WAKA WAKA: THE JOURNEY THAT FOUND ME FIRST
Twenty years across Africa, all captured on an iPhone. WAKA WAKA is proof that the best camera might just be the one paired with the right eye.moment, not simply documenting it.
MAKE R&B HURT AGAIN: GORDON “MISERY” FEELS LIKE THE REAL THING
Gordon’s “Misery” doesn’t reinvent R&B. It remembers what made us fall for it in the first place: vulnerability, longing and the willingness to sit in a feeling until it hurts.
OPENAI X SPOTIFY: INNOVATION OR INTERFERENCE?
What happens when Spotify knows what you listen to and ChatGPT understands why you’re asking? Their new integration opens up a more interesting way to think about how we discover, describe and connect with music.
DOJA CAT x MAC: WHEN MARKETING BITES BACK
Doja Cat eating lipstick sounds like a sentence that requires context. In this case, the context is MAC, a perfectly matched partnership and a marketing stunt designed to do exactly what it did: get everyone talking.
CARDI B HAS NOT MISSED YET!
Seven years between albums is a long time to keep people interested. Cardi B didn’t just manage it. With Am I the Drama?, she turned the headlines, the courtroom moments and the chaos in between into part of the rollout.
WUNNA RUN 5k WITH GUNNA?
Gunna has spent the last few years changing the conversation around him. The Wunna Run 5K took that transformation beyond music, bringing fans together around health, discipline and a new idea of what the rapper lifestyle can look like.
SONGS FROM THE HOLE: A STORY THAT STAYS WITH YOU
Songs from the Hole tells the story of JJ’88, who began writing music while serving a life sentence at 15. But what stays with you isn’t simply where the songs were written. It’s what creativity can become when freedom, time and possibility take on entirely different meanings.
BLOOD, BLUES & BETRAYAL: RYAN COOGLER’S SINNERS IS A SOUTHERN TAIL WITH TEETH
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners gives us vampires, blues, blood and the supernatural, but its real bite comes from what sits underneath. It’s a story about culture, community and what happens when something sacred attracts those who want a piece of it.
ANDYE’S “6:25” IS A SMOOTH LISTEN THAT LEAVES US WANTING MORE
There’s a lot to like about Andye’s “6:25,” especially a visual that captures Toronto without trying too hard to prove it. The song itself is smooth and introspective, an easy listen.
PARTYOF2’s “POSER” IS THE SOFT DRAG WE DIDN’T KNOW WE NEEDED
There’s something especially satisfying about a diss that doesn’t need to raise its voice. PARTYOF2’s “Poser” is smooth, playful and just shady enough to make you wonder who, exactly, they had in mind.
DREAMVILLE WAS A GOODBYE AND A LOVE LETTER ALL AT ONCE
The final Dreamville Festival felt less like an ending and more like a reminder of what J. Cole and his team had built. Great music brought everyone there, but the people, the energy and the sense of community are what made it hard to say goodbye.
KENDRICK & SZA’S “LUTHER” VIDEO FEELS LIKE A VISUAL LOVE LETTER
Karena Evans gives Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “luther” room to breathe. No big spectacle, just beautiful spaces, contrasting energy and enough tension between the two to make all that restraint feel surprisingly intimate.