Drake lost, but artistic freedom won last week when a federal court in New York dismissed the rapper’s case against UMG Recordings. The decision did more than end one of rap’s most publicized legal dramas. It drew a bright line between artistic expression and literal accusation — a distinction hip-hop …
Read More »The Rise, Retreat, and Resurrection of D'Angelo
D ’Angelo and Questlove were sitting on a couch in a swanky hotel watching, or rather,microscopinga video of James Brownperforming in1964.D and Questobserved every gesture, each dance step and light cue,and anytime the Godfather of Soul subtly signaledthe band to do something. Thisscene transpired25 years ago. I was in the …
Read More »New 'Contemporary' Distinction Could Blow 2026 Country Grammys Wide Open
Leading up tothe Grammy nominations on Nov. 7, Rolling Stone is breaking down 10 different categories. For each, we’re predicting the nominees, as well as who will (and who should) win on Grammy night. For the first time in Grammy history, country albums will be separated into two categories: Contemporary …
Read More »Havoc on Mobb Deep's Final Album: 'Releasing a Project Without Prodigy Definitely Feels Different'
Havoc is moving and shaking on a crisp October afternoon, heading into our interview in a SiriusXM greenroom right after talking to DJ Whoo Kid at the radio conglomerate. Wearing a camo hoodie and pants with a black shirt, he greets me with a handshake, then intently checks his phone …
Read More »'I'm Not This Ghost': Tommy Lee, Bill Cosby Sex Assault Accusers Await New Law to Revive Lawsuits
I n 2003, Heather Evans Taylor agreed to take a helicopter sightseeing tour with a pilot friend she’d met through her bank teller job in San Diego. When she arrived at Montgomery Field Airport, she was surprised to see that Tommy Lee, the lanky and colorfully tattooed Mötley Crüe drummer, …
Read More »Zach Top Will Likely Live Up to His Surname in Best Traditional Country Album Grammy Race
Leading up tothe Grammy nominations on Nov. 7, Rolling Stone is breaking down 10 different categories. For each, we’re predicting the nominees, as well as who will (and who should) win on Grammy night. The addition of two new country categories — Best Traditional Country Album and Best Contemporary Country …
Read More »Not for Radio, Alemeda, Doechii, Mobb Deep, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week
Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more.This week,María Zardoya of the Marías unveils her debut solo LP under Not for Radio, Alemeda and Doechii team up for a blistering knockout, and Mobb Deep release their …
Read More »An American Singer and Activist on What She Experienced as a Prisoner in Israel
Carsie Blanton needed to say farewell to her guitar. The singer-songwriter was somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean sea on a sailboat last week when the 10-person crew decided to play some music. They passed around the guitar, sang a song or two, including Blanton’s “Little Flame” (sample lyric: “Prison cells/Freedom …
Read More »This Company Wants Everyone to Earn Money From Streams — Even Fans
For all of its convenience, streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have introduced a brutal kind of efficiency to how we listen to music. Algorithms prune and shear outliers, molding our tastes into perfectly symmetrical vectors filled with the same familiar superstars — Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Drake (still). …
Read More »Nelson(!) and James Gunn Explain That 'Peacemaker' Musical Moment
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn named Peacemaker‘s season two finale “Full Nelson” for the craziest possible reason: He recruited the actual band Nelson — ultra-blonde twin brothers Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, who reigned over MTV in 1990 with the Number One hit “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” —to …
Read More »