Music
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Freestyle Friday: WTF Is Happening Here?
Current status: I’m wiping away the tears from an uproarious bout of gigglefits. You know, Nick “Swaggy P” Young really had something when he made the perfect facial expression to encapsulate the feeling of “???” because that’s what I’m feeling after watching the following video. Going by the date of the YouTube upload by the…
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The Root Jams Weekly Playlist (4/24/2020): 'Move Your Body'
This playlist is in honor of Breyon Prescott, Teddy Riley’s homie/hypeman during his initial social-distancingless Verzuz battle against Babyface that never really happened. For Breyon’s dedication to the jam, this week we chose songs that make you move as soon as you hear them! “Move Your Body” (4/24/2020) Playlist Monique Judge Montell Jordan “Get It…
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The Teddy Riley Jokes Were Fun but Let's Remember to Put Some Respect on His Name, Please
A few years back, I wrote an article about Raphael Saadiq being the most underappreciated R&B artist of all time. I still believe this to be true. We’ve been stuck in the house for weeks now watching IG Live battles of artists going back and forth with their catalogs, and when people are proposing matchups,…
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Rapper Fred the Godson Dead at 35 From COVID-19
Damn. After a brief, but fierce battle with COVID-19, Bronx rapper Fred the Godson has died. He was only 35. On April 6, he revealed he had been hospitalized and placed on a ventilator after contracting the coronavirus. In recent weeks, his publicist confirmed that he had been battling kidney failure and a fever as…
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Pharrell Williams Partners With SoundCloud to Release Compilation for Emerging Artists, Raise Funds for Charities
With names like The Clipse, Kelis and Robin Thicke to his credit, it’s not a secret that super-producer Pharrell Williams has a knack for breaking new artists. And in looking to continue that tradition, The Man Who Refuses to Age is joining forces with SoundCloud to showcase some of the nicest unsung talent in the…
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Missy Elliot's 'Cool Off' Visuals Provide the Perfect Cure For Your Quarantine Blues
While Missy Elliot’s latest body of work, 2019’s Iconology, failed to capture our attention, she’s been hitting us in the head with dope visual after dope visual since the EP’s August release. And if you thought a global pandemic would prohibit her from continuing to do so, you have much to learn about the 48-year-old’s…
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French Montana Claims He's on Par With Kendrick Lamar; Twitter Tells Him to 'Pop That' Ass in a Chair Somewhere
Confidence is something either you have or you don’t, and it takes time to develop it for yourself. Sometimes, it presents as overconfidence, which can pop up in places it’s not always welcome. Take rapper French Montana, for example. His overconfidence, although admirable, came in the form of a tweet sent out on Tuesday night.…
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The Best Scene in Tim Burton's Batman Is Brought to You by Prince
I’m Batman. OK, let me explain. My first drive-in movie experience was Tim Burton’s 1989 film, Batman. Speaking of drive-ins, there’s been some conversation about possibly reviving the concept during this current social distancing era and I think that’s a fabulous idea. Anyway. After seeing the film, I would bug my big sister’s best friend…
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In Relatable News, Megan Thee Stallion Gushes Over New Fan Janet Jackson
TikTokers cannot get enough of the #SavageChallenge, the Keara Wilson-created viral dance craze which is set to Megan Thee Stallion’s song of the same name from her latest project, Suga. Everyone from pop singer Normani to multi-hyphenate Keke Palmer has done their rendition of the dance for all to see, but during a video chat…
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10 Pieces of Unsolicited Advice for Teddy Riley for His Rematch With Babyface (Using Songs He Produced)
I can’t lie, Teddy Riley keeps pissing me off. Some of it may not even be his fault but he keeps fucking up my vibe in a way that is grating on me so I’m laying my burdens down at his Uptowns. I do, however, want to be clear here: Teddy Riley is a legend.…