Every so often, David Bowie‘s 1983 interview with Mark Goodman resurfaces on social media — particularly, the clip in which Bowie notes the dearth of Black artists being played on the station at the time. It’s pretty well-known music history by now; early in MTV’s history, the station chose not to play videos by Black artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, or Run-DMC, despite their popularity and obvious influence on the sorts of artists MTV did play. It’s also a complaint that resurfaces every so often, such as in the aftermath of this year’s VMAs.
Only under widespread public pressure did MTV finally relent, playing the sort of artists that obviously came to define its pop-culture dominance throughout the ’90s and early 2000s. In this particular clip, Bowie points out to Goodman, “I’m just floored by the fact that there are so few Black artists featured [on MTV]. Why is that?” Throughout the discussion, Goodman waffles a bit, trying to argue that different viewers glean different perceptions of the coverage, but Bowie remains steadfast in bringing his point back. Noting that he has been observing a “Black station” (likely BET), he notes that “there seems to be a lot of Black artists making very good videos that I’m surprised aren’t used on MTV.”
The clip in question has popped up again courtesy of NBA player turned Twitter star, Rex Chapman, who tweeted the clip with his own observation tying it to current events. “Watching the Nikole Hannah-Jones/Chuck Todd interview it’s impossible to not think about the 1993 David Bowie/Mark Goodman MTV interview [on Meet The Press regarding ‘critical race theory’ bans in schools],” he wrote. “Same thing almost 30-years later. Why is it always ‘what’s acceptable to white people’??
Watching the Nikole Hannah-Jones/Chuck Todd interview it’s impossible to not think about the 1993 David Bowie/Mark Goodman MTV interview.
The tweet won the approval of Ice-T, who retweeted it, garnering nearly 4,000 shares and well over 33,000 likes.
A lotta people may NOT know that David Bowie put MTV on blast back in the day for NOT playin Black artists.. He side stepped the double talk… Bowie was a REAL ONE. https://t.co/c5ShmKgqN1
Sitting alone with an electric guitar, Halle delivered a stripped down version of the song that showcases her excellent voice with flourishes and trills that most artists who take on this cover could never pull off. But the best part is when she launches into the wordless vocals that Yorke employs to accompany the song’s breakdown, and though her version is decidedly different from his, it’s definitely on par! “My version of creepppp this song was in my head all day I had to sing it to get it out !” she captioned the clip.
Kudos to Halle for showcasing her ability to pull off songs in all different kinds of genres, and maybe we’ll get a few more indie covers during the rest of the holiday season? I wouldn’t mind hearing her take on some Killers — whose melodies go great with female vocalists, as that recent Phoebe Bridgers mashup revealed — or maybe something by The Strokes?
Then again, she did go a bit indie earlier, with a take on Coldplay’s “Fix You,” check that out below as well.
Every year we hear a lot of the same classic holiday songs. There’s no denying the holiday power of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas,” or DMX’s “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.” But bless the artists who keep pushing the holiday music envelope and are giving us new tunes to break up the monotony of the season. So with that, these were the songs, albums, and more that stole the show this holiday season.
There I Ruined It’s Mariah Carey x Twisted Sister Christmas Mash-Up
You didn’t think you were gonna get through this list without a Mariah Carey song, did you? So we’ll get it out of the way right now, but it’s not what you think. The folks at the There I Ruined It YouTube channel present some of the most unpredictable mash-ups of songs. Think Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” expertly collided with a K-Pop band. For the holiday season, however, they have taken the liberty of mashing up Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” with Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take it” in dedication to “the warriors of Christmas retail during another Mariah Carey Season.” It’s the stuff that holiday heavy metal dreams are made of. I wonder if Mariah’s gotten wind of this one yet? While she’d probably be repulsed, she’d certainly applaud the fact that the song is part of the “Un-Ruin Christmas” fundraiser for Toys For Tots. Donate here.
HAIM’s Reboot of Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song”
The Sandman created a timeless joint back in his SNL days with “The Hanukkah Song,” but who better to give it a re-fresh than Los Angeles’ most famous trio of Jewish sisters, Haim? But you know what the funniest thing is about this song? It’s the little differences. Maya Rudolph, Japanese Breakfast, and Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National kick off the tune’s laundry list of famous Jews, then instead of naming who “eats together at the Carnegie Deli” (a la Sandler’s original), Este, Alana, and Danielle swap in LA institution “Canter’s Deli.” The Haim version has a distinct knack for including prevalent pop culture personalities and lines like “Doja Cat’s half-Jewish, Chalamet’s half too. Put ‘em both together, what a fine-looking Jew!” would make the Sandman proud. The big payoff comes at the end of the clip, when we find out that the video released during Hanukkah, is actually a clever ruse to tease their 2022 tour.
The LCD Soundsystem Holiday Special Featuring the All My Friends Sitcom
If you hadn’t heard yet, the Omicron coronavirus variant forced LCD Soundsystem to cancel the final three shows of their 20-night residency at New York City venue Brooklyn Steel. It’s definitely the prudent move given the circumstances in NYC right now, but rest assured, you can celebrate with LCD Soundsystem on Christmas week by watching their brand new holiday special. The LCD Soundsystem Holiday Special is part concert and part LCD sitcom, and the sitcom is directed by comedic genius Eric Wareheim. It stars Wareheim as James Murphy, alongside Macaulay Culkin, Aparna Nancherla, Luenelle, and more. It airs on December 22nd via Amazon Music here and the trailer below is can’t miss stuff.
Jhené Aiko – “Wrap Me Up”
A holiday love song from Aiko, “Wrap Me Up” opens with jingle bells and a harp as she hopes to spend the holiday season with a lover by the fire. Where a lot of holiday pop comes across as an over-produced year-end formality, Aiko’s gorgeous voice is undeniable here. She evokes the imagery of the sights, sounds, and feel of the holiday season as she sings:
“Every December you’d make sure you’re here
So I pray as soon as I wake
That we spend today up under each other
‘Cause there’s nothing more I need
Than you here with me, no gift would be better”
A Very She & Him Christmas Deluxe Edition
There is no album I’ve played more this holiday season than the now classic and officially ten years old holiday album from the She & Him duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Deschanel’s voice has this built-in nostalgia that makes us think about her singing Christmas carols in the movie Elf, an iconic modern Christmas tale if there ever was one. But I digress, because the deluxe version of A Very She & Him Christmas comes with new bonus material like a cover of Madonna’s “Holiday,” and a splendid take on “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” that’s a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. Also, all proceeds from album sales benefit 826 National, which funds creative writing programs for kids. Get it at Bandcamp.
Nathaniel Rateliff and Jon Batiste’s Video Magic On “Run Rudolph Run”
Chuck Berry’s raucous “Run Rudolph Run” always seems to call to mind the Home Alone scene when the McAllister family is running for dear life through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport as they attempt to barely make their flight to Paris. Now the soul and folk rock and roll of Nathaniel Rateliff meets the dizzying multi-instrumentalism of 11-time 2022 Grammy Award nominee Jon Batiste on this new version. Debuted at the end of a Late Night With Stephen Colbert episode (where Batiste serves as the bandleader), they totally do Berry’s bluesy song justice. But the way they filmed their video is eye-popping to say the least, as our eyes are drawn to multiple Jons and Nathaniels playing the song. Watch it below.
Gucci Mane and 1017’s So Icy Christmas mixtape
Gucci Mane has put his East Atlanta Santa series to bed and now has the So Icy Christmas mixtape on deck featuring artists from his 1017 records label. 1017 Signees like Big Scarr, BigWalkDog, Enchanting, and Hotboy Wes grace tracks on the album that don’t necessarily fit into the holiday theme, but it’s the Christmas bangers that Gucci Mane himself is on that stand out best. Album opener “Street Ni66a Christmas” is produced by long-time collaborator Zaytoven. “All I Want For Christmas” is a street rap Christmas carol for the ages, where Gucci Mane spits: “All I want for Christmas is my Glock with the extension / A handgun with some monkey nuts, that’s all I want for Christmas.” He then takes a moment to say a prayer for Young Dolph on the Metro Boomin and Zaytoven-produced tribute track, “Long Live Dolph.” As far as holiday music traditions in rap go, Gucci Mane might as well be on his way to sainthood.
Kurstin x Grohl: The Hanukkah Sessions 2021
Picking up on the tradition they started last year, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and super-producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Foos) posted a YouTube video of them performing a cover of a song by a Jewish artist on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. It was something to look forward during Hanukkah with Grohl (not Jewish) and Kurstin (Jewish) performing songs like Van Halen’s “Jump” (shout out David Lee Roth,) “Copacabana” with Grohl doing his best Barry Manilow impression, and Amy Winehouse’s “Take The Box,” with Grohl’s daughter Violet on lead vocals.
Jucee Froot As A Raunchy Grinch In The “Christmas List” Video”
Christmas just got a little more ratchet with Jucee Froot’s latest…errrr…holiday video. The rapper tips her Santa cap to the magic of Dr. Seuss with her provocative Grinch costume that spares no detail (all the way down to the green body paint. Uproxx Hip-Hop Editor Aaron Williams said this one best: “Her daughter’s also in the video, which lends another layer of heightened absurdism to the proceedings as Jucee reels off a Christmas list that will probably not only land her on the naughty list, but also send Santa to the doghouse for a week should Mrs. Claus peek over his shoulder while reading it.” Smash that play button below.
Beach Bunny – “Christmas Caller”
Holidays or not, this is just a damn great song and a welcome addition to the indie rock holiday music canon. Singer Lili Trifilio has a knack for oh so sweet hooks and she rides a poppy guitar hook on this one while delivering sugar cookie and cinnamon spice dusted “doo doo doos.”
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Dominic Fike is rolling. After the success of last year’s What Could Possibly Go Wrong, he’s spent 2021 appearing on high-profile collaborations like”Die For You” off of Justin Bieber’s smash Justice, Remi Wolf’s sizzling “Photo ID,” and even covered “The Kiss Of Venus” on Paul freakin McCartney’s III Imagined album alongside St. Vincent, Anderson .Paak, and others. He’s also rumored to have a Live From Electric Lady EP due out soon as well. These are high-profile looks and it’s all been building towards Fike’s acting debut on the second season of HBO Max’s Euphoria.
Today the trailer for the new season dropped and Fike is all over it. “I don’t have to do much acting. He’s exactly like me. It’s sh*t I would say and sh*t I would do,” he told Variety back in August. His musically-minded character is even playing guitar in one of the scenes. “I’m just in go-mode right now,” Fike said. “It’s kind of like I’m walking and people are putting tiles under my feet as I take each step.”
He joins the now-Emmy-winning Zendaya in the cast, which also includes Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith, and Sydney Sweeney.
Euphoria Season 2 comes to HBO Max on 1/9/2021. Watch the new trailer above.
Barack Obama is in the midst of unveiling his year-end lists of favorite stuff, and so far he’s shared his round-ups of movies, books, and today, songs. As is usually the case, the former POTUS’ playlist features some diverse picks.
Indie favorites are well-represented on the list, which includes Courtney Barnett’s “Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To,” The War On Drugs and Lucius’ “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” and Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker.” Hip-hop is also included via songs like Lizzo and Cardi B’s “Rumors,” Isiah Rashad’s “Headshots (4r Da Locals),” and Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” Beyond that, there are picks from all across the musical spectrum, including tracks from Mdou Moctar, Jon Batiste, and Bad Bunny.
I’ve always enjoyed listening to a wide variety of music, so it’s no surprise that I listened to a little bit of everything this year. I hope you find a new artist or song to add to your own playlist. pic.twitter.com/g6kBzAbrZG
The list has a lot of Grammy firepower, including Obama himself, as his audiobook A Promised Land is up for Best Spoken World Album at the 2022 ceremony. Aside from him, artists on the list who are also Grammy-nominated in 2022 are Esperanza Spalding, Brandi Carlile, Spice, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Jon Batiste, Nas, Allison Russell, Lil Nas X, Bad Bunny, Yebba, Morray, and Cardi B.
If you like what you see, there’s an official Spotify playlist that features all of Obama’s picks, so check that out below.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Durk has collaborated with a number of artists in the music industry, especially since widened his audience last year through well-performing projects and songs with Drake, Lil Baby, and more. He’s worked with both rappers and singers, but tonight marks a new first for him.
For the first time in his career, Durk finds himself in the country lane with quite the controversial artist: Morgan Wallen. Earlier this year, Wallen found himself in heavy controversy after he was caught on video using a racial slur while he was out with friends. Despite that, Wallen and Durk joined forces for their new song “Broadway Girls.”
Knowing what Wallen did earlier this year, one would believe that the song would stir up a bit of controversy, but most of the reactions it received on social media have been warm and in support of it. For what it’s worth, the artists’ demographics don’t have much obvious overlap and some may be unaware of what Wallen did (or unbothered), but in the end, it’s still a questionable collaboration.
Despite this, the song is here and altogether it amounts to a rap and country crossover record focused on women who only pay attention to Wallen and Durk because of their money and status in the music world.
You can view some of the reactions to the song below and press play on the track above.
country and rap listeners rn after Morgan Wallen and Lil Durk dropped Broadway Girls pic.twitter.com/nSqKJmW6rZ
FKA Twigs and The Weeknd are both sitting on albums that their respective fan bases are eagerly waiting to get their hands on. Between the two artists, it seems that Twigs’ project will be the first to arrive. During a Discord conversation with fans back in September, she teased a “capri season take over,” meaning that something special could be on the way between December 22, 2021 and January 19, 2022. It seems very likely that this takeover will occur as Twigs returns with her latest single, “Tears In The Club” with The Weeknd.
The track goes out to those who have recently experienced heartbreak and are struggling to deal with the emotions that come with it. In response, Twigs and The Weeknd ask that they go out and have a fun night at the club while dancing the night away, even if the moment brings them tears. The track is also paired with an eccentric video that captures Twigs showing off her dance skills with a cast of backup dancers while The Weeknd is brought to tears by the sight of Twigs pole dancing in an underwater tank.
listen yeh i’m being mad serious i’m not playing around y’all gonna get what u’ve been wanting from me for bare time there are levels to this game and i am levelling up to MY best self, cause my best healthy self is my competition always
After releasing the song and video, Twigs hopped on Twitter to share a lengthy message about what her fans can expect from her in the future. “Listen yeh i’m being mad serious i’m not playing around,” she wrote. “Y’all gonna get what u’ve been wanting from me for bare time. There are levels to this game
and i am levelling up to MY best self, cause my best healthy self is my competition always.”
thank you to everyone who has been there from the start those who been eating off my artistry for time i see u with grace thank you for pushing me to go harder and good luck in all u do here is some sweet sweet candy for u 😉 new comers welcome
She continued, “Thank you to everyone who has been there from the start. Those who been eating off my artistry for time, I see u with grace. Thank you for pushing me to go harder and good luck in all u do. Here is some sweet sweet candy for u ;)”
i’ve clawed my way out of the.. darkest place and have pushed hard to find my capri sun those who feel me i do this for YOU to change cultural dna so with that said tears in the club out tonight midnight gmt / 7pm et
“I’ve clawed my way out of the.. darkest place and have pushed hard to find my capri sun. Those who feel me, I do this for YOU [heart emoji] to change cultural DNA,” Twigs added. She concluded by writing, “This is just the beginning. Can’t wait to give love to so many beautiful artists who helped me get here this week. Follow ur dreams they will come tru if u do u. Surround urself with people who are kind. Love you always, you put me here, for real.”
You can press play on the video for “Tears In The Club” above.
Surely, we’ve all gone down the NPR Tiny Desk Concert rabbit hole. There’s something about seeing favorite artists (and new discoveries) in a highly intimate setting that feels special, even if we’re not there and just watching from our screens at home. The series has become a ubiquitous part of pop culture and lately, NPR has been asking celebrities to list out their favorite performances. Today, Insecure star, writer, and creator Issa Rae checked in to share her picks.
She led off her list with Raphael Saadiq, who is not only the composer for the musical score of Insecure, he’s also certifiably one of the best live acts in hip-hop and R&B. “When he linked up with Lucky Daye for “You Should Be Here” was just phenomenal,” Rae said as one of her highlight moments of the performance. She also counts Thundercat as one of her favorite Tiny Desks and in goofy Issa Dee fashion (her character in Insecure) she explains that “The lyrics [to his song FriendZone’] are lowkey kind of dumb. But to hear it sound so melodic was just like a treat for me.”
She goes on to talk about Sampha and how his music was featured in Insecure season 2, and that she “was introduced to Sampha by Solange when she was doing the music for season one, so he has a special place in my heart.” She tips the cap to SiR (“because, you know, Inglewood”), and rounds out her six with Baby Rose and Nick Hakim, who’ve both had songs featured on Insecure.
Read Issa Rae’s full comments on her favorite Tiny Desk Concerts here.
The Wiggles had themselves a bit of a viral moment earlier this year when they covered Tame Impala’s “Elephant” while mashing it up with their own “Fruit Salad.” The children’s music group apparently decided they’re really into covers, because next year, they’re releasing a whole album of them.
ReWiggled is set to drop on March 11, 2021, and it’s a two-part affair. The first side features artists like Stella Donnelly, The Chats, and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra covering songs by The Wiggles, while the second side sees the group performing songs by artists like Rihanna, AC/DC, Blondie, James Brown, and The Rolling Stones. They shared a preview EP of the album today and it features their renditions of “Elephant” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a famously over-the-top song that is perfect for the cartoony style of The Wiggles.
They also shared an announcement video, so find that above and check out the ReWiggled art and tracklist below.
The Wiggles
1. DZ Deathrays — “Hot Potato” (The Wiggles cover)
2. Spacey Jane — “D.O.R.O.T.H.Y (My Favourite Dinosaur)” (The Wiggles cover)
3. Stella Donnelly — “Ba Ba Da Bicycle Ride” (The Wiggles cover)
4. The Chats — “Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do the Twist?)” (The Wiggles cover)
5. Emily Wurramara — “Dressing Up” (The Wiggles cover)
6. Polish Club — “Apples & Bananas” (The Wiggles cover)
7. Donny Benet — “Sicily (I Want to Go)” (The Wiggles cover)
8. San Cisco — “H.O.L.I.D.A.Y.” (The Wiggles cover)
9. Custard — “Do The Propeller!” (The Wiggles cover)
10. Emma Donovan & the Putbacks — “Say The Dance, Do The Dance” (The Wiggles cover)
11. Dami Im — “Big Red Car” (The Wiggles cover)
12. Luca Brasi — “The Shimmie Shake” (The Wiggles cover)
13. Melbourne Ska Orchestra — “We’re All Fruit Salad!” (The Wiggles cover)
14. The Wiggles — “Elephant” (Tame Impala cover)
15. The Wiggles — “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen cover)
16. The Wiggles — “Umbrella” (Rihanna cover)
17. The Wiggles — “Thunderstruck” (AC/DC cover)
18. The Wiggles — “Pub Feed” (The Chats cover)
19. The Wiggles — “Sunday Girl” (Blondie cover)
20. The Wiggles — “Get On The Good Foot” (James Brown cover)
21. The Wiggles — “Praise You” (Fatboy Slim cover)
22. The Wiggles — “Brand New Key” (Melanie cover)
23. The Wiggles — “She’s A Rainbow” (The Rolling Stones cover)
24. The Wiggles — “Live It Up” (Mental As Anything cover)
25. The Wiggles — “Shipping Up To Boston” (Dropkick Murphys cover)
ReWiggled is out 3/11/2022 via The Wiggles. Pre-order it here.
Usually, your best bet to see a bunch of well-known artists performing on TV in rapid succession is to catch an awards show like the Grammys. Well, the next Grammy ceremony is set for late January, but ahead of then, last night offered a different kind of opportunity to watch a ton of musical firepower taking the stage on the same broadcast: The Voice aired the live finale episode of its 21st season last night and pretty much every musician you’ve ever heard of took the stage.
Aside from the show’s contestants, artists who performed included Coldplay and BTS; Walker Hayes; Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, and some contestants; Ed Sheeran; Jennifer Lopez and Lukas Nelson; Carrie Underwood and John Legend; Alicia Keys; Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi; Kelly Clarkson; Blake Shelton; and John Legend.
Of particular note was Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande giving their Don’t Look Up single “Just Look Up” its live debut. Meanwhile, Coldplay opened the show with “My Universe,” and while BTS couldn’t be there in person, they did show up on stage as holograms. Later, Ed Sheeran, who was a Mega Mentor on the show this season, stopped by to play “Shivers.”
(@RexChapman) December 26, 2021
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