360 Staff Pick: Kid Sister goes Ultraviolet
The prize for best booty-shakin' performance of SXSW in Austin last week goes to Chicago rapper Kid Sister. Her first single, 'Pro Nails' (featuring Kanye West), is just the tip of iceberg....
View ArticleNew Music: Kanye West's 'Yeezus', Primal Scream, And Mavis Staples
Last month, Kanye West fans got a sneak peak at his new album, Yeezus, when he performed "Black Skinhead" on Saturday Night Live.But this past weekend, Kanye-lovers stole a listen to the entire album...
View ArticleFrom Skinny Puppy To Stomp: How Industrial Music Was Built
As soon as they got their hands on it, critics started noticing the more "industrial" aspects of the new Kanye West record. Industrial music is that loud, sometimes abrasive genre that came out of the...
View ArticlePoliticians a No-Show at Washington Opera; Kanye West at LA Opera
You can tell a lot about a city’s opera culture by who shows up for opening nights – or doesn't.The Washington National Opera unveiled a new production of Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino Saturday night,...
View ArticleRick Rubin Comes Out of Hiding
Legendary producer Rick Rubin co-founded Def Jam Recordings when he was still in college, putting out albums with hip-hop stars like LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy, to name a few. But the...
View ArticleFive Things You Had to See Online This Week
This week in “Thanks, Internet” —George Lucas cries all the way to the bank, a fan makes the ultimate Yeezus tour video, Kanye gets mashed up with Sam Smith, Chris Rock is endlessly quotable and...
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Five Things You Had To See Online This Week
This week in “Thanks, Internet” — Rihanna unplugs with two famous friends, The Simpsons go low-fi, Billy Joel gets ranked, two Neil Youngs for the price of one Fallon, and Left Shark tries to take over...
View Article2015 Will Be Hip-Hop's Best Year
By all measures, 2014 was an unremarkable year for hip-hop, which Kurt Andersen (friend of sideshow) recently called "the last genuinely new and consequential invention of American pop culture."...
View ArticleNina Simone's Lingering Spell
More than halfway into the Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, directed by Liz Garbus, we are treated to archival footage of Nina Simone seated at a piano onstage at the 1976 Montreux Jazz...
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Five Things You Had To See Online This Week
This week in “Thanks, Internet” — Kanye gets the "Jerry Roll" treatment, Kermit finds a new pig, the New Yorker is sorta mocked, songs get autocanonized, and ducks make some noise. 1. What's the Deal...
View ArticleHip Hop Star 'Rhymefest' Explores Fatherhood
Filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern will be joined by Che "Rhymefest" Smith, the subject of their documentary, "In My Father’s House." Rhymefest is a hip hop artist who won a 2005 Grammy for the...
View ArticleThey Slay: Five Queer Rappers You Should Know
There's a chance you may still be reeling from Beyoncé's latest video. If you are: it's ok, I am too. And perhaps after watching "Formation" you were curious about the other voices in the video. They...
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Five Things You Had to See Online This Week
This week in “Thanks, Internet” — Leo's red carpet rampage, Bernie's thoughts, and 2001: a musical odyssey win the internet this week. 1. 2001: a Musical OdysseyFirst contender for song of the summer...
View ArticleThe Curious Correlation Between Beethoven and Hip Hop
Within the realms of rap and hip, one name seems to carry particular weight: Beethoven. Last week, we took notice of a LA-based project mixing Beethoven Symphonies with beats from Kanye West's album...
View ArticleWhat To Expect At The 2017 Grammy Awards
Award season continues this Sunday with the 59th Annual Grammy Awards...this one being Takeaway Culture Reporter Melissa Locker's favorite. This time around, superstar Beyoncé leads the pack with nine...
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Why Do We Use Italian Words to Describe Music?
In 2007, the ever fashion-forward musician Kanye West boasted “I don’t see why I need a stylist / when I shop so much I can speak Italian.” Mr. West, it appears, has acquired so much Gucci, Fendi,...
View ArticleVitamin String Quartet Shares Arrangements of Radiohead, Kanye and More
The most recent edition of Midday Masterpieces, featured the Los Angeles-based Vitamin String Quartet, which has become well-known for its instrumental arrangements of pop, rock and hip-hop hits. Their...
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Great Minds Think Alike: Kanye West Vs. Beethoven
After the success of 2016’s Yeethoven composer and arranger Johan and conductor Yuga Cohler have returned for Yeethoven II, a concert focused on the similarities between the artistry of Kanye West and...
View ArticleWhat Kanye Said and What to Do About It
Tricia Rose, director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown and author of The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop — and Why It Matters (Civitas Books, 2008),...
View ArticleWeekly Music Roundup: Oneohtrix Point Never, Marcus Miller, and Kanye
Week of June 4: Yes, there is new Kanye West. But other stuff happened too. Oneohtrix Point Never dropped a new weird pop record; plus new music from bassist Marcus Miller, and electropop band The...
View ArticleTaylor Speaks Now, After Kanye's Late Registration With Trumpism
New York Times opinion section staff editor Tariro Mzezewa discusses her most recent piece addressing the politics of Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and celebrities in general..@tariro: "Because our...
View ArticleWhy Is Queen so Coverable? Here’s the Story Behind That Viral Trombone...
In the days leading up to Halloween, we stumbled upon an usual arrangement of Queen’s 1975 single “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which, incidentally, was released that year on All Hallows’ Eve). The cover...
View ArticleWhat’s So Bad About A Little Ego?
Whether they’re athletes like LeBron James, entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, or entertainers like Kanye West, the richest and most famous among us are often known for having the largest egos. Why...
View ArticleWeekly Music Roundup: Dessa and El Perro Del Mar
Week of Oct. 28: This week, Kanye goes gospel; Dessa goes orchestral; and a 60s hit returns.PREMIERE: Dessa Unveils Recording With Her New Band – The Minnesota OrchestraThe rapper, singer, and...
View ArticleWeekly Music Roundup: Hachalu Hundessa RIP, Monte, and Jorja Smith
Week of July 6: This week, bird song in Colombia from Monte (aka Simón Mejía, founder and leader of Bomba Estéreo), the murder of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa, BRIT Award-winning singer Jorja...
View ArticleChance the Rapper’s Art and Activism
My generation was taught that the civil-rights movement ended in the sixties, and that the Civil Rights Act put things as they should be,” Chance the Rapper tells David Remnick. “That belief was...
View ArticleKanye West and How Media Talks About Mental Illness
More and more people have been experiencing anxiety or depression in recent months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but also in the years before the pandemic. While we’ve gotten better at talking about...
View ArticleWeekly Music Roundup: Warduna, Kanye West, Omar Sosa with Rajery
Week of Dec. 28: This week, the definitive 2020 holiday song from Great American Canyon Band, a winter solstice blessing from Wardruna, and a choral album – in Latin – from Kanye West. The Definitive...
View ArticleWeekly Music Roundup: Baracutanga, N.C. Sacred Soul, and FPA
Week of Sept. 6: This week, premieres of Latin folk-fusion from Baracutanga and Carolina soul, plus Kanye and Drake race to the bottom. PREMIERE #1: Baracutanga’s Musical Trip Home, “El Regreso”The...
View ArticleLooking at the Way We Talk About Bipolar Disorder
Words like 'unhinged,' 'insane,' and 'psychotic' have all been used to describe Kanye West’s behavior in recent weeks. Outbursts, twitter pleas to his wife, Kim Kardashian, and threats to her current...
View ArticleThe Story of Kanye West with the Directors of 'jeen-yuhs: a Kanye Trilogy'
Directors Clarence "Coodie" Simmons and Chike Ozah have spent years --- for Simmons, over two decades-- following and filming polarizing rapper Kanye West, beginning with his early days as a producer...
View ArticleJustin Austin in Conversation with Josh Berg
This week on the Artist Propulsion Lab, baritone Justin Austin is joined by audio engineer and producer Josh Berg. Justin and Josh met when they collaborated in the recording studio with Ye, the artist...
View ArticleCan Kanye West Buy Free Speech?
Earlier this month, the House G.O.P. account tweeted, “Kanye. Elon. Trump.”—a declaration of the Party’s new mascots. Since then, Kanye West has cemented this role, with a series of bizarre publicity...
View ArticleThe Oldest Trick
An ancient scapegoat for society’s woes is back in the news. On this week’s On the Media, a deeper look at the confusing landscape of modern anti-semitism. Plus, a conversation with some of the dogged...
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