Regardless of what your opinion normally is on expensive, over-the-top performances, it’s hard not to get caught up in the glitz and glam of the yearly Super Bowl halftime spectacle. This year, the honor of performing went to Rihanna, whose performance may not go down as one of the all-time greats, but deserves credit for… Read more
Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder (All Photos) You would be forgiven for forgetting that the VMAs are actually about music – discussions around this year’s ceremony focused on Yung Gravy’s surprising choice of date and a controversial, somewhat anticlimactic comeback by Johnny Depp as Moonman. But this year’s award show saw nominations and live performances by… Read more
Photo Credit: Courtesy of DJ Khaled There is something confounding about the success of DJ Khaled. Sixteen years, and thirteen albums, into his career, he has yet to release a truly singular piece of work, let alone a masterpiece. To his critics, Khaled simply does what other DJs do but louder and with a more… Read more
Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/GI What happens when you put the Kings of Hip-Hop on the world’s biggest stage with the Queen of Hip-Hop and Soul? You get one of the best half-time shows in the NFL’s history, and this certainly was the case when it came to this year’s show. Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige,… Read more
Photo Credit: Collages via Billboard Most people will tell you that the only success that translates financially is “success.” In music, certainly, it’s thought to be almost entirely mathematical: the more records an artist has sold, the more “successful” they are (of course, in recent decades the number of downloads and streams would also have… Read more
*Honorable Mentions*: Childish Gambino – ‘3.15.20’ // HAIM – ‘Women In Music Pt.III’ // Bryson Tiller –‘Anniversary’ // Jessie Reyes – ‘Before Love Came To Kill Us‘ & Taylor Swift – ‘Folklore’ #10. Halsey – ‘Manic’ Perhaps the most introspective and genuine album of the year comes from singer-songwriter Halsey. Bravely inviting us into the… Read more
Photo Credit: Julian Klincewicz You can tell from the very beginning of Big Sean’s fifth number one album Detroit 2, that the Michigan native sounds more balanced and elevated as a person and as an artist than ever before. As a sequel to the 2012 mixtape titled Detroit, the project is stacked with a stout… Read more
Photo Credit: Andy Ford Jarad Anthony Higgins, known professionally as Juice WRLD, was a fast-rising superstar out of Chicago who was known as a prodigious emoter and leader among the Soundcloud rap set. Six days after his twenty-first birthday, he flew from Los Angeles to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where he and his management team were… Read more
Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine Joyner as an artist has always been under-the-radar, presenting thought-provoking tracks like “I’m Not Racist” and garnering an audience willing to figure out the social commentary behind the lyrics. His debut album ADHD starts off with an introductory skit, “Screening Evaluation”, which sets up a narrative to create an awareness about… Read more
Photo Credit: Trevor Finney Joyner Lucas is known for his lyricism and quick delivery. The rapper gained attention of millions of listeners with tracks like “Ross Cipicchioni” and “I’m Not Racist.” With the viral success of several tracks, the artist has been able to create a name for himself through his work as a songwriter,… Read more