TWICE Hit the High Notes But Don’t Reach Their Apex with ‘Taste of Love’
Taste of Love is an enjoyable dance-pop album but the best moments of TWICE’s new phase are in its predecessors.
hip-hop
When the Satire Works and When it Doesn’t in Geto Boys Bio ‘Why Bushwick Bill Matters’
For a Geto Boys biography so concerned with Bushwick Bill’s status as a short person, Hughes’ book sure skirts the issue of embodiment.
Jam & Lewis Grab the Spotlight with Their First Studio LP as Headliners
As shown with their brilliant collaboration with Mariah Carey, Jam & Lewis can still produce magic when making music with old friends.
Mike Ladd and Remi Rough Unite on ‘The Dead Can Rap’
Mike Ladd with producer Rough pulls up a wealth of succulent groove on The Dead Can Rap, nudging the think tank of his polemic poetry onto the dancefloor.
Vince Staples Is in Beautiful, Dark Limbo on New LP
With his latest album, Vince Staples mines an artistic, existential, and notably fertile limbo. It’s his most reflective and sober perspective to date.
Hip-Hop Matters: The Best New Hip-Hop Albums of June 2021
Summer is the best time of year to listen to hip-hop. From the upbeat and bouncy to the weird and paranoid, hip-hop just sounds better in the sunshine. That makes now the perfect time for the first edition of “Hip-Hop Matters” – PopMatters’ new monthly hip-hop roundup.
Mykki Blanco Sound Happy on ‘Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep’
While not their most unique project, Mykki Blanco’s Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep presents a steady, mellowed pathos that’s genuine and hard to deny.
Ten Years Ago, ‘4’ Found Beyoncé Running and Challenging the World
While 4 didn’t showcase peak Beyoncé, it nonetheless hinted at how she’d shape popular culture for decades to come.
P.Y.T.’s 2001 Debut ‘Down With Me’ Shows R&B and Aaliyah’s Influence on Teen Pop
Twenty years ago, P.Y.T.’s Down With Me represented the sounds that shaped one of the most effusive moments of popular culture, teen pop.
Cautious Clay Offers a Sophisticated Take on Love with ‘Deadpan Love’
On Cautious Clay’s Deadpan Love, the music is always infectious and the subliminal message has an erotic aura.
7 BTS Japanese Tracks You Should Know Beyond ‘BTS, The Best’
BTS’ original Japanese tracks could fill a compilation, even if the curation of BTS, The Best is a good representation of the Korean group as a crossover act.