While “Global North” parasocialism tends to lean towards non-reciprocal parasocial interaction of fans merely admiring a celebrity, parasocialism in K-Pop fandom proves to be a more multi-directional devotion. By Sharon Kong-Perring In February 2020, three weeks before the world shut down, I began the grand rituals of a night out with someone special. Like any...
Category: Music
Post
White Mediocrity Is Diluting The Influential Power Of Music Awards Shows
The capitalist system of The White Celebrity™ keeps using music awards shows to reward itself for mediocrity at the blatant expense of Black and Asian artists. By Ebony Purks At the 1985 American Music Awards (AMAs), Prince’s critically acclaimed, avant-pop song “When Doves Cry” won the AMA for “Favorite Black Single.” At some point, this...
Post
The continued harassment of Noname highlights the narrow margin of error for Black women
It’s clear that, as a Black woman, Noname is held to a different standard compared to her music industry peers. By Ebony Purks If you follow Chicago rapper Noname on Twitter, you’re probably familiar with the harassment thrown her way on a regular basis. Noname’s rap career took a unique turn around 2018 when she...
Post
The new Tina Turner Documentary is not as subversive as it thinks it is
When does Tina Turner get to focus on the fruits of her survival? When will we as onlookers crave that story? By Sika Wheeler With the recent release of HBO MAX documentary TINA , many are either seeing Tina Turner in a shining new light or discovering her for the first time. Much of the...
Post
Our Favorite Reactions To Lil Nas X’s CMBYN Video
It’s fucking beautiful. After months of anticipation, Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video has finally dropped and fans are eating it up. The eccentric artist has already cemented a reputation for striking, dramatic, and fantastical spectacles in his music videos after being catapulted to fame by his single “Old Town...
Post
Non-Binary Artists In Hip-Hop You Should Be Listening To
Here is a list of non-binary artists in Hip-Hop to add to your playlist. Their work proves that non-binary musicians are impactful and here to stay. By Christopher K Non-binary artists deserve to be recognized as much as their binary counterparts. Their work deserves to be in conversations about talented musicians, including debates; music enthusiasts...
Post
Ledisi Is Here To Stay
An illustrious career, music true to her New Orleans roots, Grammy-nominated artist Ledisi is all of herself with her newest release, “The Wild Card”. Ledisi has long been one of my favorite voices in the music industry. With her effortless fusing of Soul, Rock, Blues, and Jazz genres, it comes as no surprise to me...
Post
Black Women Have Long Celebrated Their Sexuality Through Music
From Lucille Bogan in the 1930s to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion today, Black women have long celebrated their sexuality. Hess Love’s “Heauxin’ Blues” playlist proves this. Black sexuality has been celebrated in song for generations. Suffice it to say, we been talking about, singing about, rapping about fucking. However, many “respectable” Black folks...
Post
Lizzo, Whitney Houston, and The Curious Case of “Racial Transcendence”
We should be taking white audiences to task for seeking to divorce Black artists from their race instead of critiquing artists like Lizzo and Whitney for their contributions to pop. When Prince died April 21, 2016, many a music fan was completely caught off guard. Tributes flooded any and every social media platform. The Eiffel...
Post
Bops For Marching The Wealthy To The Guillotines
We’ve seen enough performative bullshit come from wealthy celebrities in social isolation, so we put together a playlist to inspire protest. The last few days on social media have been very… weird. Particularly with the overwhelming amount of wealthy celebrities who have come online to sing to us on their Instagram stories or on Twitter;...