Boosted by the YouTube recommendations algorithm, and now TikTok memes, an American-influenced strain of vintage Japanese music has become a perennial cult hit online. The trend says more about Western perceptions of the East than the other way around.
Five musicians and SOPHIE fans, from Mykki Blanco to Lyra Pramuk to Backxwash, reflect on what made the artist’s work so arresting, and what it illuminated in its gleam.
By publicly identifying and discussing unlicensed samples, hip-hop fans on websites like WhoSampled and YouTube may be unwittingly putting their favorite producers at risk.
The unlikely story of how two childhood schoolmates changed each other’s lives.
Over the last 30 years, the nonprofit has registered 12 million voters (and counting) via its platform and played a significant role in the election of two presidents. They couldn’t have done it without the pop, rock, and rap stars who were willing to use their fame for a cause.
Over the last decade, the language and aesthetics of social justice have become the social currency of the music industry (and pop culture at large), ultimately yielding the myth that representation solves everything. This is one story of how we got there, and where we carefully go from here.
With an endless amount of gear out there, setting up your first home studio can seem like a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be.
Black artists and professionals discuss the roadblocks they’ve faced and offer ideas on how independent music scenes can change for the better.
How the unlikely star became a phenomenon hidden in pop-cultural plain sight, influencing a generation of groundbreaking artists.
In the absence of live music, touring musicians have taken to Zoom to share their knowledge and craft with a flood of new students. Imperfect as it may be, this exchange has become a financial and creative lifeline.
With concerts on hold, it’s abundantly clear that most musicians can’t live off streaming income alone. How could the system be fixed?
Your one-stop guide to choosing the right record player, amplifier, speakers, and everything else necessary for an awesome vinyl setup.
With rappers recording at a nonstop clip, and sampling more difficult than ever, hip-hop producers are increasingly outsourcing their melodies to a global network of loopmakers.
Our brains reward us for seeking out what we already know. So why should we reach to listen to something we don’t?
The rise of online gear stores has spawned a middle class of music memorabilia that benefits both bands and fans.
Featuring your picks for the best albums and songs of the year
More than a year before the rapper’s death, the woman at the center of his domestic battery case granted a rare interview for a documentary about his life. Will the footage ever see the light of day?
A decade in dance music that changed pop forever, according to Skrillex, Zedd, Boys Noize, and more.