music
Lil Nas X Defends Himself Against The Culture Wars: ‘Y’all Are Not Gonna Win Bro’
If there was any doubt that Lil Nas X is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, look to the sequence of events that’s taken place over the past 72 hours to alleviate it. On Friday, he dropped “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” a highly personal song about queer love that he wrote was “very scary” to release. “People will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda,” he wrote in an accompanying note on social media. “But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be.” He was right. People were angry! Not at the song specifically, but at the video’s much-discussed, much-shared climax — in which he gives Satan a lap dance — and at the su...
R.I.P. Malcolm Cecil, Synth Pioneer and Stevie Wonder Collaborator Dead at 84
Malcolm Cecil, the influential jazz musician and producer credited with co-designing and constructing the world’s largest analog synthesizer, died Sunday (March 28th) at the age of 84 after a lengthy battle with an undisclosed illness. Hailing from London, Cecil cut his chops by playing bass alongside some of the UK’s most celebrated jazz musicians, including Dick Morrissey, Tony Crombie, and Ronnie Scott, in addition to leading his own quintet called The Jazz Couriers. In the 1960s, he teamed up with Cyril Davis and Alexis Korner to form Blues Incorporated — the highly influential rhythm and blues band whose rotating cast of collaborators included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Davey Graham. In fact, as the story goes, Jagger and Ric...
R.I.P. Rob Vitale, Singer of New York Hardcore Band Black Train Jack Dies From COVID-19
Rob Vitale, the lead singer of New York hardcore band Black Train Jack has tragically died from COVID-19 complications. His death was confirmed by a number of figures in the NYHC scene, including Sick of It All. “Our hearts are heavy tonight,” wrote Sick of It All on Facebook on Sunday night. “We lost our friend to COVID. Thinking of all the shows, the tours all the good times and laughs we shared. Rest In Peace Rob.” Sick of It All drummer Armand Majidi added, “Tonight we honor a truly good man who departed this world far too early. Rest easy Rob. It was a pleasure touring with you and sharing many fond moments. @bobeatsbtj you were loved by many and will be missed dearly.” Black Train Jack got their start in the early ’90s and landed a record deal with Roadrunner Records. They released t...
Ruffcoin – Where Una De See This Money
Check out this brand new single from Ruffcoin – Where Una De See This Money. Veteran rapper, Ruffcoin returns with this new comical and realistic tune he calls “Where Una De See This Money”. It’s a short comical song that talks about the strange life of Nigerians who complain about not having anything to do and going broke, but still get to live lavish lifestyles. Hence the question, “Where Una De See This Money? Which has been a popular question in Nigeria since the start of the year. Ruffcoin who made a bold statement in the Nigerian music industry with his “Made in Aba” album resurges back to the scene with this tune and it’s certainly one that will remain on the air waves for a while because it’s relatable to everyone. It’s his first single for the year, and it was produced by Jagabant...
Canadian Topples Racist American to Claim No. 1 Album
Credit where credit is due: Justin Bieber just accomplished something no other musician has been able to do in the last 10 weeks. With the release of his latest album Justice, Bieber has ended Morgan Wallen’s 10-week reign atop the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Justice moved 154,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, giving Bieber the eighth No. 1 album of his career, according to Billboard. At the age of 27, the Biebes has now passed Elvis Presley as the youngest solo musician with eight No. 1 albums to his name. But more importantly, Justice debuting at No. 1 means the end of Wallen’s record-setting 10-week streak at No. 1. Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album was only the third album in history to sit at No. 1 for the first 10 weeks of its release — and almost all of tha...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Slice Their Way Through ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox continue their “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series with a slice of the ZZ Top hit “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. This time around, the couple is joined by a mysterious second guitarist and two pairs of scissors. In both a musical and visual tribute to ZZ Top, King Crimson founder Fripp and the mystery guitarist are sporting hats and super-long beards in honor of the legendary Texas rock act’s Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Toyah, meanwhile, looks like a burlesque cross between Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorshands (both played by Johnny Depp), with her eyelashes conjuring up images of Malcolm McDowell’s sociopathic Alex in A Clockwork Orange. Not to mention, she’s wearing a top that more than rivals the see-through number she wore in the couple’s viral performanc...
Alabama Shakes Drummer Steve Johnson Arrested for Child Abuse
Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson is in custody after being charged with child abuse. According to the Associated Press, Johnson was arrested on Wednesday (March 24th) in Limestone County, Alabama, after being indicted on charges of “willful torture, willful abuse, and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18.” An arraignment is set for April 7th. Johnson previously pleaded guilty in March 2020 to violating a domestic violence protection order. He received a suspended sentence of a year in jail, with 24 months on probation. Alabama Shakes has been on hiatus since 2018 as singer Brittany Howard focuses on her solo career. Neither Howard nor the band has yet to publicly address Johnson’s arrest. Related You Deserve to Make Money Even When you ar...
Pete Davidson Spoofs Eminem’s “Without Me” Video on SNL: Watch
“Two silicon boys were talking outside, talking outside, talking outside,” Davidson raps. “Now what the hell’s an NFT/ Apparently cryptocurrency/ Everyone’s making so much money/ Can you please explain what’s an NFT?” Joining Davidson and McKinnon in the sketch were Chris Redd, who portrayed Dr. Dre dressed as The Matrix’s Morpheus; musical guest Jack Harlow as the school’s janitor and resident NFT expert; and Kyle Mooney as the professor of the class. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Song of the Week: BROCKHAMPTON and Danny Brown Call Out the Haters on Return Single “BUZZCUT”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, BROCKHAMPTON make their epic return with the help of Danny Brown. “BUZZCUT” marks the first official release from BROCKHAMPTON, the sprawling 13-member hip-hop group, since 2019. After dropping a series of limited-time songs throughout 2020, the band have now made an official return with the assertive single, along with some help from Danny Brown. The undercurrent of the track is one of frustration, focusing on false dreams, haters and detractors, and dysfunctional family dynamics. Member Kevin Abstract leads the first verse and c...
Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders Release Collaborative New Album Promises: Stream
Floating Points (photo by Dan Medhurtst) and Pharoah Sanders (photo by Debi Del Grande) Electronic composer Floating Points and jazz legend Pharoah Sanders have just released Promises, their stunning new album with the London Symphony Orchestra. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Broken up into nine distinct movements, Promises is a soul-stirring take on minimalist jazz, gentle instrumentation, and orchestra arrangements that can transport you into another dimension. At times, like in “Movement 6” and “Movement 9”, the percussion is so delicate that it feels like you’re in the middle of a movie score about the most contemplative, delicate moments of your life. Promises was composed by Sam Shepherd (AKA Floating Points) and sees the music brought to life via Sanders’ cel...
Beartooth Announce New Album Below, Share “The Past Is Dead”: Stream
Midwest rockers Beartooth have announced their fourth studio album, Below, which arrives June 25th. They’ve also unveiled the pyro-heavy video for the crushing single “The Past Is Dead”. The song opens with a soaring vocal build-up and before launching into an anthemic breakdown. The track’s melodies and upbeat metalcore riffing are paired with dark lyrical concepts, as reflected by the album title Below. In press release, singer Caleb Shomo questioned whether the new material was “too dark.” He said he drew upon experiences from the past year when writing the songs. “Below is by far my favorite album I’ve made to date,” Shomo stated. “It covers the dark side of dealing with mental strain during the last year. I gave it all I had — musically and lyrically. Is it too dark? Possibly, but it ...
Kenny Mason Drops New Single “Play Ball”: Stream
Rising Atlanta rapper Kenny Mason has released a new song titled “Play Ball”. Stream it below. Co-produced by Mason with Julian Cruz, the guitar-driven track is the latest preview of Mason’s upcoming project, Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut. After opening with a melodic intro and chorus, he switches over to a fast-paced flow while rapping about the realities of street life. “Life of a rough neck, die for my respect / Y’all n-ggas suspect, lie to get success,” Mason spits. “Lot of these n-ggas is lottery tickets in my hood / Inspirin’ me to jug, who ’bout to slip up next?” Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is out April 16th and includes the previously released singles “Pup” and “Partments”. The 12-track project features heavy hitters like Freddie Gibbs and Denzel Curry. Mason is coming off a breakout 202...
