I had so much going against me in the beginning: being black, being a woman, being a female rapper... I got to prove myself a hundred times, whereas the guys that came in around the same time as I did, they were given the titles so much quicker without anybody second-guessing.
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Laurie Anderson at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Oct. 13, 1989.
(Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images)
Tuesday - October 17, 2017 Tue - 10/17/17
rantnrave:// Why does R. KELLY still have a major-label record deal? Or any record deal? How frequently is that being asked in the halls of RCA RECORDS these days? Or anywhere? In case the recent HOLLYWOOD news wasn't enough to get that on-and-off discussion going again, here's CHICAGO MAGAZINE's MARK CARO on reporter/critic JIM DEROGATIS' 17-year quest to shed light on Kelly's treatment of women, which, if even half the allegations are even half true, is horrifying. It should be noted that Kelly has never been convicted of anything. Neither, it should also be noted, has HARVEY WEINSTEIN. Caro's longread serves as a solid profile of a writer who has consistently gone against the tide as both a critic and investigative reporter, cultivating plenty of enemies along the way. It also serves as a crucial reminder of what investigative reporters do, and what they endure. “All I’m doing," DeRogatis tells Caro, is listening to women who want to talk about how they were hurt, allegedly, by this superstar, and nobody else seems to want to listen to them.” Also, someone fired a bullet through a window in his house in 2002, on the day the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES published a major piece on the police investigation of Kelly. Caro's story raises, and doesn't answer, the question of why few reporters and publications have followed up on DeRogatis' reporting over the years. One theory on why several sites passed on his summer 2017 blockbuster alleging that Kelly is essentially running a cult is that the HULK HOGAN/GAWKER verdict has spooked the news business. But three months later, two of the preemiment news organizations in the US were fighting to be first with the Weinstein story. Weinstein's and Kelly's alleged victims are, shall we say, different. Could it be as simple as that? As ugly as that? Will Hollywood's reaction to the Weinstein story change the math for the music business? Or light a fire? MusicSET: "The R. Kelly Files"... Why artists should be charging more for in-demand concert tickets, and why they shouldn't, all in a story about this year's winner of the NOBEL PRIZE in economics... Can you win a Nobel for explaining why music sounds better when you're high?... GOOGLE doodle: SELENA... This man has the #1 album in the US... QUESTLOVE's "The Keith O Challenge," intended as both rebuke to, and edutainment for, rap-fearing KEITH OLBERMANN, is my new favorite SPOTIFY playlist... But this expansive, mind-bending, ever-growing playlist by FOUR TET, now up to 618 songs, could reclaim the title the next time he adds a batch of songs, which might have already happened by the time you read this... RIP IAIN SHEDDEN and DAVE BRY.
- Matty Karas, curator
ô souverain
Chicago Magazine
The Lonely Crusade of Jim DeRogatis
by Mark Caro
Over the past 17 years, Chicago’s loudest rock critic has been consumed by an increasingly high-profile undertaking: investigating the allegations of sexual abuse against R&B star R. Kelly.
BuzzFeed
Asian-Americans Are Disrupting An Unwelcoming Music Industry
by Susan Cheng and Sarah Han
“It’s a different world now” -- and one that’s leveling the playing field for Asian-American pop artists, who’ve traditionally been shut out of the American music industry.
The Guardian
No alternative: how brands bought out underground music
by Rachel Aroesti
Timberland hosts rap gigs. Princess Nokia makes films for Maybelline. And Red Bull is the new school of rock. Have brand partnerships destroyed counterculture? Or are they all that’s keeping it alive?
Vulture
Why Don't We Talk More About St. Vincent's Guitar Skills?
by Alex Suskind
Classical mythology is malleable. Take the origin of Athena. Was it Prometheus, Ares, or Hephaestus who cleaved open Zeus's head, thus allowing the patron goddess of Athens and future inventor of the flute to spring forth? As usual, it depends on who's telling the tale.
i-D Magazine
An In-Depth Conversation with Kendrick Lamar
by Touré
In a rare interview, the Compton rapper discusses Trump, Obama and how we can all make a difference.
The New York Times
Why Surge Prices Make Us So Mad: What Springsteen, Home Depot and a Nobel Winner Know
by Neil Irwin
People typically don’t like it when prices fluctuate with supply and demand, but there are ways companies can make it more palatable and fair.
Bandcamp Daily
Emo's Greatest Second Acts
by Robert Rubsam
Members of Get Up Kids, Sunny Day Real Estate, Appleseed Cast, and others branch out to notable side projects.
The Fader
How Jam City helped Kelela find the sweet-spot between the R&B and electronic worlds
by Nazuk Kochhar
In the latest Beat Construction, the London producer explains how he got his start in music, and what working on Take Me Apart was really like.
The Ringer
Joni Mitchell: Fear of a Female Genius
by Lindsay Zoladz
One of the greatest living artists in popular music still isn’t properly recognized. Joni transcends gender, genre, and time. Here’s why.
SPIN
Allegations of Sexual Misconduct by Ex-Real Estate Guitarist Matt Mondanile Detailed by Seven Women
by Andy Cush
On Friday (Oct 13), "SPIN" and Pitchfork revealed that Matt Mondanile, the ex-Real Estate guitarist who also performs as a solo artist under the name Ducktails, was dismissed from the band amid allegations of "unacceptable treatment of women." Mondanile issued a blanket denial of wrongdoing to Pitchfork.
ô juge
Complex
Why Vince Staples Is Hollywood's Newest (And Unlikeliest) Secret Weapon
by Brendan Klinkenberg
Vince Staples makes aggressively uncommercial music, but it's finding a new, (hopely) lucrative life in a very specific kind of movie trailer.
The New Yorker
Diddy’s Favorite Indie Musician, Chaz Bear of Toro Y Moi
by Matthew Trammell
Bear is most comfortable as an enigma, leaving fans to fill in the gaps where influence and intent part.
Music x Tech x Future
How can we restore music's status as social glue in the age of streaming?
by Bas Grasmayer
The case for a passive discovery mechanism for friends' playlists on Spotify.This article started with a tweet on a Saturday evening. Simply put: I wish I had a better interface to discover playlists that are popular among my friends.
Rolling Stone
What Happens to Survivors of Mass Shootings Like Las Vegas?
by S.E. Smith
They may face a lifetime of psychological and physical issues -- and could struggle to find help as Republicans work to gut Obamacare.
The New York Times
Nicki Minaj, Always in Control
by Roxane Gay
The queen of hip-hop has fought her way to the top of the music industry - and never made compromises.
Musiqology
Yes, we still need to talk about Eminem's Misogyny
by John Vilanova
By now, you've probably heard that Eminem delivered a blistering freestyle during Tuesday's (Oct 10) BET Hip Hop Awards show, skewering Donald Trump.
The Howard Stern Show
The Howard Stern Show: William Patrick Corgan -- October 16, 2017
by Howard Stern and William Patrick Corgan
William Patrick Corgan talks about hanging with Neil Young in his tepee, reveals he had a supernatural experience, covers Neil Young’s classic ‘After the Gold Rush’, performs new song ‘Aeronaut’, and sings the Smashing Pumpkins hit ‘1979’.
Los Angeles Times
Hear the sound of 100 lowriders, drifting cars and souped-up auto stereos jamming a single note — courtesy of composer Ryoji Ikeda
by Randall Roberts
On Sunday in downtown L.A. renowned artist Ryoji Ikeda presented a brand-new composition in collaboration with 100 automobile owners.
Mashable
Universal Music Group wants to find the next Spotify before it's too late
by Jason Abbruzzese
The label will partner with accelerators to encourage entrepreneurs in the music space.
Gear Club
Tour of Duty, Susan Rogers Pt. 1
by John Agnello, Stewart Lerman and Susan Rogers
In part 1 of our interview, our hosts listen in wonder as Susan recollects her early years and muses on her life as a studio pro and especially in her role as the right hand woman to one of the most prolific artists of all time. 
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Light My Fire"
Erma Franklin
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