Austin – My feet are swollen, wrists adorned with ten wristbands, body aches, hunger pangs, and I feel like I need about a week’s worth of sleep. SXSW is one of the best but most draining music festivals. Every building is turned in to a music venue which means you’re often running across town. Lines
Chicago – On a reasonably mild winter night, rapper Probcause took the stage smiling ear to ear. Perhaps it was his warm demeanor keeping the cold at bay because his happiness and enthusiasm could be felt throughout the room. He told the packed house the last six months have been the best of his
Los Angeles – Schoolboy Q has a lot to prove with his major label debut, Oxymoron. He’s the second member of Black Hippy to release an album on a popular record label, the first artist being critically-acclaimed Kendrick Lamar. He’s also the first member to release an album in 2014, setting a precedent for his
Chicago – It may have been gloomy outside, as the fog set in and rain poured down, but inside the Metro, fans were all smiles, clearly ready to party. Aer headlined an all-ages show, which featured RDGLDGRN and NeW bEAt FUNd. NeW bEAt FUNd opened the show with their G-Punk, Cali beach funk, like a
New York – It takes a lot to surprise longtime fans of Sufjan Stevens. The man’s discography is a sonic yoga saga in itself, stretching from quiet folk, to ambient techno, to Christmas box sets. So, when Stevens teamed up with Chicago rapper Serengeti and New York’s Son Lux one year ago, fans weren’t exactly
Seattle – When Angel Haze leaked her own album, she certainly got attention. It was an act of defiance when Island/Republic Records pushed back the album’s release until March 2014. She wasn’t too happy about that so went all rebel on them; the label succumbed to her demands and Angel Haze’s debut full-length album, Dirty Gold,
Seattle – Angel Haze is an American rapper. Angel Haze is a profound lyricist. Angel Haze, perhaps most importantly, is a serious rebel. Sure, albums are leaked all the time but it’s not so common that an artist defies her label and pre-releases a sample of her album. This is exactly what Angel Haze did
“Check this guy out,” a friend wrote me in an email last year. “This white guy sounds exactly like Ghostface Killah.” In the beginning, this is how I imagine most people came to know Action Bronson: not through his talent as a rapper, but because the voice of this Queens native is a dead ringer
In recent years, Coachella has dedicated at least one headlining spot to a hip-hop act. In 2010 it was Beastie Boys, 2011 Kanye West, last year Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, and this year the reunion of the Wu-Tang Clan. But despite the lure and appeal of hip-hop heavyweights, the genre’s general presence has
Somewhere in North Hollywood right now, there is a failed actor in his 50s wearing loose-fitting pants, shoes only available at Samuel French, and a faded salmon tank top. He’s standing in front of a group of hapless “actors” who have foolishly signed up for his class, because “it was a good deal,” and “Well,