We couldn’t come all the way to the Apollo without bending the knee. | | | | All hands on deck: Christine and the Queens in London, Nov. 2, 2016.
(Gus Stewart/WireImage/Getty Images) | | | | | | “We couldn’t come all the way to the Apollo without bending the knee.”
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| | rantnrave:// Kudos to XXL for highlighting the criticisms of its annual FRESHMAN CLASS almost as soon as it published its list of rappers to watch this year. But half a kudo deducted for failing to highlight one particular criticism: that eight of the nine featured artists are men. The magazine isn't making or breaking careers here, but it is setting a tone with a list that's closely watched in the hip-hop community and that will dictate much of its own coverage this summer. And if you aren't looking for diversity in everything you do every day, I'm not sure you're doing 2018 right. You can always cast a wider net. The eight men (including LIL PUMP and SKI MASK THE SLUMP GOD) and one woman (STEFFLON DON) chosen are heavy in SOUNDCLOUD rappers and Floridians, in case you're wondering where to focus your own hip-hop A&R this year... One of XXL's freshmen picked an inopportune time to get arrested for allegedly striking a woman in the head with a handgun... RHAPSODY/NAPSTER adds 24,000 tracks a day. Assuming the average track is 4 minutes, it would take 67 days of nonstop listening to hear all of that. And 67 years of listening 24 hours/day to hear every track the service will add this year. That would make for a good blog, if you're looking for a project for the rest of your life... But not as good a blog as CENTURIES OF SOUND, JAMES ERRINGTON's anthropological investigation of what the world sounded like in every year going back to 1859—the first year for which viable audio recordings exist. Errington is currently adding a year each month, and he's up to 1903, a year when "Tin Pan Alley continues to churn out novelty hits at an alarming rate" and comedians are riffing on the automobile, "a dangerous machine driven exclusively by reckless people"... MOBY is selling his entire record collection for charity... "There's not one way to come out," says RITA ORA, singer of the somewhat controversial "GIRLS"... EDDIE VEDDER's new THIRD MAN RECORDS single features two songs about the CHICAGO CUBS and will be included with tickets to the Cubs' game against the REDS July 6 at WRIGLEY FIELD... In further arrest news: FYRE FESTIVAL's BILLY MCFARLAND... RIP JON HISEMAN. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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| Neil Portnow's successor needs to build on his work -- and do a much better job communicating about it. | | |
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| From the very start, K-pop had America in mind. Before the happy accident of 2012 - the one involving an LMFAO-type beat, a "horse dance," and lots of laughs at the expense of rich people in a neighborhood of a city of a country few Westerners could have found on a map - there were the Korean superstars with optimistic names like the Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation, well intentioned but too soon. | | |
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| Why did runners up in a talent show become global chart toppers? Why do they generate such a devoted following? What do Directioners tell us about the nature of fandom today? And did all the social media attention and the online speculation concerning the band eventually do more harm than good? | | |
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| Now that it is public, Spotify has found that tough talking trumps sweet talking. Even if Spotify does not intend to go fast on its next gen-label strategy, it now knows it has to talk fast. | | |
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| As a record exec, Cohen used to be a bit anti-YouTube. Now he’s soaking in it. | | |
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| “All Gates Open,” a biography of the experimental German rock band, traces a legacy of six-hour concerts, wild spontaneity and “telepathic” grooves. | | |
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| Smashing Pumpkins on putting their differences aside and why D'arcy Wretzky isn't part of the reunion. | | |
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| As lawmakers debate legislation backed by big players in streaming services, music stations want a better legal climate for their work on platforms beyond radio. | | |
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| From confessional punk memoirs to a self-help book by Questlove, there’s something here for every genre of music nerd. | | |
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| Including Janelle Monáe, Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, the "Black Panther" soundtrack and more. | | |
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| The legendary producer talks about his long history of collecting records and the joy in letting them go. | | |
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| Nineteen-year-old Lindsey Jordan has just released one of the best albums of the year. | | |
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| "I knew that making it in music was a needle in a haystack thing.'" | | |
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| Many Ameri, a 20-year music veteran, discussed everything from Red Bull Radio’s stance on promoting controversial artists in light of the latest moves from Spotify and others, to his prognostication that podcasts could be the future of radio. | | |
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| MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY |
| Spoiler alert-Spotify’s recently announced artist deals may not be all they’re cracked up to be. | | |
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| A winter-stripped tree seen through a windowpane spotted with ghost-like drops of moisture. The fear that the Night Bus will never come. The awareness that the sun, dimmed by coal smoke-colored clouds, will one day turn into cold stone and every grain of man’s achievements will be eternally forgotten. | | |
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| The noughties icon represents a time of 'Skins,' Kate Nash, youthful carelessness and no responsibilities. So does her new album, 'No Shame,' mark the end of our innocence? | | |
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| Celebrities of all stripes have been using Snap to deliver messages to fans, often adorned with the service’s signature Lenses. Late last year, Snap launched Lens Studio to allow developers to create their own AR Lenses. | | |
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| The Bronx rapper is here to represent New York hip-hop. | | |
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| Brian Blade burst on the scene in the early 90s and has since distinguished himself as one of the all time greats. Musical mythology is rife with stories of troubled genius. As an antidote, here’s a conversation with a thoroughly joyful genius. | | |
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| © Copyright 2018, The REDEF Group |
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