Since hip-hop emerged in the late 1970s, it's been closely linked with basketball. But just as the United States is no longer the dominant force in international hoops, its dominance in the world of beats and rhymes is also waning.
Much of the new mainstream U.S. hip-hop values style over substance, making one of music's most exciting forms often sound tired and generic. Like basketball, though, the one bright spot has been the burgeoning international scene, which tends to focus more on execution than flash.
For nearly 20 years, New York-based trio De La Soul have expanded the boundaries of hip-hop and embraced talented peers, regardless of their origin, with open arms. They have a soft spot for Japan's rap underground, having invited the trio Scha Dara Parr to appear on their 1993 album "Buhloone Mindstate" and guesting on DJ Honda's 1998 effort "HII." Recently, they've been collaborating with DJ Muro on a new recording by the turntabalist.