history
Iconic moments in music history.
Why Am I Here? Musics, Cultures, Emotions
I am new here. A good question to ask whenever one finds oneself in a new space, be it physical or virtual is, "Why am I here?" This is not always an easy question to answer, and can sometimes lead the witting questioner down a mountain path that leads to dead ends or disorientation.
By Thomas Graves9 years ago in Beat
Akala, Illa State, Hip-Hop Shakespeare and the Rise of Conscious Grime
As a white, working class British man in his 20's from the rolling hills of Surrey, Grime Music is not something I claim to own any rights to. At an early age I became a huge fan of Eminem and always held him in such high esteem compared to other rappers just due to the fact he always seemed to challenge himself lyrically - This was really my only understanding of Rap Music until my teenage years where I started to branch out into other areas of the genre, particularly liking the sound of artists including Nas and Kid Cudi.
By Jordan Catto9 years ago in Beat
Appetite for Destruction
I'm 40 years old now. I first heard this song on my friend's cassette player when I was ten years old. I fell in love. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This song just consumed me! I was like "Oh My God!" I was ten years old and had never heard anything like it! I couldn't wait to get the cassette for myself. Of course, my parent's were skeptical just by the group's name. "Guns N' Roses." I remember my sister, who is older, said it had to be bad just by the name. "Guns N' Roses," she said, "It's simple, you shoot someone with a gun, and then put roses on their grave."
By Kelli Cartrette9 years ago in Beat
The Greatest Music Man You Have Probably Never Heard Of
So, what you do if you're a scion of one of the richest dynasties in America? Well, you turn to music, of course. John Henry Hammond, Jr., born in 1911 into a branch of the Vanderbilt family, was never destined to tread a path into the world of banking. From an early age, he was only interested in music.
By Bob Robertson9 years ago in Beat
German Country Singer Gunter Gabriel is Dead!
Germany's Johnny Cash is dead. As a pioneer of the German country music scene, singing in German and therefore connecting directly to the blue collar masses, country music and especially trucker-song-singer Gunter Gabriel passed away on Thursday, June 22nd. He died from complications from an earlier fall down a set of stairs, on the eve of his 75th birthday.
By A. Michael Uhlmann9 years ago in Beat
Must Listen: Jay-Z Greatest Songs
"... First I snatched the streets then I snatched the charts/First I had they ear, now I have they heart..." These lines could summarize Jay-Z's career but it hardly covers everything that Jay-Z has accomplished. Jay-Z made history one more time when he became the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Former President Barrack Obama made a tribute towards the other inductees but made a special shootout to the hip-hop mogul. Jay-Z has accomplished so much from MC of Marcy Projects to business mogul and philanthropist and music legend.
By J.R. Gonzalez9 years ago in Beat
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists Of All Time - Do You Agree?
Greatest Artist compilation lists had, have and will always stir up controversy. Nothing is as sacred as your own favorite singer and when he/she doesn't make the list or is ranked in the nose-bleed section, fans feel betrayed. Part of it has to do with a social feeling of suddenly being marginalized by listening to an artist that did not make the A-List. Such compilations also always come up with omissions or inclusions that shouldn't be listed. And the new list by music publication Rolling Stone magazine listing the "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time" does exactly what I just tried to explain.
By A. Michael Uhlmann9 years ago in Beat
Oh God Ma! I'm On the Cover of 'Rolling Stone?'
In the year 1967, during the height of the ‘Summer of Love,’ a young man living in San Francisco realized that Pop-Music was changing. Like many who attended the Monterey Festival in June of that year, he got the vibe that the whole movement had shifted. From a joyous escape from the mundane realities of life, the joys of a youthful had turned into a free love, alternative society with the music at its heart.
By Bob Robertson9 years ago in Beat
Tupac, The Man He Was and Always Will Be
Lesane Parish Crooks. Tupac Amaru Shakur. 2Pac. Makaveli. What can I say. A legend of Hip Hop that was taken from us far too soon. The California-raised-Harlem-native made such a huge and everlasting impact. Pac died after being gunned down in a drive-by shooting, and now it’s 21 years later. 21 years. It’s unimaginable that a whole person could be born, grown up - now legal to drink - and they might not know who Tupac is. His legacy is set in stone, and forever it will remain.
By Sadé Sanchez9 years ago in Beat
Memories of Old and AM Gold (Part 2)
As a child during the late 1960s and 1970s, the magical world of music caught my attention immediately, but outlets to find musical sources were extremely limited. My ears were always thirsting to hear something new, thus I would gravitate towards any form of media that related to my affinity for music. The next toy I acquired on my musical quest to further my pre-pubescent musical experience was the GAF View-Master. This was my very first experience into the world of 3D. The device was nothing fancy in and of itself, but the three-dimensional round discs allowed me to “view” some of my favorite shows at will, which was an impossibility back then. It enabled the opportunity for me to watch stills of the Partridge Family, the Monkees and the Brady Bunch on demand, often playing their records as a soundtrack in the background and pretending I was attending a concert. This was yet another attempt to immerse myself into the world of some of my favorite musical artists. The Partridge Family and The Monkees always featured music, which was the most important element of the shows to me, but The Brady Bunch began to incorporate music as well. Yes, The Brady kids dabbled in music with record albums and musical variety television specials, and I had to seize any limited means possible to allow musical access.
By Eric Allen9 years ago in Beat
