Music

Beyoncé watches Jay-Z as he accepts the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award during the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy An Oklahoma-based radio station said it is now playing Beyoncé's new country single, "Texas Hold 'Em," after its initial move to not play the song drew quick criticism from fans over what they perceive to be narrow-mindedness. A fan said he emailed KYKC […]

Beyoncé goes country: exposing the genre's hidden Black history Beyoncé Knowles-Carter stands poised at the epicenter of popular culture, an unmatched force who has dominated music for over two decades with her brand of fiercely confident R&B anthems belted by a once-in-a-generation voice. But in 2016, she caught many by surprise when she veered into country territory. With “Daddy Lessons,” a foot-stomping track off her album “Lemonade” that meshes trap […]

Howard's vocal malleability allows her to access a whole spectrum of contradictory emotions and gender expressions. Medios y Media/Getty Images For all the Prince worship present in pop culture, there aren't very many contemporary stars who are able to sustain the total relentlessness of his musicality — how talent oozed from every inch and in every direction, how jazz and gospel ran through his blood. Figures like Janelle Monáe have […]

Jackson State Marching Band aka Sonic Boom of The South Did you catch the halftime show at yesterday's Super Bowl? If you did, you were treated to a high-energy spectacle headlined by Usher, with a special appearance that everyone is talking about. Two members of Kappa Alpha Psi, the second-oldest historically Black fraternity in the world, joined Usher on stage, strolling with canes and shimmying alongside the pop star.  Adding […]

The Story of Freaknik: A Documentary on Atlanta's Infamous Party Debuts at SXSW Freaknik, once a celebrated cultural phenomenon in Atlanta, is set to be revisited through the lens of a documentary titled "Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told." This documentary is scheduled to premiere at the South By Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, on March 12, 2024, with a second screening on March 14. The announcement was made […]

Jay-Z (left) accepts the honorary Dr. Dre Global Impact Award alongside his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, during the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy Standing on the stage at the 66th Grammys on Feb. 4 to accept an honorary award, Jay-Z's speech ended up being anything but accepting. "We love y'all," Jay said, diplomatically motioning to the room […]

Jay-Z's Grammy Remarks Spark Discussion on Representation and Change A deeper look at the representation issues Jay-Z talked about in his Grammys speechHEARD ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED In a recent airing of NPR's All Things Considered, host Sacha Pfeiffer and NPR culture correspondent Anastasia Tsioulcas discussed the implications of Jay-Z's critical remarks during his honorary Grammy acceptance speech. The conversation delved into the ongoing debate about the Recording Academy's track record […]

André 3000's "New Blue Sun Live" tour spent three nights at the Blue Note jazz club in New York. Dervon Dixon/Courtesy of Blue Note Around halfway through a set during his Blue Note residency last Thursday, André 3000 took some time to survey his tools. The musician crouched over a rug arrayed with around a dozen varieties of the flute — the instrument that's come to symbolize the dramatic creative […]

Nigeria's global superstar Burna Boy (center) is nominated in the new Grammy category "best African music performance." Nominees are all from Nigeria or South Africa. Other African musicians feel neglected. Mulatu Astatke (left) is a pioneer of Ethio-jazz in Ethiopia, which has never earned a Grammy nod. North African musicians have rarely been nominated. At right: Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi. Alexis Maryon, Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld, courtesy of […]