music
Prince’s Blue Angel Cloud Guitar Sells For $563,500 in Auction
Prince’s Blue Angel Cloud 2 guitar, which he played frequently between 1984 to 1993, was sold for $563,500 at a charity auction on Friday. The instrument was Prince’s go-to performance guitar throughout the late 1980s and early ’90s. He took it on the “Purple Rain”, “Parade”, “Sign o’ the Times”, “Lovesexy”, and “Diamonds and Pearls” tours; used it to play “Electric Chair” during the Saturday Night Live 15th anniversary special on September 24th, 1989; brought it out for the infamous 1991 MTV Video Music Awards performance of “Get Off”; held it on the cover of SPIN in September 1991; opened his September 9th, 1991 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show by using it for “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Cream”, and “Purple Rain”; and featured it in the music videos for “Cream” and “Get Off”. The hi...
J. Cole’s ‘Snow On Tha Bluff’ Divided Listeners — So He Weighed In
Over the past few weeks, as demonstrations in all 50 states and abroad have gone hand-in-hand with a slate of new protest music, artists like Denzel Curry, YG, and H.E.R. have released new songs that grapple with police brutality and racial injustice. On Tuesday night (June 16), J. Cole released a sparse new song called “Snow on tha Bluff.” It doesn’t take aim at the police, but shortly after its release, fans connected its words to Chicago rapper Noname, who had tweeted about “y’all favorite top selling rappers not even willing to put a tweet up” to support the demonstrations that had begun at the end of May, shortly after the killing of George Floyd. Cole seemingly addresses this message directly on “Snow on tha Bluff,” rapping, “She ...
Vincint’s Queer Eye Anthem, Chloe X Halle’s Clubby Call, And More Songs We Love
“We are owed an unpayable debt,” the New York-based artist Michael Love Michael wrote in the announcement for their latest track “JFC,” which doubled as a fiery call to arms. “We owe it only to ourselves to claim our freedom.” Though the singer’s recent releases “6 Jaguars” and “Rope,” marked by ambient vocals and plush ‘80s synths, have always filtered political topics through decadent pop production, “JFC” finds Michael plainly furious, and rightfully so. “I can’t believe all the ways that a great white lie / Wanna ruin how I live my best Black life,” they voice in a reverberating whisper that builds and bites over an icy, trap beat; in this “anthem for collective Black liberation,” Michael has found their power in protest, and the courage to say “I don’t owe you fucking anyt...
Ms. Lauryn Hill, Brittany Howard, Leon Bridges, and More Play “Small Biz Live” Concert: Watch
Lauryn Hill (photo via ACL), Brittany Howard (photo by Amy Price), Leon Bridges (photo by Ben Kaye) With stores slowly reopening around the country, it’s tempting to believe that normalcy is just around the bend. That’s hardly the case, however, and perhaps no one knows that better than black small business owners, who have been financially hit the hardest by the coronavirus. To support these individuals, city locals have been widely sharing listings of Black-owned operations, such as restaurants and coffee shops. Now, a number of prominent musicians are doing their part by playing a virtual event today called “Small Biz Live”. The online concert is highlighted by Ms. Lauryn Hill, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Brandi Carlile. 2 Chainz, Bam Marley,...
Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Arcade Fire to Play on Preservation Hall Jazz Band Livestream
Dave Grohl (photo by Philip Cosores), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (photo by Paul R. Giunta), and Paul McCartney (photo by Joshua Mellin) Summer music festivals may be canceling left and right due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but that won’t stop Newport Folk Festival staple the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from playing loud and proud anyway. On Saturday night, the famed group will perform a livestream from their respective homes alongside some special guests, including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Arcade Fire. The livestream, dubbed “Round Midnight Preserves”, will take place on June 20th from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET. In addition to the Foo Fighters frontman, The Beatles bassist, and Arcade Fire, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Beck, Irma Thomas, My Morning J...
Noname’s ‘Song 33’ Addresses J. Cole, Toyin Salau, And More In Just Over A Minute
Earlier this week, J. Cole dropped the song “Snow on tha Bluff,” which seemed to target Chicago rapper Noname for a tweet in which she called out “y’all favorite top selling rappers” for their silence during a time of mass protests and demonstrations calling for racial justice. In a follow-up tweet thread, Cole clarified that he had respect for Noname, urged his fans to follow her, and said, “I love and honor her as a leader in these times.” But one of Cole’s lines in the song remained at the heart of the dispute, especially among fans: “It’s something about the queen tone that’s bothering me.” Noname apparently even tweeted the words “QUEEN TONE!!!!!!” before deleting it. Now, she’s responded with a ...
Rema – Ginger Me
Check out this brand new tune from Rema – Ginger Me out now! BET nominated singer and rapper Rema drops another banger as it has become his style titled ‘Ginger Me‘. Rema continues to solidify his dominance with this new single ‘Ginger Me’ just after bring picked as Apple Music’s ‘Up Next’ artist. This comes after tunes like ‘Rainbow‘ and ‘Beamer‘. The tune is smooth and bubbly love tune from the Mavin Records star. Listen to Rema – Ginger Me below! https://www.naijamusic.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Rema_-_Ginger_Me_NaijaMusic.com.ng.mp3 Download Share this: 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. E...
J.Derobie – My People
Here is a brand new tune from J.Derobie – My People out now! Top Ghanaian dancehall talent J.Derobie is back with a brand new tune titled ‘My People‘. The emPawa Africa star music act comes strong on his single as would be expected. J.Derobie’s flow and energy is very infectious on the record. Listen download and enjoy ‘J.Derobie – My People’ below! https://www.naijamusic.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/JDerobie_-_My_People_NaijaMusic.com.ng.mp3 Download Share this: 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 Int...
Heavy Culture: Musicians Recount Early Experiences of Racism
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features multiple rock and metal musicians recounting their early experiences of racism. Racism is real. Colorism is real. Implicit biases are real. Injustice is real. It is rooted in ignorance. As a Caribbean woman, the first time I experienced racism was a vivid memory in the first grade. A white, female classmate, the same age as me — about 6 or 7 years old — told me I was dirty, ugly, and that I did not deserve the new stationery my mom bought for me. Even as a child, I felt that this classmate had disdain for me...
Rage Against the Machine See 62% Increase in Streams Amid Protests
Amidst this tumultuous period of social unrest, Rage Against the Machine’s music is back front and center. Beginning last week, the hard rock outfit returned to the charts, with their 1992 self-titled debut re-appearing on the Billboard 200, and their two other original LPs cracking the top 30 on Apple Music. That surge on the charts has continued over the last seven days, as Billboard reports. Rage Against Machine’s music was streamed over 11 million times in the last week, a 62% increase. The band’s 1992 single “Killing in the Name” accounts for 2.4 million of those streams alone, which places the song at No. 3 on Hard Rock Digital Songs Chart and No. 21 on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs Chart. “Bulls on Parade”, meanwhile, has been streamed 1.4 million times in the last week. Billboard a...
Previously Unheard Version of Aretha Franklin’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith” Released for Juneteenth: Stream
If ever there was a time for new Aretha Franklin music, it would be today: Juneteenth, in the midst of an unprecedented national uprising against racism and police brutality. Miraculously, we’re being gifted just that. A never-before-heard solo version of the Franklin song “Never Gonna Break My Faith” has been released thanks to a collaboration between RCA Recordings, RCA Inspiration, and Legacy Recordings. The original version of the track was a duet with Mary J. Blige that was recorded for the 2006 film Bobby, but this alternate take leaves all the belting to the Queen of Soul, who is backed by The Boys Choir of Harlem. Beyond the excitement of this being a new recording from the legendary singer, its lyrical content is particularly relevant in the current socio-political climate. “You c...
Tayana Taylor – Killa ft. Davido
Here is a beautiful tune from Tayana Taylor – Killa ft. Davido below! American singer and actress Tayana Taylor engages music superstar Davido for her brand new song ‘Killa‘. ‘Killah’ is a single lifted off from Tayana Taylor’s latest album ‘The Album’. Nigerian singer Davido gave a solid verse on the dancehall tune. Listen and enjoy Tayana Taylor – Killa ft. Davido below! https://www.naijamusic.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Tayana_Taylor_-_Killah_ft_Davido_NaijaMusic.com.ng.mp3 Download Share this: 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 user...
