An interesting question, and one I’m sure many have an immediate answer for. Are lyrics more important in certain genres rather than others? Do they improve the song? Or are they always necessary? It’s difficult to know where to begin but I’d argue lyrics have a high degree of importance in music. Initially, melody is…
Music
The importance of “WAP,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s unapologetic masterpiece
Conservative white men certainly needed a bucket and a mop to wipe up their sweat marks as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” discomforted and infuriated them last summer. Here came everything they feared: sexually liberated Black women shamelessly voicing their desires, making plentiful use of expletives and reclaimed racial language. Against all odds,…
Music, Venue
ALBUM REVIEW: slowthai – TYRON
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a year since slowthai’s meltdown at the 2020 NME awards. If you don’t know, the rapper drunkenly harassed host Katherine Ryan, launched a champagne glass at an audience member and was escorted out of the venue, making the ‘Hero of the Year’ award that NME gave him…
Music
MF DOOM: The passing of rap’s supervillain
On Thursday 31st December, the death of rapper MF DOOM (real name Daniel Dumile) was announced by his family. A week on, it still feels surreal that I am writing these words. In an Instagram post, Dumile’s wife, Jasmine, wrote that he was “the greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I…
Music, Venue
Twenty-five years of Liquid Swords: GZA the Genius’ masterpiece
Twenty-five years ago, New York rapper GZA of the legendary Wu Tang Clan released an album that to this day remains a hip-hop classic. Liquid Swords holds nothing back. It’s a relentless look into the dark social issues surrounding GZA’s world which fueled his mind-bending lyricism over some of RZA’s greatest production. The lead single…
#BLM, Music, Venue
The Bigger Picture: Lil Baby’s protest song is an early contender for song of the year
Atlanta rapper Lil Baby is one of the most prominent artists in popular trap music, receiving a Grammy nomination in 2019 for the hit single ‘Drip Too Hard’ alongside his frequent collaborator Gunna. His album My Turn, released this year, is one of the highest selling of the year, but it’s a single, separate from…
Music, Venue
Venue’s albums of the decade
In a decade like no other, the past 10 years have provided us with some mind-bending, heart-rendering albums that have challenged and changed music for the better. Venue contributors tell us their favourite albums of the decade and why. Currents by Tame Impala My Album of the Decade is ‘Currents’ by the mighty Tame Impala….
Music, Venue
Has the Mercury Prize changed its tune?
As I glanced upon the shortlist of the 2019 Mercury Music Prize nominees earlier in the year, a wave of shock and disbelief hit me …. this is actually … alright?? 2019’s list of artists perfectly reflects a year where quality and popularity genuinely seem to be correlating, proving that major record labels may actually…
Music, Venue
First on the bill: The role of supporting acts
Support Acts. A nice little add-on or an excuse for a long wait? In this feature, some of Concrete’s editors give their view of support acts and share their experiences of them. The best support act that I’ve come across is British rock quartet Yonaka. Having previously supported Bring Me The Horizon on their European…
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