Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
Purple Rain
I was a mere 'kid' of 12 years when the late Prince debuted with his first ever motion picture entitled Purple Rain. Frankly, I wasn't sure what to make of it - or him. I vaguely remember the trailer, save to say that it was broadcast on one of those network TV 'music video' programs that ran in the afternoons because I was too broke to afford cable TV, which, of course, had MTV. How else was I supposed to be in the loop on any and all things, pop music?
By Carlos Gonzalez9 years ago in Beat
Best 90s Alternative Rock Albums
The 90s was an era that might have just been one of the last golden ages of pop culture. During this time, alternative rock gained footing and quickly became a mainstream phenomenon. If you ask many rock fans, alternative rock defined the decade—and never was quite the same after.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart9 years ago in Beat
#OverloadMondays: Visuals, Projects, News - Oh My!
I know I've been down and out the past few weeks - blame Hov for that - I missed some releases that came out, but the series is back. Tomorrow I'll be covering the Billboard updates on last week's release of Tyler the Creator's Flower Boy and Meek Mill's Wins and Losses. Both albums are amazing and are reported to be neck and neck with sales projections. Well, we'll see how they'll do.
By Sadé Sanchez9 years ago in Beat
Saddest Moments in Rock History
The other night, I had heard that Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, was found dead. It was a clear case of suicide via hanging, and if you ever listened any of the music his band produced, it's clear that he struggled with depression throughout his life.
By Skunk Uzeki9 years ago in Beat
Mehtab Malhotra: An Outsider's Stumble Through the Musical Poetry of South Asian Ghazal
After a few minutes winding down streets near Green Park, London, I stepped into the Nehru Centre (cultural wing of the High Commission for India). I showed my ticket and wandered in, spending some time perusing artwork displayed in a well lit, high ceilinged room before heading upstairs for the concert.
By Thomas Graves9 years ago in Beat
The Magic Of Rondé
We already knew that they can transform a festival site into a party, that is not really a surprise. But this summer, Rondé had also planned a gig in the Stevenskerk (Nijmegen) and that is something quite different. I was so happy to get my hands on a ticket only a few days before because this is one of those gigs that you really do not want to miss.
By Leni Sonck9 years ago in Beat
Perfect Songs || “Perfect” Songs (And Are They “Perfect”?)
W h o o s h. Like a shot of euphoria (or heroin, really, from the film Trainspotting [which this song is featured in]), a wave of instant calm washes over you and you’re immediately put to ease. There’s country/western twang in there, but it’s not overtly country territory; it’s just there to add character to an otherwise otherworldly soundscape. The muddled, gentle plodding bass adds hypnotic quality to the mix. This, to me, is a perfect song. ‘Deep Blue Day’, created by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (originally on Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks), is a lush, atmospheric, dreamy in utero ambient piece. It’s perfect to me, because put simply, it evokes emotion (calmness, laid back happiness, reflection, and total nostalgia.) Nostalgia and this song probably go hand in hand for most people. It’s instantly or most notably recognizable from the memorable sequence in Trainspotting, where the lead character Renton swims through a rather hellacious sewage sea…within a toilet. Pretty juxtaposition, given the tone of the song, and his unfortunate desperation to get a bag of heroin.
By Sky Vettel9 years ago in Beat
Dear X-YLE, "This Year" Is Yours
In the underground world of arts & entertainment, many independent artists, such XYLE, vigorously believe that friends and fans no longer support talent but popularity. Even with the amount of high-quality press he has received, X-YLE still does not consider himself to be part of the "cool kids." X-YLE, a hip hop rapper from Queens, NY, influenced by artists such as DMX, Nas, and many more, garnished his Hip Hop sound which has allowed him to progress within his artistry. His 2017 return consisted of him releasing a track entitled, "This Year", that illuminates his desires and ambitions. When asked what is the inspiration behind his music, X-YLE replied, "Life. Any and everything that goes on in my life fuels all my music. It's from the soul, and I know that I can inspire at least one mind with my music."
By Tay Steward9 years ago in Beat
Top Dawg Ent Leads the new age of Western Philosophy—Ab-Soul
Western philosophy acts to dissect the underpinnings of thought within the social, religious and political sphere. These days, a new age of thought comes from those dedicated to the craft of wordsmanship; that represents ideas and concepts through songs—Hip Hop forms these ideas with an auditory format. With the release of DAMN., it completed the abstract, metaphysical, cubist thoughts of Kendrick Lamar et al. studying Kendrick Lamar. However, similar concepts can be identified in Ab-Soul’s albums, Do What Thou Wilt (DWTW). They both parallel each other in ways that Section 80 and Control System did years prior. The two pairs complement each other like Light and Dark, Yin and Yang – Balance.
By Intelligent Movement9 years ago in Beat
