Like other demographics throughout hip-hop’s history, the rise of adolescent emcees to prominence was hard-fought and somewhat heroic, with Shyheim as a pioneering influence.
Read moreNick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ ‘Let Love In’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
Nick Cave and crew’s eighth studio affair asks us to remember that the progression from love to despair to desperation is what we’re looking at when we see the darkness in the world.
Read morePulp’s ‘His ‘N’ Hers’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
‘His ‘N’ Hers’ began a classic three-album arc of breakthrough–triumph–disaffection for the band that made them one of the key cultural forces of the 1990s in the UK.
Read morePixies’ ‘Doolittle’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary
‘Doolittle’ is a cornerstone in the band’s legacy, which has impacted countless contemporary bands.
Read moreSoul II Soul’s Debut Album ‘Club Classics Vol. One’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary
Despite their extended recording hiatus, Soul II Soul’s simple yet very much salient credo of “A happy face, a thumpin’ bass, for a lovin’ race” still resonates loud, clear and timeless today.
Read moreHole’s ‘Live Through This’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
Hole’s second LP is a grunge album to its core, Courtney Love’s furious wail punctuating every track, the band ripping through each song like a punk rock pack of hyenas.
Read moreR.E.M.’s ‘Reckoning’ Turns 40 | Album Anniversary
‘Reckoning’ marked the beginning of the end of an era during which R.E.M. were still “our band” and we didn’t have to share them with the rest of the universe.
Read moreThe Offspring’s ‘Smash’ Turns 30 | Album Anniversary
It’s worth revisiting The Offspring’s third album for its instant pop/punk kicks, its defiance, and to see where the pointers lay for all the lesser bands who followed after.
Read moreCherrelle’s Debut Album ‘Fragile’ Turns 40 | Album Anniversary
For her debut album, Cherrelle forged a lean but capable mix of street-savvy dance-funk and quiet storm R&B to announce her arrival.
Read moreMuddy Waters’ ‘Folk Singer’ Turns 60 | Album Anniversary
‘Folk Singer’ isn't typical Muddy Waters fare, but it's an important album nonetheless and served as a great segue into the not-so-distant past of Blues music.
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