In the Sixties, the Beatles were flying around f***ing lots of teenagers. Is that a good role model? Is that what people wanted for their sons, to fly round the world and f*** young girls? Role models should be people that you know. Like your mum.
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Shadow puppet: Kanye West debuted his eighth studio album, "Ye," Thursday night.
(Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Friday - June 01, 2018 Fri - 06/01/18
rantnrave:// The president of his label released one of the year's most talked-about hip-hop albums seven days ago, his wife was in the Oval Office two days ago, and today KANYE WEST might find out if there's any room left for him in the public imagination after, um, let's just call it one of the strangest album rollouts in recent memory. A ranch full of celebs, music execs, DJs, writers and other influencers were flown to WYOMING Thursday for a (slightly) early listen. My favorite anecdote from one of the traveling reporters: "When asked whether anyone had mentioned to West that the album will be released—and available on streaming services throughout the globe—by the time the listening session ends, a DEF JAM staffer just sighed." And then his label hosted some kind of communal listening party on the be-your-own-radio-station startup STATIONHEAD. Random lyric: "I could have NAOMI CAMPBELL and still might want me a STORMY DANIELS." And then—as of midnight on the West Coast—he hadn't actually released it through any of the major streaming services. I just sighed. No word yet on when the official WHITE HOUSE listening party will be... One thing that can't be stated often enough about that PUSHA-T album, though: Kanye is still a genius-level producer... RECORDING ACADEMY boss NEIL PORTNOW, facing crises on multiple fronts, will step down—a year from now. Which means he gets to oversee one more GRAMMY AWARDS. Which is one more Grammy ceremony than a lot of people wanted to see him run. If he's motivated to right some wrongs in the 2019 edition, and he presumably knows what those wrongs are, then great. If it ends up being about him, then no... HILARY ROSEN asks DANIEL EK a really good question. He doesn't really answer... Create your own YOUTUBE documentary festival this weekend: FABRICE BOURGELLE's WE OUT HERE: A LDN JAZZ STORY chronicles one of the world's most vibrant music scenes through the eyes of artists including SHEILA MAURICE-GREY, THEON CROSS, SHABAKA HUTCHINGS, MOSES BOYD and NUBYA GARCIA. And OSCAR BOYSON's RAMMELLZEE: IT'S NOT WHO BUT WHAT, produced in conjunction with the RAMMELLZEE: RACING FOR THUNDER gallery show in New York, is a short and energetic piece on the late, futurist musician and artist... It's FRIDAY and that means in addition to the possibility of Kanye making YE available to the rest of us, there's new music from FATHER JOHN MISTY, ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER, GHOST, BLACK THOUGHT X 9TH WONDER & THE SOUL COUNCIL, NEKO CASE, NATALIE PRASS, BIG FREEDIA, LUMP, JOAN OF ARC, MARCUS MILLER, LIZ VICE, MAZZY STAR, BEN HOWARD, DAVE ALVIN & JIMMIE DALE GILMORE, MICHAEL RAY, MORCHEEBA, ROGER DALTREY, DIZZY WRIGHT, LAUV, ALBIN LEE MELDAU, MAPS & ATLASES, RUEN BROTHERS, AMERICAN AQUARIUM, PETE YORN & SCARLETT JOHANSSON, NICKI BLUHM and the CD version of THE ROYAL WEDDING: THE OFFICIAL ALBUM.
- Matty Karas, curator
june is bustin' out all over
recode
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek at Code 2018
by Peter Kafka, Kara Swisher and Daniel Ek
"We didn’t want to get into a position about talking about who gets to do exactly what or what the situation is on Spotify."
Rolling Stone
Top 40 Radio Has a Rap Problem
by Elias Leight
Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B and Migos make the most popular records in the country, so why aren't they thriving on pop stations the way white rappers do?
REDEF
REDEF MusicSET: Hits and Disses: Pusha-T Battles His Way to Pop Stardom
by MusicREDEF
Acclaimed chronicler of the drug trade, political activist, record company president and now Drake destroyer. And two decades into his career, Pusha-T is still elevating his game. But not without controversy.
Billboard
Recording Academy Chief Neil Portnow to Step Down Next Year
by Dan Rys
The embattled president/CEO of the Recording Academy, will not seek an extension of his current contract, which runs through July 2019.
Pitchfork
In Defense of Trance
by Finn Cohen
The melodramatic style of dance music was born alongside the European Union’s utopian vision. But how does it fit into the Continent’s current wave of political and social upheaval?
Chartmetric
How Spotify’s Gatekeepers Are Turning Listeners Into Fans (Or Not)
by Sam Chennault
Not all engagements are created equal, and having people hear your music just isn’t enough. You don’t just want listeners; you want fans. But how do you get these fans, and what’s the best way for an artist to measure success?
Stereogum
America's Pop Mainstream Is Finally Making Room For Languages Other Than English
by Chris DeVille
Quick: Who’s the biggest pop star in the world? Taylor Swift? Drake? Beyoncé? Justin Bieber? Rihanna? Ed Sheeran? These are all viable candidates, but if your list only reaches to the end of the English language, it’s far too limited.
Los Angeles Times
BTS just took K-pop to No. 1 — and not by diluting its adventurous music
by Mikael Wood
There's no feeling of compromise to the Korean boy band's latest, "Love Yourself: Tear."
Variety
Live Updates From Kanye West’s Album Listening Party in Wyoming
by Jem Aswad
Variety is en route to experience Kanye West's last-minute album listening party in the Rocky Mountains with live updates as we reach peak Kanye.
The Daily Beast
Drake’s Blackface Controversy: Why It’s Not As Bad As You Think
by Touré
Context is key.
june on the west coast
The Fader
Cover Story: Ariana Grande
by Myles Tanzer
Ariana Grande found stable ground where there was none. On "Sweetener," she’s making the music she always dreamed of.
The New Yorker
The Brain-Tingling Sounds of ASMR
by Soo-Jeong Kang, Catherine Spangler, Yara Bishara...
In the latest installment of our “Obsessions” series, meet the YouTube stars who cater to the ASMR community and the scientists chasing the peculiar phenomenon’s source.
Los Angeles Times
Decrying new LPs as 'commemorative plates you can't even eat off,' reissue imprint Numero Group explores Environments and 'Technicolor Paradise'
by Randall Roberts
Long-standing Chicago label the Numero Group has earned a reputation for unearthing buried treasures. Now with a West Coast office, the label is shifting its focus. Recently, the label released a successful iPhone app called Environments and a collection of exotica dubbed "Technicolor Paradise."
Billboard
Top Artist Managers Express Concern for MusiCares Amid Turmoil as Recording Academy Announces Record Dollar Distribution
by Melinda Newman
The non-profit anticipates providing $6.3 million to the music community in the current fiscal year. But some of the world’s biggest superstars' managers are voicing concern about the current state and future of MusiCares.
PopMatters
Jazz Today: Young Women Are Sounding the Horns
by Will Layman
The story of 11th grade trumpeter and composer Summer Camargo and her inspiring success at the elite Essentially Ellington Festival shows that, indeed, the future of jazz will, finally, be more female.
The New Statesman
Lily Allen: why #MeToo hasn't hit the music industry
by Kate Mossman
The singer opens up about alcohol, cheating - and why she's ready to call herself a musician.
Stereogum
'The Americans' Bids Farewell To TV’s Best Soundtrack With U2’s “With Or Without You”
by Michael Tedder
The finale song canon is a noble institution, dominated by “Don’t Stop Believin'” but also including "Six Feet Under"’s use of Sia’s “Breathe Me,” Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” at the end of "Breaking Bad," and the acidic appropriation of the “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke” jingle for "Mad Men." And after last night’s sign-off for "The Americans," we must now induct U2’s “With Or Without You,”
Texas Monthly
Why ScoreMore Shows Sold to LiveNation
by Dan Solomon
The Austin-based hip hop and EDM promoter announced a deal with LiveNation on Wednesday.
Pitchfork
What Does It Mean to Be an Apolitical Trans Pop Star?
by KC Clements
With her lighthearted singles and reluctance to rep the trans community, Kim Petras is in uncharted territory for both the pop and LGBTQ worlds.
Consequence of Sound
In Rap Beef, There’s No Such Thing as Crossing the Line
by Gary Suarez
Pusha-T and Drake are hardly the first rappers to get nasty and ugly.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Hell-On"
Neko Case
Title track from her new album, out today on Anti- Records.
“REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’”
@JasonHirschhorn


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