For the last episode of the investigation into the nominees for Album of the Year, we look at the last three nominees, all of whom are enjoying their first nominations in the iconic category.
Controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine’s major label debuts attempt to show off his versatility but ends up being nothing more than generic.
Our music columnists rank their top albums of the year.
This Saturday, entrepreneur, actor, designer and musician Jaden Smith released his second studio album The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story. A year ago, Smith released SYRE, which was received fairly well and gave Jaden a spot among young-yet-established rappers like Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky. Aside from these two albums, he was also featured on songs by artists such as Logic and Young Thug.
Against a cold and rainy fall, rapper Vince Staples came out of nowhere with another explosive and layered project, this time in the form of a 22-minute journey through Los Angeles radio titled FM!.
Christmas music is an exhaustingly crowded niche of popular music. Countless artists have attempted to have a place in the Christmas canon, yet it always feels like you hear the same 10 songs over and over for two months straight. With timeless holiday classics such as Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey, hearing that John Legend was releasing his own Christmas album made me worry — would he be able to hold a candle in the already-packed genre?
I will begin this review with a disclaimer: I’d never listened to Greta Van Fleet before I heard this album. I was going into it with an open mind — music-savvy friends had shown me snippets of singles the band had released over the past couple years, and I wasn’t interested in knowing them any better. I came upon Anthem of the Peaceful Army hoping to have my mind changed.
Twenty One Pilots have walked on a tightrope for many years: Their sound is distinct, with Tyler Joseph’s recognizable rap flow and singing voice fusing perfectly to Josh Dun’s kinetic percussion, yet they draw from so many influences that it is hard to peg them down to one genre.
Self-proclaimed boy band BROCKHAMPTON dropped their much-anticipated album 'iridescence' this past Friday. Forming only three years ago, the group had already released four albums, including All-American Trash and the Saturation trilogy. With the constant influx of content, their experimental sound and unique aesthetic, the group has been experiencing tremendous growth in popularity, whether it’s having a Viceland series to hanging out with iconic producers like Rick Rubin and Pharrell Williams.
Noname has not added to or detracted much from her very distinct sound, but her latest record 'Room 25' is chock full of beautiful instrumentals and smooth flows that breeze through 11 tracks across 35 minutes.
After a rough ending to 2017, Eminem’s latest move is to fight fire with fire. After the publically and critically panned release of Revival, Eminem is back with the no-holds-barred Kamikaze, released as a surprise at the end of August.
Travis Scott, hip-hop’s most popular AutoTune crooner, returns with ASTROWORLD, and he’s locked and loaded with dark beats and bars.
Janelle Monae has always been on the fringe of breaking into the mainstream. She sang with the band Fun. on “We Are Young” — which topped the Billboard 100 for six weeks in 2012 — and she acted in not one, but two Best Picture nominees in 2016.
On the heels of countless outdoor concerts and festivals, summer is a great time for artists to release new music. While many artists may announce and release albums within a matter of days, and other artists may tease new music without a certain release date for months, there are a number of albums we can expect before summer’s end.
Mere days after announcing its inception, J. Cole dropped the unexpected album, KOD (an initialism for Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed and Kill Our Demons). After his hotly anticipated — though largely disappointing — 4 Your Eyez Only record dropped last year, many have been critical of both the rapper’s fanbase and his legitimacy as “one of the greats.”
Rap trio Flatbush Zombies have been carving their way through the soundwaves with trippy personas and outgoing personalities since 2010. Thanks to a flurry of hard-hitting mixtapes that capitalized on the group’s acid-laced rhymes with ear-grabbing instrumentals, the trio added a breath of fresh air to the rap game.
When Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s song “Ffunny Ffrends” mysteriously popped up on Bandcamp back in 2010, it was a random, ownerless track.
There are multiple stories running through one body, quickly responding to all feelings of anger, paranoia and vulnerability. Cardi B does not merely chase a quick appraisal with Invasion of Privacy, but rather reminds us that proving the doubt of success is hardest when in the spotlight.
Last year in February, Saba’s cousin and co-founder of the Pivot Gang rap crew, John Walt, was shot and murdered in Chicago. Saba searches for the cure to his emptiness from the loss of his cousin through the innovative piano backtracks and lyrical excellence that embody CARE FOR ME.
My Dear Melancholy, serves as the antithesis to Starboy: It’s an angst-ridden love letter filled with the passion and darkness that The Weeknd left off his previous album, which favored faster tempos and radio-friendly choruses.
Solutions by The State News
