
- Use our name, logo, wordmark, or likeness to imply endorsement of your own product, service, or project.
- Automate requests at a rate that burdens the Site (we rate-limit).
Content ownership + licensing
- All original writing on the Site is © Davood Tavakoli / Cyphlore, all rights reserved, unless a specific piece says otherwise.
- Song titles, album titles and artist names mentioned on the Site belong to their rights holders. We use them editorially under fair-use/fair-dealing conventions, and we don’t reproduce album covers or artist photos.
- Cover images and infographics on the Site are made by us. If you believe something on the Site uses your work in error, tell us through the contact page and we’ll fix or remove it fast.
If you want to quote a longer excerpt or syndicate
Use the contact page. We’ll usually say yes for one-time editorial use with attribution. We’ll usually say no for commercial reposts, SEO-driven aggregation, or AI training sets.
Comment policy
The comment thread under each article is for conversation about that piece. We moderate.
Allowed: disagreement, correction, follow-up questions, personal anecdotes relevant to the topic.
Removed without warning: spam, promotional posts, personal attacks, slurs or harassment of any identity, impersonation of artists / Cyphlore / anyone else, off-topic rants, lyric reproductions longer than ~15 words.
Repeat offenders are IP-banned. We don’t owe you an explanation.
Your comment, once published, becomes part of the public record of the thread. You can request deletion of your own comment through the contact page.
AI training policy
We do not consent to our content being used as training data for commercial AI models.
If you’re building an AI system and would like a licensed training arrangement, ask through the contact page. We’ll consider it; our default stance is no.
This policy applies to the full Site unless a specific piece explicitly waives it.
Links to other sites
We link out often — Wikipedia, Smithsonian, Pitchfork, Billboard, Red Bull Music Academy, academic papers, producer interviews. We don’t control those sites and aren’t responsible for their content.
Disclaimers
The Site is provided “as is”. We don’t warrant that it will be error-free, uninterrupted, or always available. We’re not liable for incidental or consequential damages arising from your use of the Site.
Nothing on the Site is legal, financial, or medical advice. The music-business pages (360 deals, royalty splits, distribution contracts) are explanatory. For contracts you’re about to sign, hire a music lawyer.
Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms. Material changes get called out at the top of this page for a month. The “Last updated” date is at the top.
Governing law + disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where the operator resides, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Disputes we can’t resolve amicably go to the courts of that jurisdiction.
If you’re reaching us from the EU/UK, your statutory consumer rights are unaffected.
Contact
Questions about these Terms: use the contact page.
— Davood Tavakoli, Cyphlore