In the past two years, album covers for MidaZ the Beast and Mavi have drawn inspiration from Shel Silverstein’s 1974 children’s collection, Where the Sidewalk Ends.
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Category: Spotlight
Cover Art Gems: Ghostshrimp and Audio Recon
Audio Recon answers a few questions about its vinyl reissues featuring illustrations by Ghostshrimp, whose best known album cover remains MF DOOM and Bishop Nehru’s NehruvianDOOM (Sound of the Son).
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Saul Williams: Metaphorically Speaking
In a 2001 interview conducted for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the writer, performer and activist Saul Williams discusses his early career and his debut album, Amethyst Rock Star.
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The Whispers’ Social Conscience
Los Angeles vocal troupe The Whispers are best known for their epic 80s run of boogie hits and slow jam staples. But in the 70s, they established a reputation for issuing thoughtful and topical soul – an era often overlooked today.
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Gamble & Huff in the ’60s
The 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records gives us the opportunity to revisit the early history of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the songwriting-and-production who went on to create a sound that defines classic soul.
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The 50 Best Rap Singles of 1980
In a year that marked the first full year of recorded rap music, a song that debuted several months before continued to shadow it all.…
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The 100 Best Rap Singles of 1990
In 1990, the hip-hop nation established itself as a rising power. But that same success forced many of its practitioners to reckon with the costs of reaching an audience that didn’t appreciate the nuances and innovations of Black culture.
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2020 Protest Raps: Music for the American Spring
The start of June brought a new groundswell of songs generated by widespread protest against police brutality and racist violence. It fulfills a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of recorded rap: when a crisis hits the black community, the musicians shift to address it.
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Rap Art in the Coronavirus Era
As the world adapts to life under a global pandemic, the album art of several recent rap releases is having a noticeable impact.
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