pop culture

Modern, popular, and iconic pop culture moments in music. From current events, to trending topics and more.

Stan You Believe It? Eminem's 'Stan' Officially Makes It Into the Oxford Dictionary
Talk about taking your sweet time, however, boy do we have a throwback for you. Some 17 years after Marshall Mathers rocketed up the charts with "Stan," becoming one of the best-known rap songs of the 21st century, the song's title has been accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary. Personally, I hadn't actually heard of the term since about 2003, but now "stan" joins the Holy Grail of wordery alongside the likes of "bantz," "brain fart," and "wine o'clock."
By Tom Chapman8 years ago in Beat
Stop The Music: Classic 'Friends' Song Isn't The Original!
Friends writer Betsy Borns has just shattered a little piece of the 90s for us. She revealed that the iconic song Smelly Cat, from the hit T.V. show, wasn't supposed to be about a cat at all! It was originally titled Smelly Dog.
By Tom Chapman8 years ago in Beat
Music Condescension: A Sanctimonious Affliction
We’ve all encountered and endured the hyperbolic rantings of music snobs. You know the type: someone who not only thinks they know more than the average music buff, but more than anyone else, period. The stereotypical music fanatic feels self-important and even entitled to an unjustified sense of coolness by playing the anti-mainstream music game, declaring a particular favorite band or artist is better than whomever someone else is listening to because said artist is more obscure. Yet, these so-called music aficionados are the first to abandon their favorites upon the very first sign of even a minuscule amount of commercial triumph, because of some imaginary belief system based on tiresome and ridiculous self-imposed “rules,” which decree mainstream success is evil and taboo.
By Eric Allen8 years ago in Beat
Must Try Harder; How the United Kingdom Could Win Eurovision Again
Oh, Eurovision: a guilty pleasure to some, a complete indulgence to others. Arguably (and most definitely in my eyes) the biggest music contest in the world, it is an enigma of sorts. It exists in its own bubble, one that’s both enjoyed and sneered at simultaneously. To some regions, it is the highlight of the year and entrants are mega stars. In my country, it’s an excuse to get plastered on cheap gin, generally make a mockery of other nationss ideas of musical taste, and wonder why nobody is giving us the famous 12 points (who wouldn’t vote for Engelbert Humberdinck?).
By VISION8 years ago in Beat
Things I Hate About
As my girlfriend says, I don’t like loads of different things. I thought I would write a few of them in an occasional series called, "Things I Hate About… First is music.
By ASHLEY SMITH8 years ago in Beat
An Open Letter to Pop Culture Nerds
Dear Nerds: I work for a man who does not care for The Beatles. He has no active distaste them, as I’m sure it must be pretty difficult to outright dislike The Beatles. But he has no affinity for them either, and this is in its own right a difficult thing for a Beatles fan to accept. At first, my instinct upon learning this about him was to argue, as he was clearly wrong, but my instinct for self-preservation thankfully overtook my instinct to be right, and I found it best to let this one go. But that was even harder to do when I found out how much he loved Cèline Dion.
By PJ Reilly8 years ago in Beat
Marching Band as a Sport
For many people, marching bands are a truly incredible sight to see. Visual effects, great music, and of course those mesmorizing dance girls and flag girls. But the performances were not always as together, and as organized as they appear. And yes, your favorite song was once looked at with aggravated eyes, and fearful hearts as memory tests were performed in rehearsals.
By Ayanna James8 years ago in Beat
The Great Plagiarism Debate
Poor Ed Sheeran. You’d think that after seeing his bezzy mate Sam Smith wrangle with Tom Petty over the similarities between "I Won’t Back Down" and "Stay With Me", he might be more inclined to ensure his own musical integrity. Yet here he is, now dealing with his own lawsuit after being taken for a cool $20 million by the songwriters of Matt Cardle’s 2011 hit "Amazing", who claim Ed’s chorus for his 2014 number 1 hit, "Photograph", is a “note-by-note copy.”
By Nic Perrins9 years ago in Beat
The Correlation Between Music Culture and Fashion Trends
There is a clearly obvious intersection between music culture and fashion trends. Popular musicians often tend to be trendsetting for those who love their music. Fans of music love to emulate their favorite pop singer, rappers, and rock stars. There is some level of joy to be had when you create a certain style for yourself that has inspiration from your favorite musician.
By Andrea Dawson9 years ago in Beat
The Same Person Made All of Your Favourite Songs.
What do Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, P!nk, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande all have in common, other than their chart topping hits? The man who created the chart topping hits.
By Jacob Titterton9 years ago in Beat
Catchiest Metal Cover Songs. Top Story - August 2017.
Most people cast metal aside as one of those music genres that is all about screaming to the sound of thrashing guitar riffs. For some bands, this might be true. After all, not all metal bands are good — and some are downright awful.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart9 years ago in Beat
Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood Had "Touch Of Lung Cancer"
When it comes to the word "cancer," people have reported a range of reactions, from feeling as though their world was about to end to an eerie sort of calm. For guitarist Ronnie Wood of the legendary rock group the Rolling Stones, he admits when he heard the news that he had a "touch of lung cancer" recently, he was floored, but believed that things would work out as they were meant to.
By Christina St-Jean9 years ago in Beat