Quincy Jones' Back on the Block is an overlooked inflection point in the cultural emergence of #hiphop. I break it down in @theriffmedia.bsky.social @rollingstone.com @pitchfork.com @avclub.com medium.com/the-riff/qui...
Quincy Jones’ Hip-Hop Conduit
‘Back on the Block’ bridged generations and welcomed rap to the canon
medium.com
⏰Announcement: #BrunoMars Album Discussion- Join us! We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Meeting is at 6 PM Eastern today (3/29). Here’s how to join the fun: medium.com/the-riff/its...
It’s Time For Album Club!
March 29th from 6–8pm Zoom link below
medium.com
I thought I had uploaded the Aguas Raras review to Blue Sky, but it seems I hadn't...🥲 I might have missed the timing, but the content should be pretty great...! @theriffmedia.bsky.social + Helpful for studying @rockaxis.bsky.social #santiago #chile #rock medium.com/the-riff/ren...
🚨 Captain Beyond Album Discussion — Join Our Meetup tomorrow! We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Meeting is at 4 PM eastern. Here’s how to join the fun: medium.com/the-riff/ann...
Announcement: Captain Beyond Album Discussion — Join Our Meetup!
We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Here’s how to join the fun.
medium.com
Join us to discuss The English Beat’s third album: ○ August 24th 1pm PST/4pm EST via Zoom ○ Hosted by @theriffmedia.bsky.social ○ Zoom link & details at the end of article Powerpoint is ready:) Newcomers welcome! We are a great, international group of friendly but discerning nerds. #TheBeat
Jessica Lee McMillan@jessicaleemcmillan.com · last yr."The English Beat’s catalogue continues to resonate with uncontainable vitality and provide a source of refuge with its forceful buoyancy while managing to meditate on the darkness of the world” #TheBeat #TheEnglishBeat #Ska #Punk #MusicEvent #SpecialBeatService #Album medium.com/the-riff/spe...
This is gonna be awesome, but it's be even better with you there. Join us!
Kevin Alexander@kevinalexander.bsky.social · last yr."What they all have in common is that they move me, in one way or another... I hope that you will find a few things here that scratch an itch you didn’t know you had." #music Join us tomorrow!
"As majestic strings give way to a lush mid-tempo bounce, the track doesn’t so much command the dance floor as lure partygoers off the wall like a stylishly attired pied piper." @jthepisodes.bsky.social medium.com/the-riff/sou...
Soulspin 2000: Lucy Pearl — Lucy Pearl
Neo-soul’s grooviest grown folks party turns 25
medium.com
This is an incredible story from @robjanicke.bsky.social Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
The Riff@theriffmedia.bsky.social · last yr."Kurt hasn’t been with us for a while, and I had already bid on his Cardigan sweater from the Nirvana MTV Unplugged performance and wound up as the second highest bidder. " #Music #Writing medium.com/the-riff/the...
"Kurt hasn’t been with us for a while, and I had already bid on his Cardigan sweater from the Nirvana MTV Unplugged performance and wound up as the second highest bidder. " #Music #Writing medium.com/the-riff/the...
The Man Who Bought The Jeans
A pair of Levi’s jeans, owned and worn by the late Kurt Cobain, sold for a record-breaking $412,750.00. Who is the man behind the sale?
medium.com
"At its core, Reasonable Doubt is both an origin story and a use case for the ethos that defines its through line. Jay-Z’s worldview is best summed up in the opening verse of the album’s centerpiece, “Can I Live”: “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.” @jthepisodes.bsky.social #music #hiphop
Backspin: Jay-Z — Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Rather die enormous than live dormant. (93.5/100)
medium.com
"It’s not colour or shading, it’s the centrepiece that gives the song a feeling of perpetual movement that matches the frantic nature of the vocal. "
You Need to Listen to this Song Right Now #74
Heavy Rotation — God Part 2, U2 (Rattle and Hum, 1988)
medium.com
“American Doll” sees Rebecca sending a pointed message to all who wish women would play their roles like the titular doll brand churns out. Instead of something bright and sarcastic, Black opts for the oppressive crunch of thick synths and metallic beats." #music #albumreview
Album Review | ‘Salvation’ by Rebecca Black
Black soars to new heights on her latest electrifying, EDM-laced EP.
medium.com
"Instead, she invites us to join her in the messy, wonderful, painful process of being human. Whether she’s singing about the heartache of youth or the quiet acceptance of adulthood, Lorde’s music gives us space to feel everything we might otherwise try to ignore." #Lorde #Music
This Is What Feeling Everything All at Once Sounds Like
I no longer apologize for crying to songs at midnight. Lorde taught me that the feelings are the art.
medium.com
"I couldn’t place a label on it or even an easy reference point, and this scared and exhilarated me." Want to share your thoughts about this record? Join us on Sunday! It's free, and all are welcome. Meeting links are in the article. #music #ViolentFemmes
An Album of the Month Event You Should Check Out
We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Here’s how to join us.
medium.com
📅 SAVE THE DATE: On Sunday, we'll be talking about "Hallowed Ground" by The Violent Femmes. Have some thoughts on the LP? Wanna just listen in? Join us! All are welcome. Meeting details are in the article. #music #ViolentFemmes
The Riff’s Album of the Month Club: March 23, 2025
Come explore and discuss a hidden gem from 1984 by a one-of-a-kind Milwaukee trio. The Zoom link is at the bottom of the post.
medium.com
Because the moment calls for more than a #TikTok dance: 10 #HipHop #Protest Anthems to Spark a Righteous Fire in @theriffmedia.bsky.social on #Medium #music #rap #resistance #justice tinyurl.com/3hdjv46p
Lyrics of Fury: 10 Hip-Hop Protest Anthems to Spark a Righteous Fire
Because the moment calls for more than a TikTok dance
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“By the song’s end, even the greenest newcomer would be hard-pressed not to understand the roles of rapper and DJ and how they work together to make musical magic.” @jthepisodes.bsky.social #music medium.com/the-riff/bac...
Backspin: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince — He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper (1988)
Hip-hop 101. (83/100)
medium.com
"Construção is a stunning achievement of musical arrangements and haunting melodies carried by Buarque’s brilliant wordplay and syllabic rhythms...that transcend the language barrier." Cool people talking about a cool record? You bet. Change your plans & join us! Details in link. 4 PM EST/9 PM GMT
The Brazilian Sisyphus
The Riff’s February 2025 Album of the Month, February 16th
medium.com
"Perhaps Larrieux’s sound was a touch too ethereal for a genre characterized by earthiness. Maybe she conveyed more uptown cocktail lounge than downtown coffee house. Certainly, her musical DNA is more Sade Adu than Chaka Khan." @jthepisodes.bsky.social #music #writing #Medium
Soulspin 2000: Amel Larrieux — Infinite Possibilities
Still dawning at 25
medium.com
"I like the little injection of soul the Wurlitzer keys bring to his country diddy. Dylan’s voice holds tightly to the beauty of his surroundings to keep the lonesome blues from consuming him completely..." #Music #Writing #Medium medium.com/the-riff/alb...
Album Review | ‘I Saw the Arkansas’ by Dylan Earl
Dylan Earl weaves a story of heartbreak and homesickness on his third release.
medium.com
"Despite its rather gristly subject matter, the song, featuring Levon Helm and Rick Danko from The Band and David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, is a fan favorite. Neil fans, you see, like it dark. Oh, yeah. And it rocks." #music #writing
How Time Spent with Charles Manson Inspired Neil Young’s Darkest Song
“Revolution Blues” Brings Cult-Inspired Dune Buggies to Kill Hollywood Stars
medium.com
ICYMI:
JTHEpisodes@jthepisodes.bsky.social · 2y ago#NaughtyByNature emerged with a perfect storm of accessibility, authenticity, and one of the greatest #hiphop singles. I look back at their breakthrough album in #Backspin in @theriffmedia.bsky.social #Medium #music #entertainment #90s tinyurl.com/fba476md
For the 25th anniversary of #DAngelo's #Voodoo, I look back at the album where neo soul found its voice in @theriffmedia.bsky.social on #Medium #music #soul @rollingstone.com @pitchfork.com @albumism.com medium.com/the-riff/sou...
Soulspin 2000: D’Angelo — Voodoo
25 years of black magic
medium.com
"He croons and belts, strums and tickles, taps and pounds in resistance to industry demands and audience expectations, pushing him toward the performance of soul as he grapples to connect with his soul, our collective soul, through sound." @jthepisodes.bsky.social
Soulspin 2000: D’Angelo — Voodoo
25 years of black magic
medium.com
"The iconic photograph of Elvis Presley sitting at the piano flanked by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash has been written about countless times...but I’m also always surprised how many times it goes unmentioned what was being recorded that day." medium.com/the-riff/the...
The Recording Session That Led to a Famous Photo
The iconic image wasn’t the only thing produced on that fateful day.
medium.com
Today's roundtable will cover everyone's top tracks of 2024. Bring your list and join us! medium.com/the-riff/sta...
STARTING SOON: The Riff’s Top Songs of 2024 Discussion
Here’s how to join us!
medium.com
"But Wu-Tang Forever is nothing if not bold and sprawling. If Wu-Tang Clan is the closest thing hip-hop has seen to the Avengers, the nearly 2-hour double disc set is their Infinity War. " Join @jthepisodes.bsky.social as he takes a deep dive into an underrated classic. #music #albumreview #hiphop
Backspin: Wu-Tang Clan — Wu-Tang Forever (1997)
Reunited. (86.5/100)
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