We live in a world where hip-hop is dominating, but pop could be making a comeback in a big way. Artists like Katy Perry and Sia have been working hard in the studio. While we wait on their pop greatness to arrive, a new singer-songwriter is ready to take the game by storm.
“Tests” is a soaring pop ballad that confesses the end of a relationship. Singer, Chris Mac, proclaims that there’s nothing his lover can do to repair the relationship. They can’t pass his tests. Have you ever dated someone so fussy? Ha!
Chris delivers a passionate vocal and lyrically the song is pretty relatable. We’ve all been at a point where we wanted to end something but couldn’t articulate why, whether that was a relationship or just a bad date.
We can’t wait to hear more from Chris Mac. Listen below.
Another day, another scandal. Twitter bellowed a polarizing howl today, thanks to soul singer, Erykah Badu, and her comments on Hitler and Bill Cosby in an interview with Vulture.
The R&B star discussed lyricism in hip hop, existentialism, and plenty more, but she’s trending on Twitter due to her plea to humanize the two largely unpopular male figures.
Badu’s words
“I see good in everybody. I saw something good in Hitler,” Badu said.
She went on, “Poor thing. He had a terrible childhood.”
Her interviewer, David Marchese, clapped back, questioning her problematic approach. “I think going down the route of ‘Hitler was a child once too’ is maybe turning the idea of empathy into an empty abstraction.”
They both eventually agreed to disagree.
When it comes to Cosby, Badu explained “I love Bill Cosby, and I love what he’s done for the world. But if he’s sick, why would I be angry with him?”
When the media try’s to spin ya sh.. Aye , There’s this link in my bio. @vulture mag conversation with badu. By David Marchese . Im open for dialogue here.
Clearly, she stands by what she said.. so where do we go from here?
It’s an interesting stance. Are humans inherently evil? Or are we just victims, reacting to and shaped by our experiences? Wherever you land on the topic, neither Cosby or Hitler have admitted to, or apologized for any sort of wrongdoing.
What’s your take on Badu’s thoughts? Tweet us here to let us know.
When you’re one of the biggest living pop stars on the globe, life comes at you fast. Yes, there are millions of dollars at your diposal. Sure, you’re literally living your dream. But what does that all mean if you can’t be heard?
I would imagine this is how tropical house founder (jk), Justin Bieber feels. Mr. Fuckboy Extraordinaire has had a long history of losing his cool in front of his fans. In his defense, there are a bit loca.
However, Justin Bieber has tipped the line between overexposed celebrity and class A jerkoff for quite some time. For years I’ve even defended him, but homeboy has truly lost it this time.
In the video below, you’ll see pastor Bieber attempt to drop a testimony on his Manchester fans. Little did the Canadian spazz know, fans only want to hear him if he’s singing.
One some level, I would like to sympathize with the kid. I mean, it must be hard when people scream everywhere you go. I can’t imagine what his ear doctor thinks of all this.
What do you think? Is Bieber’s outburst understandable, or has he completely lost it? You be the judge!
Watch the video and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
In summer 2008, I was a young freshman heading off to college. All I had known about Lady Gaga was “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis, as well as Akon – kinda. The song had been a growing hit for a couple months, but I just saw it as your average dance-pop debut.
Later that summer, Gaga released The Fame and all that changed. I fell right in. I found myself lost in all of the club-ready hits. But they were more than party jams. Lyrics like, “I wanna take a ride on your disco stick” and “when you touch me, it’s so delicious,” felt so freeing and fun at the time. A little bit dangerous. Reminder, I’m 17 here.
After a good month of obsession, I came up for air and realized no one else had heard the masterpiece yet. I had downloaded it when it hit the Internet, but this was pre-stan Twitter. The album hadn’t been officially released in the U.S. so the majority of my new college friends had no clue who she was. I hardly cared, as my musical tastes never quite aligned with my immediate circle of friends.
Months later, I noticed that Gaga had popped off. Although I blasted “Paparazzi” 27 hours a day, I missed her ascension to mega-pop star with the general public. She went from being my secret obsession to everyone’s fascination.
Flash forward to today. An epic follow-up EP turned album, a “good on some days” LP, and ARTPOP later, Gaga has flipped the script again. Now I know my sole opinion of Stefani is completely irrelevant to her countless achievements in the spotlight. But come on. Even if you chose not to compare JOANNE to her earlier work, the album is boring.
The chorus to “Diamond Heart” tickles me sometimes, but other than that JOANNE is just not “it.” And don’t even get me started on the lead single, “Perfect Illusion.” I will say, this is the second lead single Gaga has released in time for Halloween where her vocal delivery has rivaled Count Dracula. The chorus of “Perfect Illusion” and verses of “Applause” always take me back to “Monster Mash.”
“It was a graveyard smash.”
What baffles me the most is that her little monsters are still stanning (brb, coprighting that stat). It’s kind of like when your friend makes you dinner and it’s completely gross. You shuffle it around in your mouth while your saliva breaks it down into an even grosser substance. Finally, you find some way to spit it out, but the whole time you had to fake a smile between faux chews. All of that work just so someone’s feelings doesn’t get hurt.
I’m sure there are people that exist on this planet that find these collection of songs enjoyable. Great. And for the record, my lackluster reaction to these songs isn’t is weighted in far more than the genre shift. Soft-rock Gaga does not make a boring Gaga. Side note, where in the world is RedOne?
Anyway, the album isn’t a complete failure. I can totally see “A-YO” playing in a cool make-out scene on Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe “Million Reasons” could snag a spot in a Nicholas Sparks movie trailer. And at the end of the day, it seems like Gaga’s pretty stoked about this LP, and I mean, when you’re Lady Gaga, I think that’s all that really matters.
Pop stars go through changes all the time. I, myself, – now 25 going on 26 – am not the same person I was back in 2008 when I first discovered the chameleon-esque singer. Thus, it would be crazy for anyone to expect Lady Gaga to resort back to her old tricks.
In celebration of JOANNE, let’s look back at this wonderful performance on The View. For some reason, her glowing electro stick captivated me. Was she trying to master both pop music and magical sorcery? Who knows.
It’s been proven time and time again that this is Beyoncé’s world and we’re all just living in it. Every other day another magnificent action of hers goes viral, but have we just witnessed actual magic from the pop/r&b goddess. Does Beyonce Giselle wield so much power that some of sparked through her braided ponytail? Pretty sure the answer is yes. She truly just gave new meaning to “Whip My Hair.”
Watch the clip of Bey + BeyPony give their everything on the Formation World Tour.
If you’re a living organism that has walked the earth in the past month, you’ve probably heard the number one song in the country, “Work,” by Rihanna and Drake. The pair have been lauded for their chemistry and it’s pretty clear this duo is truly unstoppable when they join forces (for the greater good). But there’s an issue all these thinkpieces have been missing about the song. Rihanna is not speaking in Jamaican patois, cuz ya know, she’s Bajan. She’s speaking Bajan creole.
Don’t get me wrong, I love when pop culture embraces the Caribbean world. And I’m so happy to see island music being celebrated when performed by someone from that culture, instead of opportunistic stars in search of capitalizing off the latest pop music trend. For Rihanna, this sound is no trend, it’s her life.
However, it’s not okay to homogenize all Caribbean culture into Jamaica. And this is coming from someone who’s family is Jamaican. As someone of Caribbean descent, I want to hear people talking about Trini’s, Bajans, Guyanese people! Because a win for them is a win for all of us. HOWEVER, they are all not the same. Yes, there is a common thread that holds them together, but let’s not act like Rihanna has not been in the game for well over a decade. We know she’s not from Jamaica. Learn about her country. It’s beautiful.
To the average American who has not interacted with Caribbeans often, they may hear Rihanna and not recognize the difference between her accent and any other Caribbean’s. And that’s okay. But for all you “writers” crafting up these mighty, mighty thinkpieces, no excuses for you!
It’s been a while since Ariana Grande’s dropped a hot track, but she’s slowly been teasing the idea of new music for some time now. Now her fans finally have something to chew on.
The glittery pop songstress dropped an obscure snippet of title track for her upcoming third studio album, ‘Dangerous Woman.’ And apparently, it’s being released this coming Friday, just ahead of her SNL gig! We see you, AG!
After releasing her summer hit, Good For You, Selena Gomez is ready to drop her highly anticipated album, ‘Revival.’ Not only will this be her first LP under her Interscope records after leaving Disney’s Hollywood Records last year, this will be a ‘Revival’ of all sorts for Ms. Gomez.
By the looks of the album artwork, it all seems to be a rebirth as well because shawty is showed up in her birthday suit. We’re all for this! Do you, Sellie. We’re just wondering how the parents are going to feel? Ah, parents and their opinions. Let us know in the comments if you think it’s too much, or if you’re down for the cause!
Meghan Trainor has proven to be one of hottest new stars on the block. After her mega-mongous hit, ‘All About That Bass’ ruled the world summer ’14, many thought she’d disappear into the pop music blackhole where all the other one-hit-wonders sing for tips. Two bonafide hits later, Meghan is back … with a soulful leading man, John Legend, by her side.
In the video, Trainor makes googly eyes with the pop/R&B living Legend while they both get wet in the rain on a fire escape. Talk about dangerous! The song’s cool for the summer, but it’s definitely no ‘Bang Dem Sticks,’ Title’s clear standout track. Let’s pray she sends that to pop radio her fifth go-around. Also, can we talk about this being Meg’s FOURTH single. You know an artist has made it when they can get that far on one album with no flop promo tracks.
Lastly, no, you won’t see John’s back side in the video. They keep it classy. But feel free to click here for Johnny Boy’s goods.
Budding pop star, Alessia Cara is slowly making a name for herself in the music scene. She’s young, sweet, tinged with soul and a hint of lyrical realness. What do you do when you want to jumpstart your hustle? Cover a Taylor Swift song on BBC radio, duh!
You’ve got to admit it, Cara’s vocals could give Tay-Tay a run for her money. Thankfully, T approves. Hmm, will we see Cara and Swfit out to lunch soon? Swift’s clique has no limits.
