Photo Credit: Black Eye Peas via Facebook In the nearly two decades since they broke through with the 2x Platinum-certified Elephunk, LA trio the Black Eyed Peas have been the butt of many a joke – especially as their star continued to grow throughout the noughties. “What the f**k happened?” was the question on the… Read more
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch At the outset, a major artist doing a studio album comprised entirely of songs made popular by other artists may seem like a lazy way to stay in the public eye and/or take care of one contractually-obligated release. However, it’s probably closer to being a rite of passage, as Bob Dylan,… Read more
Photo Credit: Michael Bezjian The indelible public image of Aaron Carter, who died on Saturday, November 5th at age 34, will be that of the smiling child with bleach-blonde hair standing either next to his brother Nick (of Backstreet Boys fame) or next to Hilary Duff or Lindsay Lohan (his relationships with them as a… Read more
Photo Credit: Joji via Instagram To be a YouTuber-turned-musician is to have any and all of your musical output treated with suspicion. It’s understandable why; when most people hear the phrase ‘YouTuber-Turned-Musician’, they probably think of someone like Dream – the viral gaming star who received widespread mockery last year following the release of his… Read more
Photo Credit: David Levene Steve Lacy had a Grammy nomination before he had even finished high school, so the fact that he released two critically acclaimed albums before turning 25 years old is hardly surprising. Following up his funky, nostalgic coming-out debut Apollo XII with Gemini Rights, Steve here seeks unconditional love as he finds… Read more
Photo Credit: Dennis Leupold The existence of A Very Backstreet Christmas shouldn’t surprise anyone. Though the demand for new Christmas music remains low – year after year, more and more people seem to be sticking with the classics (Mariah, Kirsty MacColl, Michael Buble, etc.) over renditions from the stars of the moments – creating a… Read more
Photo Credit: Kenneth Cappello Of the over 13,000 albums on the database of Metacritic – the review aggregation site – Charlie Puth’s debut Nine Track Mind holds the unfortunate distinction of having the 7th lowest critic’s score; Spin labeled it an “inoffensive dross,” while Q Magazine said that it “whimpers like a sad kitten.” With… 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: Thurstan Redding The title of Rina Sawayama’s second album, Hold The Girl, is taken from a phrase she learned in therapy about nurturing one’s so-called inner child. Fittingly, it’s this theme that takes center stage on the LP – from the short and sweet introduction “Minor Feelings” and the glitchy title track to… 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