music
Kanye West Continues Long Slide into Fascism by Wearing “White Lives Matter” Shirt
Kanye West wore a “White Lives Matter” sweater at a surprise Yeezy fashion show, Page Six reports, continuing his long and troubling flirtation with fascist politics. The slogan was shocking, if not exactly surprising. West put the Confederate Flag on his merch in 2013. His 2018 Trump White House visit embraced the language of the men’s rights movement. One of his publicists threatened a Georgia election worker in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election on Trump’s behalf. And during his own brief 2020 presidential campaign, he combined authoritarianism and religion, suggesting that abortion was an attempt by white people to commit Black genocide, coming out in support of mandating prayer in schools, and calling vaccines “the mark of the beast.” At this point, we can’t pretend that hi...
Phaidon’s New “Turntable” Book Explores the History of Vinyl Technology
As Millennials and Gen Z’ers continue the trend of acquiring more analog music and throwback audio devices, the popularity of record players and DJ turntables has increased. As a result, Swedish House Mafia and IKEA recently collaborated on a record player release, and in the world of publishing, Phaidon’s new “Turntable” book explores the history of vinyl technology. Titled “Revolution, The History of Turntable Design,” the new book comes in a hardback format with 264 colorful pages and includes 300 illustrations of turntables and record players created since the 1950’s. Written as a follow-up to the acclaimed “Hi-Fi: The History of High-End Audio Design,” the publisher explains that the new tome explores “the design, history, and cultural impact of turntables and vinyl technology: the tw...
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Complete Comeback with Triumphant New York City Show: Review, Photos and Setlist
“We’re the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and we’re back!” So screamed Karen O at the start of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ hometown comeback concert at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium on Saturday, October 1st. There was unrestrained joy in her declaration, something the sold-out audience returned tenfold in screams of their own, both sides of the exchange clearly thrilled to have the New York band back on stage. It started the night’s energy at a triumphant 10, and it never lowered over the course of an 18-song setlist. Last month, I dug into my most-played records of the last 15 years, noting that YYYs’ It’s Blitz! struck me because “you could feel every bit of joy being pumped into” the songs. I’m happy to say that nine years after their last LP, that fact still holds. No matter that their new record, Cool It ...
Bono Announces Book Tour
Bono will promote his upcoming memoir by embarking on a 14-city book tour this fall. Kicking off at at Beacon Theatre on November 2nd, Bono’s “Stories of SURRENDER” tour will then make stops in Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Nashville, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Glasgow, Manchester, Berlin, Paris, Dublin, and Madrid. Check out the full itinerary below. Tickets go on sale starting Friday, October 7 at 10:00 a.m. local time and will be available via Ticketmaster. Each ticket purchased comes with a copy of SURRENDER. Related Video In a statement previewing the tour, Bono said: “I miss being on stage and the closeness of U2’s audience. In these shows I’ve got some stories to sing, and some songs to tell… Plus I want to have some fun presenting my ME-moir, SURRENDER, which is really more of...
Lindsey Buckingham Scraps Europe Tour Due to ‘Health Issues’
Lindsey Buckingham’s European tour is ending early, due to “ongoing health issues.” The Rock And Roll Hall of Famer “sends his deepest apologies to all his fans who were planning to attend and hopes to return to Europe in the future,” reads a statement on his social channels. The 73-year-old singer and guitarist was midway through a run of rescheduled U.K. shows, which were originally set to take place earlier in the year but were postponed when he and members of his band and crew contracted COVID-19. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news It’s unclear what health problems are behind the latest postponement. Buckingham has had an eventful couple of years. He was sensationally fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018 ahead of a major tour. Later, he su...
Willie Nelson Tells Uvalde School Shooting Victim’s Parents: ‘It’s Not Something You Ever Get Over, But It’s Something You Will Get Through’
Willie Nelson had a hope-filled message for the parents of a victim of this May’s shooting massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde County, Texas during a campaign event for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Sunday (Oct. 2) in Austin. According to the Houston Chronicle, Nelson’s remarks were addressed to the family of Jackie Cazares, a fourth grader who was one of the 19 children and two adults killed during the May 24 mass shooting. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “To you folks there, the parents who are going through some incredible sad times: Remember that it’s not something you get over, but it’s something you will get through,” Nelson said after performing a set at the event in support of former presidential c...
John Legend Explains How He & Kanye West ‘Elevated’ Each Other’s Debut Albums With the ‘Merging of Our Sounds’
John Legend opens up about his early friendship and collaboration with Kanye West in his new Audible Original project Living Legend. “While other MCs may have been wearing throwback jerseys and rapping about dealing coke over his beats, Kanye, he stood out,” the EGOT winner recalls in a clip premiering exclusively on Billboard below. “He was more preppy, he wore his polos and his collegiate wear, and he was lyrically exploring different topics like his own insecurities and his relationship with God.” Even beyond how West differed from his hip-hop contemporaries of the time, Legend credited the budding superstar with helping put a modern spin on his 2004 debut Get Lifted, which would establish Legend as a rising R&B star after its top five peak on the Billboard 200. “It was so important...
Simi – Ko Ma Ga
Nigerian singer, Simi, comes through with a brand new single titled – Ko Ma Ga. Studio Brat boss-lady, Simi, is back with another popping jam she calls “Ko Ma Ga“. She recently shared the snippet on her IG page as she revealed how in a short period, she composed it. The new record is a fantastic piece for your listening pleasure. It fills in as a follow-up to a recently featured single titled “Breakfast Anthem” by Bils. Listen and share Simi – Ko Ma Ga below. [embedded content] Download coming soon.
California Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Limiting Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Trials
A new bill signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom will limit the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials in the state. Assembly Bill 2799, also known as The Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, was unanimously approved by the California State and Assembly in August and will require the court “to consider specified factors when balancing the probative value of that evidence against the substantial danger of undue prejudice” if a party seeks to admit “a form of creative expression” as evidence, with the term “creative expression” explicitly described as “the expression or application of creativity or imagination in the production or arrangement of forms, sounds, words, movements, or symbols, as specified.” The virtual bill signing ceremony was attended by rappers like Killer...
Kesha’s Mom Explains That Jeffrey Dahmer ‘Cannibal’ Lyric
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s name has been woven into the lyrics of a number of songs over the years, from tracks recorded by Katy Perry and Eminem to Kesha‘s 2010 track “Cannibal.” In response to recent controversy discussed on social media regarding pop culture references to Dahmer, Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert — a songwriter and non-profit founder who has a co-writing credit on “Cannibal” — says she’s the one who wrote the lyric “I’ll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer.” “The whole Jeffrey Dahmer lyric in ‘Cannibal’ is a big controversy right now, and I thought I’d just say a few things about it because that was my line that I wrote in ‘Cannibal.’” Sebert said in a TikTok video uploaded on Sunday (Oct. 2). She filmed herself in Panama, where she was on her way to an event put on by her non-pr...
Fans Choose Ciara & Summer Walker’s ‘Better Thangs’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Ciara‘s new song featuring Summer Walker has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 30) on Billboard, choosing “Better Thangs” as their favorite new music release of the past week. Ciara and Walker’s R&B jam brought in more than 62% of the vote, beating out new music by Ed Sheeran, Kid Cudi, Paramore and more. Ciara and Walker’s delightful meeting for “Better Thangs” brings on the positive vibes: Ciara described it to Billboard as “a feel-good record” that she hopes “people hear and feel inspired by.” “For me, joy is the ultimate feeling that I was feeling [when creating ‘Better Thangs’], and I wanted for people to feel that with this record,” she said. “She laid her vocals on the song, and as soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘This is speci...
Fire Damages Donnie and Mark Wahlberg’s Childhood Home in Boston
A home where entertainers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg’s family once lived was damaged by fire Sunday (Oct. 2) in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, the fire department said. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The blaze began in a nearby home at around 10 a.m., but spread to another three buildings because of strong winds, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke said. Two firefighters suffered injuries and one resident was taken to the hospital. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire. One of the homes involved was 25 Peverell Street, where the Wahlberg family used to live. Mark Wahlberg visited the home during the production of his Netflix movie Wonderland in 2018 and 2019. In one video posted on social media, the actor stands...
