How does dance music sensation John Summit pregame his set at one of Las Vegas’ most popular nightclubs the Friday before the Super Bowl? Laying in bed, eating an airport sandwich. But just because he’s horizontal doesn’t mean he’s unproductive. In fact, he’s spending his time cooking up something new …
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MC Abdul is in Cairo on a Monday night when I connect with him over Zoom. “I just got my family out of Gaza three days ago,” the Palestinian rapper says. “It’s the first time that I reunited with them in five months.” Abdul, whose real name is Abdulrahman Al-Shantti, …
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There are few people on planet Earth who can rap as fast as J Noa — and even fewer who actually have something to say. On her 2023 debut EP, Autodidactica, the 18-year-old MC from the 5 de Abril barrio in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, showcased one of the most …
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Ever since Yovngchimi burst onto the stage in 2021, his breakneck ascent through the Latin trap scene has been nothing short of impressive. Within his first rookie year, the Puerto Rican rapper, 28, was already collaborating with established names like Eladio Carrión and Ñengo Flow on hits like “Glizzy Walk …
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Wyatt Flores can pinpoint the exact moment he says the party ended in country music. After a decade-plus of tailgating, beer-drinking songs clogging up playlists, the pandemic struck and forced artists and fans alike indoors with their thoughts. And shit got real, fast. “They got trapped inside of wherever they …
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Towards the end of her song “Amelia,” Samia walks into a party. “I’m writing a poem, somebody stop me,” she sings over balmy synths and a chirpy beat. It’s less of an actual threat and more a self-aware quip from the 27-year-old musician who’s better than almost anyone at turning …
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When Peggy Gou is working on a new track, she keeps one thing in mind. “Every song that I do has to have sexiness to it,” says the Berlin-based, South Korea-born DJ, singer, producer, and songwriter who’s as close to an It girl as anyone in today’s club scene. Maybe …
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Not long ago, Lizzie No had an out-of-body experience while listening to Gillian Welch. The singer-songwriter had spent the past few years trying to make sense of the fractured, frighteningly personal songs she’d been writing, songs that spoke to a pain whose source she couldn’t always name. Many of them …
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When you witness the confidence, composure, and professionalism that Le Sserafim bring to every performance, it can be hard to believe that they’re only in their second year as a group. In fact, several members have “past lives” that helped get them where they are today — from Kim Chaewon …
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Preceded by a crew of gymnasts who shot fire — and themselves — high in the air, Black Sherif earned a hero’s welcome when he took the stage at the El-Wak Stadium in Accra, Ghana, to headline the AfroFuture festival last December. The event, which has become one of the …
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