Peter Gabriel first learned about former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Rolling Stone. He doesn’t remember the exact date, but a 1975 article about Georgia’s Allman Brothers Band and their support for Carter’s presidential campaign is likely what caught his eye. “I’ve always been interested in American politics, and I …
Read More »Margo Price on Gun Violence, Protests, and Privilege
On that dreadful Monday, March 27th, when six souls lost their lives in the Covenant shooting, my father-in-law called me to break the news. “There’s been a shooting at a school in Green Hills,” he started, and I dropped to the ground. I couldn’t breathe, my head was spinning. I …
Read More »'Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version)': Why Taylor Swift Shouldn't Rewrite Her Own History
Before she twisted stories of doomed relationships into metaphors about high-speed getaway cars or mapped out a decade-old breakup in a 10-minute short film, Taylor Swift walked a fragile line. The country-pop songs on which she carefully excavated past relationships with romantic writing were met with acclaim. But in turn, …
Read More »How Memphis Rapper Key Glock Turned Grief Into Motivation
When Memphis rapper Key Glock, born Markeyvius Cathey, walked into a conference room in Midtown Manhattan earlier this year, the 25-year-old musician had been doing what all rich people do when they visit New York City: shopping. “I went to Saks’s Fith Avenue, spent about $7,500, feel me?” he said, …
Read More »Legendary Producer Keith Shocklee on Being Part of Hip-Hop's Pre-History
Throughout our hourlong conversation on the roof of mid-town Manhattan’s Starchild Rooftop, legendary rap producer Keith Shocklee veers through his encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop history. Shocklee was around hip-hop before the culture had even coined itself. He’s most popular for being a part of Public Enemy’s six-man Bomb Squad production …
Read More »The Rap Legends Breathing New Life Into The 'Stop The Violence' Movement
In 1988, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee, and Biz Markie were in the middle of the Dope Jam Tour when an altercation broke out during a stop at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Concertgoer Julio Fuentes, 19, was stabbed once …
Read More »'Our World Is More Steely Dan Than It's Ever Been': Why the Seventies Jazz-Rock Cynics Sound Perfect Right Now
You could fill a book with all the shady characters you meet in Steely Dan songs. Quantum Criminals is that book. Journalist Alex Pappademas and artist Joan LeMay take a deep dive into the genius of Steely Dan, and the strange world that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker built together. …
Read More »The 2023 ACM Awards Got a New Venue, But Said the Same Old Things
Well, that was something. The 2023 ACM Awards ended on a Texas-sized downer, with Dolly Parton giving the premiere of the new song “World on Fire” from her upcoming rock project and showering the audience not only with confetti, but with a sense of impending doom while dancers twirled around …
Read More »Next ABBA? Here Are Our Top 5 Eurovision Contenders
Eurovision Song Contest has given us some great global stars over the years, like Celine Dion, ABBA, and Maneskin. The over-the-top competition is back in action this year, with an incredible slate of new songs indicating some tough competition. This week’s two semi-final airings whittled things down from 37 to …
Read More »Janelle Monáe, BTS, Lil Durk, and All the Songs You Need To Know
Welcome to our weeklyrundown ofthe best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Janelle Monáe gets sensual, BTS deliver for a sleek salute to our planet, Phoebe Bridgers lends vocals to new songs by Arlo Parks and Rob Moose, and Lil …
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