Cyphlore explains hip-hop, rap and R&B: where the sounds came from, how the subgenres differ, who built each scene, and how the business behind the music works.
The name joins two words. A cypher is the circle where rappers trade verses. Lore is the history a culture passes down. This site does a bit of both.
Who writes it
Every piece is written by Davood Tavakoli. I’m 30 and have been listening to this music for most of my life. I’m not a music journalist chasing release dates. I write about why a sound happened: the record, the year, the city, the producer.
What you’ll find here
- Subgenre explainers, from boom bap to phonk to neo-soul
- Eras and regional scenes, decade by decade
- Craft guides on writing, flow and production
- Plain-English explainers on record deals, royalties and distribution
You won’t find gossip, net-worth pages or rumor posts.
Got a correction?
If I got a year, a credit or a city wrong, tell me on the contact page. I fix it and note the change on the page.
— Davood Tavakoli, Cyphlore