Music
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Ebro Vs. Kodak Black: Talking About Sexual Assault Is Worse Than Actually Being Charged With It, Apparently
It’s been a hell of a week to talk about male artists, sexual assault and the courtesies and praise they do or do not deserve from the media—and the public at large. It began with a debate over the “King of R&B”—a conversation which successfully highlighted how far out of their depth male R&B artists…
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Janet Jackson Is Made for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a 2019 Inductee
The time has come: The Janet Damita Jo Jackson will finally join the acclaimed Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. According to a press release, the “Made For Now” singer will be inducted during the 34th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. That’s right, Jackson joins six other performers in the new…
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It Wasn't Easy Getting Prince to Perform at the White House, According to Michelle Obama
As part of her promotion for her bestselling book, Becoming, Michelle Obama is talking to everybody and their mama. Next up: Questlove. The former-and-forever first lady recently chatted with The Roots musical director about everything from Chicago stepping to her White House experiences on his Pandora podcast, Questlove Supreme. And before you ask: yes, they…
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If There Is an R&B King Right Now, It's Not Jacquees (Yet)
I don’t know what constitutes R&B anymore. Rather, I don’t know who is an R&B artist anymore. That’s the first thing that popped into my head when Decatur, Ga., singer Rodriguez Jacquees Broadnax, popularly known as Jacquees, proclaimed himself the king of R&B for this generation. For starters, he’s 24, so I suppose his generation…
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Teddy Riley Is an Unsung G. The Rump-Shaking Maestro Is Finally Getting His Just Due
You can call Teddy Riley many things: master of the ’90s R&B jam, baby-making songwriter; The Original Rump Shaker (yes, it needs the capital letters); remixer extraordinaire (I mean, the man turned the Rugrats theme into a bop, for goodness sakes.) But, at 52, Edward Theodore Riley is also one of the unsung architects of…
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A Dozen+ Songs Touched by Teddy Riley, and You Ain’t Even Know
Best believe if you love hip-hop, R&B, soul, gospel, or any form of black music, you have quite a few of Teddy’s jams on your music app or iPhone. From Big Daddy Kane to Jay-Z, Michael Jackson to SWV, Teddy Riley was the man behind the boards of some of pop’s greatest hits; and some…
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Did Patti LaBelle Just Cordially Invite Ariana Grande to the Cookout?
Ariana Grande has had a rough couple of years. In 2017, there was a suicide bombing at her Manchester, England concert that killed 22 people and injured hundreds of others. And this year, she not only broke off her engagement with comedian-actor Pete Davidson, but her ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, died as a result of…
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Lauryn Hill Becomes Eligible for Presidential Medal of Freedom After Only Taking 20 Minutes for Her Chakras to Align
Because we live in a world in which Lauryn Hill has spent the last two decades being late for everything but her paycheck, the fact that she was only 20 minutes late for her December 3 concert at London’s 02 Arena is legit headline news. “‘She’s on time!’ A ripple of excitement has just gone through…
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Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' ta F' Wit? The Creators of Shaolin Jazz Disagree
To call the Wu-Tang Clan one of the most influential musical acts of all-time isn’t hyperbole. When they burst onto the scene in 1993 as a gritty and grimey Staten Island, N.Y., counterpoint to the Dr. Dre-helmed polish of Los Angeles G-funk, music shifted, too. In the decades since, the Wu footprint has shown up…
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Hell-Bent on Playing With Our Emotions, Kid Cudi Teases New 'Asterisk Collective' Project
On Sunday, the skies parted and unspeakable joy descended from the heavens as rapper Kid Cudi took to Twitter to tease a new project. “This is not the world we want. We’re rewriting the script because these rules don’t apply,” he says in the mysterious video. “We’ll be showing up with real people, in real…