Photo Credit: Biz 3 Publicity It hurts to find out that any musician has died as young as Kirsnick Khari Ball, better known as Takeoff, did. But even in a world that does its damnedest to desensitize us to the violent, untimely deaths of Black hip-hop stars (rappers Young Dolph, Drakeo The Ruler, and JayDaYoungan… Read more
Photo Credit: @tiffanyandco / Instagram In the last few months, alone, both Beyoncé and Lizzo have altered their songs post-release to remove the term “spaz” after ableist concerns were raised regarding the songs “Grrrls” and “Heated,” respectively. Though many Americans seemed shocked that anyone could take offense at the term, the word is considered a… Read more
Photo Credit: Jamie Nelson To say that Megan Thee Stallion has been through a lot would be an understatement. In the last four years alone, she’s weathered the death of her mother, being shot (allegedly) by fellow rapper Tory Lanez and suffering an influx of online abuse after the release of her song with Cardi… Read more
The concept album hit its stride after the 1960s when large, well-funded bands had the cash and carte blanche to explore, at length, any idea that crossed their addled brains. Whether a bloated 1970s ineffectual gesture or a coherent and brilliant bit of storytelling, the concept album has fans and detractors in equal measure. Here… Read more
Logic “Tetris” & “Decades” Cover via Def Jam You can’t judge a book by its cover but you often can judge an album by its cover art. The photo for Logic’s latest album Vinyl Days feels familiar. The child, Logic’s toddler son Bobby is seated in an old-fashioned office chair, the afternoon light filtering in…. Read more
Photo Credit: Republic Records The best Drake songs captivate people as soon as they first hear them – it’s why he’s responsible for some of the biggest hits of the 2010s. A trio of acclaimed albums and mixtapes from 2011-2015 – Take Care, Nothing Was the Same & If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late… Read more
Photo Credit: CBS.com Have you ever heard the song “McFlurry” by the Sleaford Mods? Banging track. The outro consists of vocalist Jason Williamson mockingly chanting “I’ve got a Brit Award, I’ve got a Brit Award // No Surrender, No Surrender // Animal, five-day bender,” imitating the attitudes of overblown rock stars celebrating dubious awards in a played… Read more
Photo Credit: Urban Wyatt “Industry Baby” – the collaboration between Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – felt like it might be a turning point in Harlow’s career, and not just because of its huge commercial success. While the majority of creative credit goes to Nas himself, it remains true that the song offered a… Read more
Photo Credit: Getty Images for The Recording Academy (All Photos) Award show attendance has been reliably falling year-on-year and this year, the Recording Academy seemed less concerned than ever about doing anything to revert that trend, with an overlong, self-indulgent ceremony that ran for a seemingly never-ending 2 hours and 33 minutes. Beyond making a… Read more
With Coronavirus receding and the world slowly opening back up, the last year has allowed musicians to finally get back in the studio and record new music. Combine this with a pandemic’s worth of soul-searching and you find an entire generation of new talent making urgent music that meets this moment. From soul-searching singer-songwriters to… Read more