Music
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Women Are Prospering: Megan Thee Stallion Is in Wonderland and Cardi B Is Tickled Blackpink
TGIF—and the ‘F’ stands for female…or maybe femme…due to that pesky misogyny, I can barely read the word “female” without thinking of “feeeeemale” (aka the trying-to-be-slick sexist replacement for ‘bitch’). Anyway! The queens of WAP have both released some big deal projects so we figured it would be best to keep up the pattern of…
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9 Songs That Are Basically Beyoncé Songs…For Dudes
Even if you are not a fan of Beyoncé—I don’t understand how this is a real thing, but do yo’ thang—you have to admit that Mrs. Knowles-Carter has some jams. If she never makes another record, she will always have a wedding, revival and club jam in “Single Ladies,” and her catalog is full of…
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The Root Jams Weekly (9/25/2020): 'It's Lit'
Today, The Root launches its new weekly podcast, “It’s Lit,” that centers Black literature and will feature some of the culture’s best and brightest authors. The podcast is hosted by The Root’s editor-in-chief, Danielle Belton, and The Glow Up’s managing editor, Maiysha Kai. To celebrate the launch, we’re dropping a playlist full of our favorite…
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Billboard Music Awards 2020: Lil Nas X, Khalid, Lizzo and Kanye West Among Leading Nominees
It’s that time again—the industry’s leading music charts brand is ready to honor the top artists of the year with some shiny statuettes! The nominees for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards are in! Post Malone is the top nominee this year (with 16 nominations), but there is definitely some Black representation among the leading nominee…
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No Need to Be ‘Sorry’: Judge Stands by Nicki Minaj’s Side in Copyright Dispute With Tracy Chapman
The years-long dispute between Tracy Chapman and Nicki Minaj over the rapper’s unreleased song, “Sorry,” got its first major decision this week, with a judge handing Minaj a victory in the copyright infringement suit. As Variety reports, Judge Virginia A Phillips found the song to fall under “fair use,” a doctrine that allows artists and…
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The Root Jams Weekly (9/18/2020): 'Lost Ones'
Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Sometimes you have to remind people that if they had just zigged instead of zagging, everything would have been alright. You’ve got to live and learn as they say, I suppose. So in honor or the Los Angeles Clippers epic collapse on what should have…
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10 Songs That Defined New York Rap to Me, From the Outside Looking In
I grew up as a ‘90s hip-hop head, which means that I have an ironically romantic view of New York City. Though my musical palette tended to veer south (where I lived) and west (where the sounds seemed fit for driving), I knew that New York City was what made it all possible. Also, I…
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The Root Jams Weekly (9/11/2020): 'Auntie Jams'
This Sunday, the good folks at Verzuz are bringing a “battle” most of us didn’t even know we needed: Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. The stories alone should be amazing, but the jams, oh the jams! These two women have been present at cookouts, graduations, breakups (to makeups) to church and back. In honor (and…
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RZA Discusses New Deal With Downtown Music Publishing and the Power of Artistic Expression
Robert “RZA” Diggs is not only one of the foremost members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, but he’s also proven through the years to be quite the astute businessman and entrepreneur. Alongside his older brother Mitchell “Divine” Diggs, RZA announced on Tuesday that Downtown Music Publishing signed a global publishing agreement with Wu-Tang Productions to…
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Usher Announces 2021 Las Vegas Residency, and All We Can Say Is 'Yeah!'
Usher once sang “if you want it, scream ‘yeah’”—and it looks like fans of his live shows are going to be screaming “yeah!” next year. Rolling Stone announced that Usher is taking his decades-long career and performing talents to Las Vegas. He will have his own residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, and it…