The Riff

“First, I’m a fan. But I’m also someone who appreciates the historical significance of what artists add to our culture." @robjanicke on an icon gone too soon, and a collector intent on keeping their story alive. #music #Nirvana medium.com/the-riff/the-m…

🚨Today! If you’re seeing this, you’re invited to today’s Album of the Month Discussion. The record is Hallowed Ground by @violentfemmes Free & all are welcome! 4 PM Eastern/8 PM GMT. Mtg Details are in link. Join us! cc: @VicDeLorenzo #music medium.com/the-riff/the-r…

My #Top10 Songs of 2024 - a most treacherous year embodied and overcome in #music in @TheRiffMagazine on @Medium medium.com/the-riff/10-so…

If @WuTangClan is #hiphop's #Avengers, #WuTangForever is their #InfinityWar. I look back at Wu-Tang's sophomore epic in #Backspin in @TheRiffMagazine @Medium @TheSource @RollingStone @HipHopGoldenAge medium.com/the-riff/backs…

STARTING SOON: The Riff’s Top Songs of 2024 Discussion. Today's roundtable will cover everyone's top tracks of the year. Bring your list and join us! link.medium.com/5tzA24JdiQb

⏰Starting now! Join the fun! ⬇️ Discussion: What’s Your Favorite Holiday Song? link.medium.com/nXoLtlCzaPb

#AboveTheLaw's #UncleSamsCurse is #gangstarap at its most revolutionary. I look back in #Backspin in @TheRiffMagazine @Medium @TheSource @VibeMagazine @pitchfork tinyurl.com/yvdv89ry

“Uncle Sam’s Curse, the third long-player from gangsta rap’s perennial peripheral players, Above the Law, holds a singular place in the G-Funk canon. It’s a riveting hoo-ride down an alternate timeline offering a tantalizing snapshot of…” — @JTHEpisodes link.medium.com/u17LyCNyaPb

We are now at the other place. Come say hello! 👋 bsky.app/profile/therif…

“She’s working against conforming to what everyone else is doing. After listening to this track, it’s no wonder this song took off as well as it did. It has a sound that is so unique to itself.” — @ZSidesMusic link.medium.com/9SuUyKoC8Ob

30 years ago today, @maryjblige dropped #MyLife on the world. Along with @OfficialTLC's #CrazySexyCool, it made 1994 the year #hiphop soul grew up. I look back in @TheRiffMagazine on @Medium medium.com/the-riff/tlc-m…

I wrote my predictions for the #Grammys AOTY category. What the Academy is looking for and who are the top contenders? 🎸🎵 @TheRiffMagazine @medium #music medium.com/the-riff/the-2…

#SundayReads #BigPun was the valedictorian of #hiphop's loaded class of 1998. We only got the first chapter of his story, but it was a novel in itself. I re-visit #CapitalPunishment in #Backspin from @TheRiffMagazine. @Medium @TheSource @VibeMagazine tinyurl.com/3d9m583z

With @OfficialTLC's #CrazySexyCool and @maryjblige's #MyLife dropping back to to back, November '94 was the month hip-hop soul grew up. I look back in @TheRiffMagazine on @Medium #music #hiphop #soulmusic tinyurl.com/y87ftcdw

“If their debut was TLC kicking in the door for a sonic home invasion, CrazySexCool finds them in control and fully comfortable as the established women of the house.” — @JTHEpisodes @OfficialTLC link.medium.com/Gn0r3pqTxOb

A song for the moment... I talk quiet protest, progress's paradox, and personhood in the face of dehumanization in #JoyOladokun's powerful and timely "No Country" in @TheRiffMagazine on @Medium #music #society #America #mentalhealth medium.com/the-riff/a-son…

“The first thing to do is add a fan vote. This should not be the sole focus of the voting process, but it should be considered. Fans know their stuff, and it could be a great way to get different perspectives on an album.”  — Kyle Kim link.medium.com/S1sKaSOfmOb

“I’ve seen BARA HARI’s music described as goth, dark pop, new wave, electro-pop, darkwave, and so on. I think trying to fit this music into a singular genre is a disservice to Franco and those listening.”  — @RobJanicke link.medium.com/rYECxyjVhOb

“Wednesday, May 31, 1995, started like any other night on Lower Broad. We began our five-hour shift, playing for tips at Robert’s Western World. Gary Bennett sang a song, and then Chuck Mead sang one. Suddenly, things became…”  — Smilin’ Jay McDowell link.medium.com/0ehSuGDZgOb

#MainSource's #BreakingAtoms may well have been the energy chain that sparked the '90s in #hiphop. I re-visit an under appreciated classic in the latest #Backspin in @TheRiffMagazine on @Medium @TheSource @VibeMagazine @HipHopGoldenAge @Albumism tinyurl.com/346rk278