Music
-
An Open Letter To Everybody Involved in the Creation of Rihanna's "Higher"
Dear Love Haters: I recently took the time to check out Rihanna’s newest album, Anti, which was a much different sound from her than I expected. I’d heard many people talk about the album’s direction not being the typical paint-by-numbers Rihanna album, but waited to check it out. It’s quite a good album. It’s all pleasant surprise…
-
How Lil Wayne Became Hip-Hop's Most Underappreciated Legend
17 years ago, Juvenile released “Back That Azz Up.” (“Back That Thang Up” if you were a baby trying to make babies on the dance floor of a high school gymnasium.) The descending chords in the intro cause an immediate pavlovian response. Men crane their necks like a gazelle hearing a rustle in the tall…
-
Nine Thoughts On Rihanna's "Work" Vid From Someone Actually Qualified To Share Thoughts On It
A few weeks after the clusterfuck that was the Anti release (shout out the newly-unemployed Tidal team member who tripped and hit the big red button hours before he or she was supposed to), Rih Rih decided to bless us with some choice visuals for her first single “Work” and did not disappoint in delivering…
-
Exclusive: A Leaked Email Exchange Between Drake And Kanye West From This Afternoon
Months ago, our sources were able to find multiple leaked email conversations between celebrities such as Drake, Kanye, Meek Mill, and President Obama. After taking an extended break, our sources were able to find another exchange. This time, between Drake and Kanye after the “Work” video was released today. A condensed version of the conversation is…
-
An Ode To SWV
I grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, as a military brat in the mid-’80s and early ’90s. Those of us who grew up overseas had one channel to watch on television: AFN, which stands for the Armed Forces Network. We all watched the same cartoons, the same soap operas (General Hospital was followed by Guiding Light), and the…
-
"The Life Of Pablo," Reviewed, By Someone Who Cannot Be Objective About Kanye West
So, let’s get three things out of the way first: 1. The Life of Pablo was made available to stream on Tidal early Sunday morning. It, apparently, will not officially be for sale for another week. By the time you read this, it will be (at the earliest) Monday afternoon. Between then and now, I’ve listened…
-
Underrated Moment in Black History: When Bobby & Whitney Set The Bar for Black Love
After “who made the potato salad” and “what had happened was”, Black love is one of the most ubiquitous topics of discussion within 21st century Negronia. Over the years, there have been many couples that come to mind that have embodied the concept – Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Denzel and Pauletta, Cam and Juju, Oscar…
-
5 Reasons Maurice White Stayed Winnin'
By now you’ve heard that musical impresario Maurice White, 74, has gone on to the great “Boogie Wonderland” in the sky. Damn, damn, damn—I’ve been breaking crystal punch bowls all week! White was the iconic co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, the premier live funk band for, like, 89 summers. And if you’re over 30,…