Entertainment

Black power and ‘edutainment’: The political roots of hip-hop music  Al Jazeera English

Vampire Weekend will be coming out with the follow-up to 2019’s Father Of The Bride. The long-running rock band has officially announced that its fifth LP, Only God Was Above Us, will be released in April.The album is described as being inspired by “20th century New York City” and was recorded across studios in Manhattan, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. Frontman Ezra Koenig produced most of the project alongside Ariel Rechtshaid. Dave Fridmann handled mixing while Emily Lazar mastered it.Only God Was Above Us has been in the works for quite some time now. Koenig wrote the lyrics for nearly all of the album’s 10 songs in 2019 and 2020. Over the years, the band continuously revisited and refined those tracks. The first two tracks of the LP, “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops,” will be released next ...

Fresh off of a massive year, Fred Again.. shows no signs of stopping. Recently, the UK producer has released a string of high-profile collaborations, including one where he partnered with Nigerian singer Obongjayar on "adore you" and later, "leavemealone" with Baby Keem. Now, at Fred Again..'s sold out rave at Knockdown Center, he brought out Lil Yachty to perform to the crowd their unreleased track. Just hours before it would begin, the 3,200 tickets were sold out in less than 10 minutes. Fred Again.. had a one-hour solo set before AceMoma returned form 10 p.m. to midnight. During his set, Fred brought out a special guest, Lil Yachty, wearing a neon green shirt and a orange durag hopped on stage to hum a few lines into an auto-tuned mic. The performance was electric and saw Yachty jump on...

How a run-down Ford launched a music revolution that swept Brazil’s Carnival  ABC News

To kick off the weekend, Latto has released a new track titled "Sunday Service."A party or club track for certain, the song sees Latto's smooth, yet robust wrap cadence alongside a strong beat with production by GO Grizzly, Pooh Beatz and Bankroll Got It. With "Sunday Service," Latto's confident demeanor sees new levels as she raps about her status and how she handles both business and men."I don't sing R&B but, b*tch, I'm really her, f*ck wrong with n*ggas?/How you let him cheat and take him back? Must be your only n*gga/I get loud just like my weed, I don't watch my tone with n*ggas/I hang up the phone on n*ggas/You ain't my daddy, b*tch, I'm big mama/ Every time y'all book me with them h*es, it's gone be big drama/Twenty black Suburbans, we pull up like Sunday Service," raps Latto i...

Emerging New Jersey-based artist Mk.gee is one to keep an eye on. On his debut project Two Star & The Dream Police, Mk.gee flexes his lack of care for genre constraints, infusing the album with hints of indie, alternative and bedroom-pop influences and evoking comparisons to the great genre-benders who came before him like Dijon, Dominic Fike and Bon Iver.Mk.gee collaborated with Dijon back in 2021, offering contributions and backing vocals to the artist's Absolutely album. Now, the 12-track album arrives after a solid solo year for the 26-year-old singer/songwriter, which saw him hit the road to tour with Dijon and boygenius.The rollout for his debut project kicked off in the summertime, when he dropped off "Candy" and "How many miles" – two starkly different singles that find Mk.gee ...