When N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton on August 8, 1988, it marked a seismic shift in music, culture, and the way America viewed hip-hop. The album was a raw and unfiltered portrayal of life in the streets of South Central Los Angeles, delivered with an urgency and authenticity that had never been heard before. Not…
As an ambitious creator of new musical worlds, visionary saxophonist Kamasi Washington wants to understand and proclaim the power of love. He wants to come to terms with his mortality. He wants to make people dance. And he certainly wants people to stop hating on jazz. Mixing jazz horns with afrofuturist concepts, spiritual transcendence, and…
On September 20, 1992, Pearl Jamโs โDrop in the Parkโ concert at Seattleโs Magnuson Park etched itself into rock history, not only for its music but for a death-defying stunt by frontman Eddie Vedder. This free concert was a celebration of the bandโs rapid ascent following the success of their debut album, Ten, which featured…
In the swirling, electric year of 1967, a groundbreaking track reverberated through the UK, soon to envelop the US in its mesmerizing sound waves. This wasnโt just any songโit was โPurple Hazeโ by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, a sonic masterpiece that would redefine the boundaries of rock music. But beyond its revolutionary guitar riffs and…
Of all the reasons that Taylor Swift deserves to be Time magazineโs first ever musician Person of the Year, none are bigger than her smashing victories over misogyny and the music businessโs malign way of swindling artists and stealing valuable intellectual property. The particulars of her creative predicament are well known. Once a shy, teenaged…
Beginnings in the Delta Cotton Plant, Arkansas, 1915: Nestled amidst a sea of cotton fields, this town, where the Mississippi Delta begins its stretch, bore witness to the birth of Rosetta Nubin. It wasnโt just any place; the Delta was the cradle of American music, a melting pot of African rhythms, field hollers, and church…
Acclaimed Dublin singer Sinรฉad OโConnor, whose death was announced on Tuesday, released 10 studio albums, while her song Nothing Compares 2 U was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards. Throughout her music career, she cut a striking figure.