Roddy Ricch’s voice is a beguiling instrument—a mess of controlled squeaks and abrupt melodic outbursts. Every turn of phrase lands like it’s a memorable hook. From the jump, the Los Angeles native has drawn comparisons to Young Thug, who is one of his key influences. But Roddy’s barefaced bars—if anything, …
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How does one “keep learning how to keep learning,” as Young Thug told Rolling Stone earlier this year, ahead of his new album, Punk, which he released last week? It’s a question central to the mythos of Thug, one of hip-hop’s most compelling and dynamic provocateurs. With his latest LP, …
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While Puerto Rico gets much of the shine, thanks in no small part to its historic role in cultivating reggaetón’s roots as well as the contemporary exploits of one Bad Bunny, Colombia effectively serves as Latin music’s modern epicenter. Of the finite number of top tier Spanish-language artists active today, …
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In the early 2000s, religious music experienced a moment of mainstream success. Mary Mary’s debut albumThankfulwent platinum, and for a time, contemporary gospel was a pop culture touchpoint. The crossover appeal was obvious. R&B’s ebullient production grafted seamlessly onto gospel’s enduring commitment to raw talent. Its vocal tropes remain a …
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The only certainties in this world are death, taxes, and Playboi Carti fans leaking his songs before he can release them himself. For the last two years, Carti’s highly anticipated album Whole Lotta Red has appeared within sight but out of grasp; the leak-industrial complex has acted as a perpetual …
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There are few singer-songwriters who can claim a more prolific peak creative period than Adrianne Lenker’s past five years. Since 2016, she’s helmed four albums with her band Big Thief as well as several solo outings, including her informatively-titled recent twin releases Songs and Instrumentals. Like Neil Young in the …
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Thirty years ago, Bob Mould released an album titled Black Sheets of Rain, a turn of phrase that could have doubled as his outlook at the time and for many of the years that followed. But he seemed to soften up last year when he put out Sunshine Rock, a …
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The afternoon before he released his latest album, the Weeknd put out a press release in which he offered a hopeful promise for his new work: “Let the music heal us all during these dark times.” Such communitarian concern hasn’t often been his hallmark. He’s always been one of pop’s …
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The return of Vivian Girls is a triumph of determination, musical spirit and the will to keep your voice alive in a soul-crushing world. The Brooklyn (now L.A.-based) punk trio’s self-titled debut was a breath of fresh blurt when it came out in 2008 — bright, slashing lofi rock and …
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Rick Ross, proud owner of several Wingstops and a Checkers, is now serving rap comfort food. Most of his 10th album, Port of Miami 2, is Ross exactly as you know and love him: the obscene boasts, the window-cracking bass, the speedboat cool, the various spins on raps-to-riches success. Lines …
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