Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their …
Read More »How Hit-Boy Helped Capture the Spirit of 'Judas and the Black Messiah'
The new film Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of the FBI’s infiltration of the Black Panther movement in the United States. Directed by Shaka King, the movie is set to the backdrop of what is now acknowledged to be the 1969 assassination of Black Panther leader Fred …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: K-Pop Legends Epik High, CL, and Zico Team Up for 'Rosario'
What’s better than one K-pop vet returning to the game? Three such artists teaming up for a Latin-tinged hip-hop track that showcases the seamless way in which Korean artists are weaving their way through different genres to serious success. “Rosario” is the first single from hip-hop trio Epik High’s 10th …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Graeme James, 'The Voyage of the James Caird'
Every so often, we need a gripping seafaring-disaster song, and that time has come. While shipwrecks have never been at the top of any pop songwriter’s checklist, they’ve nonetheless set sail every so often in the rock era, dating back at least to Gordon Lightfoot’s Number One hit “The Wreck …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Olivia Rodrigo, 'Drivers License'
Is it too early to call song of the year? Olivia Rodrigo’s debut single, “Drivers License,” makes it difficult to not believe that both she and the moving power ballad are meant to completely dominate 2021. Rodrigo’s nostalgic, piano-assisted song builds slowly as a story about the 17-year-old finally getting …
Read More »Playboi Carti's Reddit Community Never Lost Hope
At midnight on Christmas, Playboi Carti declared himself Santa. After years of hype, false starts, and cryptic messages to fans, the rapper finally shared his album Whole Lotta Red, the hotly anticipated follow up to 2018’s Die Lit. The 24-track, 62-minute record inspired an almost immediate bifurcation on social media. …
Read More »Year in Review: So, How Was Your 2020, Earthgang?
So, How Was Your 2020?is a series in which our favorite entertainers answer our questionnaire about the music, culture, and memorable moments that shaped their year. We’ll be rolling these pieces out throughout December. Olu and WowGr8, the two rappers who make up Earthgang, spent much of this year hunkered …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Kacy and Clayton, Marlon Williams, 'Your Mind's Walking Out'
On Friday, the Canadian folk duo Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum pair up with New Zealand crooner Marlon Williams to release their first collaborative album, Plastic Bouquet. Despite the LP’s inanimate title, there’s nothing fake about the music contained therein. Like much of Kacy and Clayton’s output — including last …
Read More »Foreigner's Mick Jones Remembers Racing Cars With Eddie Van Halen While Making '5150'
Foreigner and Van Halen released their debut albums within a year of each other and both bands dominated the singles charts for years to come. So when Van Halen enlisted Foreigner guitarist and kindred spirit Mick Jones to produce 5150, their first record with Sammy Hagar singing, they knew they …
Read More »The Last Word: Wayne Coyne on Fatherhood, Drugs, Divorce, and Nearly Dying
“It will probably sound horrible to say this to some people, but music and art is not first in my life — and maybe it never was. There’s nothing worth sacrificing for your music and art.” This statement might come as a shock when you consider its source: merry prankster …
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