A 'Giant Anthology' Of Profile Records, Rap's Early Champion
Before the rise of Def Jam as hip-hop's definitive record label, there was Profile, which helped shepherd in some of the genre's early shifts in sound and style. A new two-CD anthology, Giant Single:...
View Article'The Medium Is The Massage': A Kitchen Sink Of Sound
Few 20th century thinkers predicted the 21st century era of social media and the Internet better than Marshall McLuhan. Beginning in the 1960s, the Toronto-based philosopher and scholar began to...
View ArticleFat Boys: A Hip-Hop Novelty Act Strikes Back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHoCR7u5NzY Before there was Heavy D, Chubb Rock or The Notorious B.I.G., there were the Fat Boys: Prince Markie Dee, Kool Rock-Ski and Buff Love, a.k.a. The Human Beat...
View ArticleThe Purple Tape: Only Built 4 Collectors
The Beatles had "The White Album." Prince's long-time work-in-progress became dubbed "The Black Album." Rapper Raekwon had "The Purple Tape," one the most storied cassettes in hip-hop history.The...
View ArticleSaviors Of Local Soul: The Archival Science Of The Numero Group
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw5HgdHhNhk When the Chicago reissue label The Numero Group plotted its first release back in 2003, the original idea was a box set of ten obscure R&B seven-inch...
View Article20 Years Ago Biz Markie Got The Last Laugh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OebqNsNRBtU In the late 1980s, no clique in New York seemed more dominant than the Juice Crew. Assembled by producer Marley Marl, the group's core included the...
View ArticleLaura Mvula's Velvet 'Moon' Is A Revelation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akYnlwubDo The very first notes on Laura Mvula's new album feel like a powerful invocation. You're not sure for what, but the moment is awesome — with an emphasis on...
View ArticleKanye's 'Yeezus' Packs A Bite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuhl6Ji5zHM Rapper Kanye West experienced two births of a sort over the weekend. Most important would be the birth of his child with Kim Kardashian. Then there was the...
View Article20 Years Ago, De La Soul Refused To Go Pop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B1-naHt1aA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r774KpYtso http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udSjNOZ26o8 This year marks the 20th anniversary of a remarkable year in music. Over...
View ArticleGimme The Beat (Box): The Journey Of The Drum Machine
About 10 years ago, a disgruntled pianist in Los Angeles named John Wood began a popular bumper sticker campaign with the slogan, "Drum Machines Have No Soul." Not everyone was convinced, including...
View ArticleMusic Review: 'You're Dead!' By Flying Lotus
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Finally this hour, music that explores death not as end but as a beginning. It comes from Steven Ellison, better known as Flying Lotus. He...
View ArticleKanye West Plays Puppet Master With 'Life Of Pablo' Premiere
I'm not sure there's ever been a record release as confounding as the one for Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo. He's changed its title and track listing several times in as many weeks, and even up until...
View Article'James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. 4' Is A Marvelous And Mysterious Time...
The names James Brown and Apollo Theater have practically become synonymous; it's hard to think of one without the other. Beginning in 1963, Brown released three albums recorded there. But there was a...
View ArticleA Queen Among Kings
The first time I ever saw Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings perform was circa 2002 at the Elbo Room, a tiny venue in San Francisco's Mission District. If you've ever been there, you know the Elbo Room...
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