Music Features

When we meet, Atlanta-based rapper J.I.D is only a few weeks away from releasing his long-anticipated third studio album,The Forever Story. He tells me at least three times over the course of our conversation about his frustrations around releasing the project. “A lot of noise got in this time,” he …

Kelman Duran’s music has always been as mesmerizing as it is thoughtful. His electronic abstractions tend to be amoebic and malleable, blending into dembow, reggaeton, and Caribbean riddims that are often atmospheric and moody, saddled with emotion. It’s a sound that’s flourished in underground spaces across the globe and attracted …

When the Rolling Stones take the stage anywhere in the world, a few things are guaranteed to happen. The band will play “Miss You,” “Honky Tonk Women,” and “Midnight Rambler” at some point during the night, Mick Jagger will depart the stage midway through the set so Keith Richards can …

When Girls’ Generation made their debut back in 2007 with “Into the New World,” most members were under 18 and the K-pop industry was not nearly as prolific with group acts as it is now. Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun reached mainstream success with the release …

The Grease scene where Olivia Newton-John transforms into a cigarette-smoking, leather-clad badass and sings “You’re the One That I Want” is so iconic that it often overshadows the rest of her moments in the 1978 film. As new kid in town Sandy Olsson, Newton-John cheerleads, skips around the Rydell High …

Working in the Carson, California, studio from which Top Dawg Entertainment was launched has become something of a rite of passage for new artists on the label. After building the studio in the back of his unassuming suburban home around 2004, founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith rounded up four of …

Lyrics from two songs on Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance were updated as a result of discussions on social media. A verse on “Heated” was altered after activists noted it contained language that has been described as ableist. Then, the singer Kelis shared a series of Instagram posts expressing frustration that …

Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their stories, giving an …

Music managers don’t exactly have a sterling reputation in the broad pop-culture consciousness. Casual fans usually only hear about them when there’s serious drama (either personal or financial), and they’re frequently seen as trying to cynically swoop in on the New Hot Thing with only a cursory interest in the …

On a quiet day in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Villano Antillano sips her margarita and smiles. “It tastes so good!” she teases as a sky full of cotton-candy clouds glows pink and purple over the San Juan Smokehouse. Antillano, 27, is one of the most compelling MCs in Spanish-language rap today, …