Music
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Did Fiona Apple Prompt Chart-Topping Hip-Hop Phenom Lil Nas X to Take ‘A Little Time Off’?
It can’t be curtains already for Lil Nas X. On Friday, the “Old Town Road” rapper took to social media to tell his millions of fans that he’s taking a chill pill and will stand still. “It’s been a wild last 7 months and im ready to take a little time off,” the 20-year-old Atlanta…
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Berry Gordy Announces His Retirement at 89
After six decades in the entertainment industry, Berry Gordy is calling it quits. According to the Detroit Free Press, the 89-year-old music mogul made the surprise announcement on Sunday during Motown’s 60th-anniversary Hitsville Honors ceremony at Detroit’s Orchestra Hall. After accepting the Motown Legacy Award from filmmaker Lee Daniels, Gordy made the big reveal during…
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I Am Still a Part of the Rhythm Nation 30 Years Later and That's Alright With Me
I recently saw a Billboard article that ranked every song on Janet Jackson’s fourth studio album, 1989’s Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (we’ll just call it Rhythm Nation from here on out)—though I’m sure most folks think it’s her second album after her landmark album, 1986’s Control—and thought to myself that I could never do…
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Taylor Swift Claims She Had No Idea She Was a White Supremacist Icon Because She ‘Didn’t Have the Internet’ on Her Phone
As some of the largest and most respected news outlets in America (unless you count Fox News, which is huge in Whitekanda) reported that alt-right and Neo-Nazi groups were celebrating Taylor Swift as the idealized Aryan Goddess, the unseasoned singer of hits I could probably Google if my computer browser didn’t have a “bullshit blocker”…
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10 Thoughts About the Upcoming 'A Night with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour'
1. I could understand a Las Vegas residency for “A Night with Whitney.” What happens there, rightly stays there, so it makes sense. Yes, that’s a non-sequitur. But so is ‘Whitney was popular let’s make her a ghost and tour her.’ I’ve been to Vegas and seen things that I have not seen anywhere else,…
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It's Not Right, It's Not Okay, but Whitney Houston Hologram Tour Dates Were Announced Anyway
We all read about it. A lot of us hoped it wasn’t true. They couldn’t have actually gone through with it, right? Wrong. According to Billboard, BASE Hologram has announced the tour dates for An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour. Yes, it’s happening. “Whitney Houston was a talent beyond words, and her…
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Andre 3000 May Have a New Album With Dr. Dre on the Way
It’s been 13 years since Andre 3000’s last studio album—long enough that many casual and devout fans of the rapper had squared up with the reality that Andre may never do one again. In fact, Mr. Three Stacks has seemed perfectly content acting, making Anita Hill merch, and occasionally hopping on a track to remind…
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It’s Official: Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city Is the Longest-Running Hip-Hop Studio Album in Billboard 200 History
Kendrick Lamar has made hip-hop history. His 2012 studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, has appeared on the Billboard 200 chart for the most weeks of any hip-hop studio album ever, pushing Eminem out of that No. 1 spot. As of Sunday, good kid, m.A.A.d city has sat on the Billboard 200 chart for 358…
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Watch the Never-Made Music Video for Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’
Editor’s note: The Root was a media sponsor of this year’s Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference event and panel discussion exploring the marriage of art and activism. When Motown Records came up with the idea to celebrate its 60th anniversary by creating visuals for songs that preceded the music video era, perhaps no other…
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Pop Up, Guess Who? That’s Right, Cardi B Leads 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards With 10 Nominations
Cardi B don’t need more press, but she’s getting some today! Okurrr! The “Press” artist leads the pack, racking in 10 nominations for the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards. She is in the running for top categories such as Best Hip Hop Video, Single of the Year, MVP of the Year and more. Second place…