Would you believe that one of the trailblazing jazz musicians who have been leading the charge in getting hip-hop and indie listeners reconnected with jazz music in recent years, Kamasi Washington, has somehow never performed on a late-night TV show? At a time when seemingly every artist who’s gotten a fair Pitchfork review or been blogged about by East Coast music media gets tabbed to play for Fallon or Colbert or whatever, it’s a head-scratcher that Washington hasn’t gotten the call yet.
The above rant comes with a big exhale tonight, though, when Washington will perform his brand new single, “The Garden Path” on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. In typical Kamasi Washington fashion, “The Garden Path” showcases his dexterousness as not only a star on the saxophone but as a composer and bandleader who empowers the talent around him. Breakneck drum beats, with big basslines and dizzying keys to boot, lay the groundwork for a collective explosion of sounds.
Washington only allows himself to shine once he’s given his players room to set the tone; he’s a selfless prodigy. He explained in a statement that the song’s furious rhythm is a function of our collective mind state: “The world feels turned upside down. There’s so much push and pull in every direction, from everyone you meet—no one knows what to think, who to believe, or how to approach life right now. No matter how smart you are, it’s hard not to feel blind.”
Listen to “The Garden Path” above and check out Kamasi Washington’s performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon tonight on NBC at 11:35 pm local time.
Slowthai had one of the defining moments of his career so far (at least in the eyes of American TV viewers) when he joined Mura Masa on The Tonight Show in February 2020 to perform “Deal Wiv It.” During the performance, Slowthai took advantage of the whole set and even stood on Jimmy Fallon’s desk, making for some memorable television. Now, for fans who haven’t been able to forget that appearance, they’ll get the chance to see Slowthai live, as he just announced a handful of April concert dates in North America for the “Antisocial Roadshow” tour.
Performing live certainly isn’t Slowthai’s least favorite part of his job, as he revealed last February that he’s actually not too keen on recording, saying, “I hate getting in the booth. I love writing, and I love doing it over and over again. But then when it comes to the time to laying it down, I’m like, ‘Laugh.’ Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not hitting it the way… Because in my head, we all have that thing where we see it and hear it one way, and then you’re not delivering it, but then you’re self-critical, so you’re being extra critical. And then everyone would be like, ‘That’s the hardest thing ever!’ And you’re like, ‘I can do it better.’ So it will be like every song is a thousand takes.”
Check out the full list of dates below.
04/08 — New York, New York @ Webster Hall
04/09 — Chicago, IL @ Metro
04/10 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
04/14 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
04/15 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/21 — San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
04/22 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/27 — Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
04/30 — Boston, MA @ Royale
Being nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is one of music’s biggest honors, and now a new crop of artists can add that to their resume. Nominees for the 2021 class were announced today, and the list includes 17 iconic artists: A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Carly Simon, Devo, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, Lionel Richie, MC5, New York Dolls, Pat Benatar, and Rage Against The Machine.
Of those, A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Carly Simon, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem, and Lionel Richie are first-time nominees. The rule for Rock Hall eligibility is that an artist must have released their first commercial recording 25 years before the year of the nomination, meaning that this is Eminem’s first year of eligibility. Eminem is the only 2022 nominee in his first year of eligibility.
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes said in a statement, “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations, but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”
Fan voting for the 2022 class is open now via the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame website. The list of inductees is expected to be announced in May, followed by the induction ceremony at some point this fall.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
NFTs have become very popular in the music industry with a number of artists like Nas, Eminem, Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Mick Jagger, and more jumping on the wave. While the concept of an NFT may still be confusing to some, things have been smooth sailing for the time being. Unfortunately, all of that changed on Tuesday when the NFT platform HitPiece was exposed and accused of selling NFTs of numerous artists’ songs with their consent. The platform claims to sell “one of one NFTs of all your favorite songs,” but according to the many complaints from artists, this is far from the case.
Neither us nor our artists have consented to @joinhitpiece selling NFTs of our music. Crypto grifters prove once again that they do not care about artists or ethics- just their dystopian end goal of turning every facet of life into a stock market pump & dump scheme.
One of the complaints against HitPiece came from the Nashville-based record company Needlejuice, who shared a statement on Twitter condemning the platform’s actions. “Neither us nor our artists have consented to @joinhitpiece selling NFTs of our music,” they wrote in a tweet. “Crypto grifters prove once again that they do not care about artists or ethics- just their dystopian end goal of turning every facet of life into a stock market pump & dump scheme.” In an interview with Newsweek, Needlejuice’s co-founder Brandon Brown added that “NFTs are fundamentally antithetical to our core values as a company.”
Many users of social media have concluded that HitPiece scraped Spotify’s API and used the streaming platform’s data to “auction” NFTs of songs without being completely clear about what is being sold in the NFT. After a few hours of being attacked by artists all over, HitPiece shared a statement about the matter on their Twitter page.
“Clearly we have struck a nerve and are very eager to create the ideal experience for music fans,” they wrote. “To be clear, artists get paid when digital goods are sold on HitPiece. Like all beta products, we are continuing to listen to all user feedback and are committed to evolving the product to fit the needs of the artists, labels, and fans alike.”
You can view more reactions from artists below.
this site “hitpiece” is selling nft’s of our band and MANY others without permission. if you’re in a band click the link you may be on here. cease and desist motherfuckers. nft’s are fraud https://t.co/BKOUieVenK
Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am NOT selling NFTs of my songs on @joinhitpiece. HitPiece has stolen my art and music and listed it for their own gain and I am fully against this. You can count on me that I will never do NFTs. If HitPiece read this, take my shit down. pic.twitter.com/H14B5yTosl
Lol NFT website Hitpiece is trying to sell our music (and many others) without our permission??!! If u PayPal us the $100 instead we’ll come over and play downsides then we can have lunch. pic.twitter.com/l5exc4Y1nZ
Bottom feeding scavengers of late capitalism sucking the last marrow from our bones and/or running a scam on me, you, or everyone, because obviously, I didn’t approve this, and apparently neither did anyone else you’ll see on the site. pic.twitter.com/65qwDr8zNI
India.Arie is the latest in a flurry of artists who are taking their music down from Spotify following the lead of Neil Young. While Young cited the ongoing vaccine misinformation being purveyed by Joe Rogan on Spotify’s popular The Joe Rogan Podcast as to why he’s removing his catalog from the platform, Arie finds Rogan problematic for more than his views on the COVID vaccine. Namely his language on race.
Arie is not only removing her solo recordings from the platform but also her podcast Songversation from the platform. She joins Young, Joni Mitchell, and Graham Nash in actively taking a stand with regards to their Spotify presence. Arie issued a scathing statement on her Instagram feed and wrote the following:
“I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify,” Arie said in an Instagram post. “Neil Young opened a door that I must walk through. I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews. For me, it’s also his language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a Fraction of a penny? and HIM $100M? This shows the company that they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.”
It’s an impressive statement from Arie, a four-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum selling artist. The dominoes seem to keep tipping for Spotify, whose new “content advisory” warnings, are clearly not enough of a move to satisfy the valid concern of a growing number of artists.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
West Coast-based, Asian-centric label 88rising has been on the cutting edge of the digital festival scene since 2020’s lockdowns forced live entertainment online, and they’ve continued that tradition even as live shows have returned. While 88rising’s recent Head In The Clouds Festival was a rousing success, the label looks to maintain its foothold in the digital space with the Double Happiness festival celebrating the Lunar New Year and the upcoming Year Of The Tiger in the lunar zodiac.
Taking place on February 4 at 7 pm PT, the festival will follow 88rising’s established brand in featuring rising stars of Asian descent broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube, and SiriusXM radio. Headlined by Hong Kong rapper Jackson Wang, the event will include performances from singer Adawa, Toronto-based songwriter Alex Porat, New Jersey rapper Audrey Nuna, Thai rapper MILLI, Vietnamese singer Mỹ Anh, South Korean singer-songwriter Seori, Shang-Chi soundtrack artist Shayiting EL, Indonesian singer-songwriter Stephanie Poetri, Indonesian rapper Warren Hue, Korean-American singer-rapper Woosung, Thai rapper Youngohm, and Yuzhen.
88rising’s profile, well, rose in 2021 in part due to the return of the Head In The Clouds festival and in part due to the label’s participation in the soundtrack for Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Just seven years after its launch, the label has become a true force in the music industry, and is worth paying attention to.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in February. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, February 4
2 Chainz — Dope Don’t Sell Itself (Def Jam)
A Place To Bury Strangers — See Through You (Dedstrange)
Adekunle Gold — Catch Me If You Can (Afro Urban Records)
Alai K — Kila Mara (On The Corner Records)
Animal Collective — Time Skiffs (Domino)
As It Is — I Went To Hell And Back (Fearless Records)
Azar Lawrence — New Sky (Trazar Records)
B.J. Thomas — In Remembrance: Love Songs & Lost Treasures (Real Gone Music)
Bastille — Give Me The Future (Virgin Records)
Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There (Ninja Tune)
Carlie Hanson — Tough Boy (Warner Records)
Cate Le Bon — Pompeii (Mexican Summer)
The Districts — Great American Painting (Fat Possum)
Dylan Dunlap — Stranger In My Head EP (Nettwerk)
Eric Krasno — Always (Provogue)
Erin Rae — Lighten Up (Good Memory/Thirty Tigers)
Gracie Gray — anna (Hand In Hive)
Great Lakes — Contenders (HHBTM Records)
Hembree — It’s A Dream! (Thirty Tigers)
The High Water Marks — Proclaimer Of Things (Minty Fresh)
Hippo Campus — LP3 (Grand Jury)
Hollis Brown — In The Aftermath (Mascot Label Group/Cool Green Recordings)
Jolly Joker — Loud & Proud (Dark Rails Records)
Josienne Clarke — I Promised You Light EP (Corduroy Punk Records)
Korn — Requiem (Loma Vista)
Kristine Leschper — The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door (Anti)
Mac Gollehon — The End Is The Beginning EP (Nefarious Industries)
Marissa Nadler — The Wrath Of The Clouds EP (Sacred Bones/Bella Union)
Mason Jennings — Real Heart (Loosegroove Records)
Mikayla McVey — Time Turns Everything (The Long Road Society)
Mitski — Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
Nate Scheible — Fairfax (ACR)
Native Sun — Joy Theft EP (Radio Silence)
The Reds, Pinks & Purples — Summer At Land’s End (Slumberland)
Saba — Few Good Things (Pivot Gang)
Sam Weber — Get Free (Sonic Unyon Records)
The Slow Show — Still Life (Velveteen Records)
Sweat — Gotta Give It Up (Pirates Press Records)
Wild Rivers — Sidelines (Nettwerk)
WizTheMC — Where Silence Feels Good EP (10k Projects/Homemade Projects)
yeule — Glitch Princess (Bayonet Records)
Friday, February 11
Adam Miller — Gateway (Inner Magic)
alt-J — The Dream (Canvasback Music)
Amos Lee — Dreamland (Dualtone Records)
Anika — Change: The Remixes (Sacred Bones Records)
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (4AD)
The Cactus Blossoms — One Day (Walkie Talkie Records)
Dan Andriano & The Bygones — Dear Darkness (Epitaph)
Dead Tree Seeds — Back To The Seeds EP (Music Records)
The Delines — The Sea Drift (Jealous Butcher Records)
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio — Cold As Weiss (Colemine Records)
Donna Missal — in The mirror, In The night EP (Harvest Records)
Dream Fiend — Outland (Heavy Machinery Records)
Eddie Vedder — Earthling (Sony)
Emilie Zoé — Hello Future Me (Hummus Records)
Ethan Iverson — Every Note Is True (Blue Note)
Foxes — The Kick (PIAS Recordings)
Frank Turner — FTHC (Polydor)
Holo — In Limbo EP (Anjunadeep)
Home Counties — In A Middle English Town EP (Alcopop! Records)
In this new monthly column, we’re taking a look at five artists who are steadily rising and positively need to be on your radar this month. Our February picks are from across the musical spectrum, touching on hip-hop, pop, soul, jazz and R&B from all across the globe. These are artists who made their presence felt in January, have more in store in February, and genuinely merit your attention.
Raveena
A welcome Indian-American voice in R&B and pop, Raveena recently announced her major label debut, Asha’s Awakening, out February 11th. Whereas 2019’s Lucid, saw her sweet voice shining over shimmering, sugary bedroom R&B, she’s exploring new artistic horizons in pop on the new release. She further embraces her roots on “Rush,” a cinematic Bollywood-inspired song that came to her on a psychedelic acid trip through a museum. On the sexy “Secret,” she’s joined by Vince Staples for a provocative turn, on a tabla and sitar-soaked beat. And all her accompanying visuals have been can’t miss as well.
Bakar
Chances are you’ve likely heard Bakar’s hit “Hell N Back,” with it’s jazzy upbeat soul swing that’s tailor-made for the happy-go-lucky moments of the Euphoria generation. The Camden native said he’s “always wanted to be an alternative for the Black kids who don’t fit in,” and his approachable and uniquely energetic tunes have cross-cultural appeal no doubt. Speaking of Euphoria,Dominic Fike even collaborated with Bakar on the wistful “Stop Selling Her Drugs,” but it’s his latest output that hint at the bright road ahead for him. There’s the anthemic, “The Mission,” the reflective “Build Me A Way,” and the hopeful latest offering, “NW3,” that show the promise of his upcoming debut album, Nobody’s Home, out February 25th.
Lady Wray
Atlanta’s Nicole Wray is living a new life. In the late ’90s she was discovered by Missy Elliott (as “Nicole”) and scored a modest hit with the Elliott-featured sumptuous R&B jam “Make It Hot.” But life is anything but linear, especially in the music industry, and she is now re-born as Lady Wray. On her latest album, Piece Of Me, Lady Wray is a muse of sorts for the dynamic canvases laid down by retro soul producer Leon Michels (El Michels Affair, The Carters) and it’s one of the coolest, purest expressions of soul music you’ll hear this year. “Through It All” is uplifting soul nostalgia perfection and “Come On In” is tinged with gospel a lean that lets Wray’s booming voice soar. She performed the latter on Colbert last week and it sure as hell felt like the full circle moment she’s worked towards for over 20 years.
Central Cee
Central Cee is poised to be the next big UK rapper in the shape of Dave and AJ Tracey. This past November, the West Londoner got a major look, hopping on FKA Twigs’ “Measure Of A Man,” for the film The King’s Man. His breakthrough track, “A Day In The Life,” got a shout out from Big Sean when it first dropped in 2020 and now he’s high up on the newly announced lineup of the Parklife festival. His style has morphed from grime to drill as he spells out his rise in the ranks. “Take that risk and go independent, I just turned down six figures /
On the phone you was loud, now we’re in real life and you’re soundin’ timid,” he spits over drill bass and East Asian strings on “Pinging (6 Figures).” He’s been building a steady catalog, including 2021’s excellent Wild West mixtape as he continues to drop tracks from the upcoming 23 tape, out February 25th.
Moonchild
LA jazz and R&B trio Moonchild make distinctly warm and embracing tunes, led by Amber Navran’s angelic voice. They’ve been able to break through artsy jazz circles through collaborations with Robert Glasper and Rapsody in the past, and now have a stacked slate of guests on their upcoming album, Starfruit, out February 11th. On “Tell Him,” Navran and Lalah Hathaway dazzle on a beat awash with breezy bass, keys, and synths. Theirs is music to fall in love with, fall in love to, and make love alongside. Beyond Hathaway, the new album features Alex Isley, Tank & The Bangas, Rapsody, Ill Camille, and more.
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of January below.
Jonny Greenwood — The Power Of The Dog
Lakeshore Records/Invada Records
When Jonny Greenwood isn’t fulfilling his Radiohead duties, he’s become prominent in the scoring world. He provided the music for the Netflix film The Power Of The Dog, for example, and now his score is getting a vinyl release, which features a printed disc sleeve and the album pressed on high-fidelity black vinyl.
Burial kicked off 2022 with the Antidawn EP, which really veers into full-blown album territory with its 43-minute runtime. The vinyl edition is available on Bandcamp, which means that aside from the physical LP, you’ll get a digital download of the album to enjoy when you’re away from your turntable.
Toy, a previously unreleased David Bowie album, is legendary among fans, and now it’s finally widely available, as it got an official release earlier this month. It arrives as part of the Toy:Box set, the vinyl edition of which is pressed on six 10-inch vinyl records, which include the album, B-sides, and more extras.
As Grimes readies her Book 1 project, now isn’t a bad time to look back at what got Grimes to this point with a new Vinyl Me, Please reissue of Visions, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. VMP even got Grimes to write new liner notes for this exclusive edition. For example, she wrote of “Infinite Love Without Fulfillment,” “Wow, i can hear myself learning how to make music in this song. I remember doing the vocal over the drums and then randomly trying that baseline and being like whoa! And kinda spiralling into this experiment.”
Bonobo has established himself as one of this century’s most beloved electronic artists, and now he has returned with his esteemed seventh album, Fragments. If you want an uncommon edition of the LP to highlight your record shelf, Vinyl Me, Please has an exclusive version that’s pressed on gorgeous orange and red swirled vinyl.
PJ Harvey — Let England Shake (Reissue) and Let England Shake – Demos
UMe/Island
For a good while now, PJ Harvey has been going through her back catalog to give her albums fresh vinyl reissues, accompanied by companion albums that feature demos and other goodies. Now, Let England Shake, her revered 2011 album, has gotten the same treatment. While some releases (like the Bonobo one you just read about) come with vinyl pressed in fancy colors, the standard black LP is actually the perfect visual accompaniment to the monochrome album art here.
Get Let England Shakehere. Get Let England Shake – Demoshere.
The Weeknd — Dawn FM
Target
The Weeknd has one of the year’s biggest albums so far with Dawn FM, and now fans can secure their own uncommon piece of it: The album has gotten an exclusive vinyl edition that’s only available at Target and features alternative artwork and silver translucent vinyl.
Cat Power — Covers (Indie Exclusive Colored Vinyl)
Domino
Cat Power is one of the best cover artists we have, and she has nailed it once again on her latest collection of other folks’ songs, aptly and simply titled Covers. This edition of the album is pressed on gold vinyl, which looks lovely when paired with the denim-clad cover art.
The Zimbabwean-Australian singer wrapped up her storied Last Year Was Weird EP trilogy this month with the final installment, and if you were hoping to get a nice pressing of that for your collection, here we go. This is a real meat-and-potatoes edition, which comes pressed on classic black vinyl housed in a full-color printed inner sleeve.
Speedy Ortiz — The Death Of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker… Forever
double LPs for ‘The Death of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker …Forever’ are officially out today! i unboxed it; just getting into the box took 10 minutes; had to fast forward 3000% lol. @carparkrecords is long sold out but there’s still some “tour” stock at: https://t.co/d182mx9vtopic.twitter.com/FDEY7ljVEp
— speedy ortiz ÷ sad13 ÷ sadie dupuis ÷ haunted guy (@sad13) January 28, 2022
The Death Of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker… Forever is a great collection for longtime Speedy Ortiz fans, as it compiles the band’s first album and EP (the ones mentioned in the release’s title) and some other goodies. As for what those goodies include, nobody can explain it better than Sadie Dupuis herself, and thankfully, she made an unboxing video that you can check out above.
At the upcoming Grammy Awards, Marilyn Manson secured himself a nomination thanks to his work on Kanye West’s album Donda. Ye received backlash for working with Manson in light of allegations of sexual assault and abuse he faces, but it appears that hasn’t deterred West from containing to work with Manson, who is reportedly involved in the making of the upcoming Donda 2.
Digital Nas, a producer who worked on the first Donda album, told Rolling Stone, “I see Marilyn a lot in the studio. Like, every day I go to the studio, Marilyn is there working on Donda 2.” He continued, “[West] doesn’t want Marilyn to play rap beats. He wants Marilyn to play what he makes, and then Ye will take parts of that and sample parts of that and use parts of that, like he did [generally when making] Yeezus. […] He has some producers from Yeezus working on Donda 2 this time around, [as well as] Marilyn, me, a bunch of producers from Donda 1.”
He also noted that West and Manson have “a crazy dynamic,” saying, “I would have never, ever thought that would happen, but it happened.”
Furthermore, Nas speculated why West decided to work with Manson, saying, “I think it’s moreso that Ye is coming from a standpoint of like, ‘We all make mistakes.’ I think that’s maybe why he had DaBaby and Marilyn at that one show. I’m just assuming it is from a standpoint of like, ‘We’re all sinners. We all make mistakes. We shouldn’t point the finger at someone for the mistakes they’ve made or something like that.’”
