Hip-hop lost a visionary thinker and a lifelong tastemaker over the weekend in the late Andre Harrell, founder of the seminal hip-hop label Uptown Records, home to a number of the architects of the new-jack-swing revolution of the ’80s and ’90s and an integral stepping stone for black music icons like Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, […]
Imagine sitting next to Little Richard at a dinner party: I remember one night, we had this wonderful orgy going. It was one of the best I have ever been to. And in the middle of this orgy, that was fantastic, somebody knocked on my door. I said: ‘Just a moment! This is an orgy!’ […]
When John Prine lost his life to complications from COVID-19 on April 7, he went quickly — almost overnight. His wife and manager, Fiona, had contracted the disease in March following a European tour, but won her fight. Prine was hospitalized in intensive care for 13 days, but it seemed like the 73-year-old was going […]
I spent most of my 20s toiling away in supermarkets and minor chain department stores, making just enough money to get to the next week in one piece. (My heart goes out to grocery store employees in hectic public-facing positions during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is draining, often thankless work on a good day; if […]
Legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers died from heart complications this week, leaving behind a catalogue of music with the enduring power to connect people. Never has that been more apparent than just these past few weeks, as people across the world have been singing his 1972 classic “Lean on Me” to spread positivity during the […]
Out of all of the events canceled due to our current situation, Eurovision might be the saddest one. (Yes, I’m including Coachella, Vanessa Hudgens.) The yearly “European” (plus Israel, Australia, and a few other exceptions that we won’t get into right now) song contest is a joy to many and practically unheard of in the […]
Last month, basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, were tragically killed in a helicopter crash while flying over the city of Calabasas, California. Seven other people, including the pilot, were also killed in the crash. On February 24, the public was able to mourn and honor their lives with “A […]
Hours after the news broke that basketball legend Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash, his friend Kanye West, along with Chance the Rapper and Kirk Franklin, celebrated his life and legacy at West’s weekly Sunday Service. “I was driving home / They was leaving your jersey on the freeway / And I just […]