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The “Unbreakable” Staying Power Of Janet Jackson
When you think about it - Janet Jackson was the ultimate underdog. The youngest of 9 children, Janet was born the same year that her older brother, Michael (8 years her senior and musical prodigy), began singing with his brothers in the Jackson 5. By the time Janet appeared on stage at age 7, her brothers were stars, and the family had already uprooted from Gary, Indiana to Encino, California.
Lessons From A Dr. - Migos and the Loud Noise(y)
Nothing happening in music is new. We've heard that melody, we've drummed that drum, we've sung that song. These are some of the (many) reasons it was incredibly surprising to see Vice Magazine’s Noisey Atlanta documentaries go off the rails the way it did. Let’s be clear, I'm all for authenticity. I encourage all of the artists that I work with to be their authentic selves, because it makes the art that much better. At some point, though, you have to draw a line in sand. There’s authenticity, and then there’s business - and legality.
Red Candy Memories - Three Songs About HIV
Today, May 11, 2015 is the first day of the trial of Michael Johnson in St. Charles, Missouri. Mr. Johnson is alleged to have been knowingly HIV positive and having unprotected sex with partners who were unaware of his status either willfully or through omission. The case has sparked an intense debate about punitive HIV criminalization laws in the US, and how these laws contribute to the continuing stigma surrounding HIV.
September 25, 2015 also marks 25 years since the release of “Red Hot + Blue” - one of the most significant compilation albums of original music from pop stars of the era specifically to raise awareness and money for HIV/AIDS education and prevention for the Red Hot Organization.
The End of An Era – Michael Jackson’s “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I” Turns 20
By the time that Michael Jackson released “HIStory – Past, Present and Future – Book I” on May 1, 1995 the music landscape was radically different than when he released “Dangerous” just a short 4 years earlier. Rap music had (particularly the annoyingly coined “Gangster Rap”) taken over the urban music landscape, and suddenly everyone from EnVogue to Massive Attack to Janet Jackson were all sampling James Brown or Parliament. Jackson’s rival ditched The Revolution, changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and proceeded to make uneven funk records with the New Power Generation.
TIDAL Wave: Streaming Audio & The Debate Over Artist Compensation
The world, and everything in it, is made of art. I am not being hyperbolic or exaggerating. The world is literally art. The buildings we enter, the streets we walk on, the parks we walk in - it’s all art. Someone had to envision these things, create a schematic, and build it in order for us to experience it as part of our everyday lives. No one will argue that. For musicians they need instruments, a way to record, an idea and time to make something we might consider magic.