Music

The Stax Music Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, is debuting an original video production and accompanying educational materials to celebrate Black History Month in February 2024. The program, titled "Stax Meets Motown," explores the connections between the civil rights movement of the 1960s and iconic record labels Stax and Motown. Created entirely by students at the Academy, "Stax Meets Motown" features an entertaining plotline debating the musical merits of the two […]

image generated by MidJourney This article was originally posted on my LinkedIn newsletter, 'Cultural Codex.' The late hip-hop icon J. Dilla is hailed as a production pioneer for his unorthodox jazz-tinged sampling and off-kilter rhythms showcased on the instrumental album “Donuts” in 2006. Now, over 15 years since his untimely death due to complications from lupus, an artificial intelligence (AI) musical experiment has set out to revive Dilla’s avant-garde sound […]

Long Beach rapper, actor, and producer Vince Staples is bringing his signature style to the small screen next month with "The Vince Staples Show." The highly-anticipated Netflix comedy series premieres February 15th with five fast-paced episodes that follow Staples through zany misadventures inspired by his real life in Long Beach. Fresh off acclaimed albums like "Big Fish Theory" and tours with Tyler, the Creator, Staples leaps into scripted television while […]