The second single from Amand Hammer and The Alchemist's upcoming collaborative LP, Mercy, "Calypso Gene" is yet another hard-hitting, jazz-tinged, smoky hip-hop track that manages to feel urgent despite its laid-back vibe. After billy woods and E L U C I D trade verses over spicy piano chords and shuffling percussion, Silka and Cleo Reed sing a final refrain as the track takes a psychedelic turn. It's as effective as it is wonderful on the ears.
Long Beach is located about half an hour down the coast from Los Angeles proper, though it often gets mixed up in the greater L.A. or Orange County areas. However, hip-hop lovers will recognize the LBC as the stomping grounds of legends like Snoop Dogg and Warren G, but the city's significance extends far beyond what you might hear on the radio.
Coreen Simpson-photographer, writer, jeweler-has done it all. Working for publications such as Essence, Unique New York, and The Village Voice, from the late 1970s onward, Simpson covered New York's art and fashion scenes, producing portraits of a wide range of Black artists, literary figures, and celebrities. Her iconic jewelry, the Black Cameo, has been worn by everyone from the model Iman to civil-rights leader Rosa Parks.
Yet for as many 99-cent songs as were purchased in the 2000s, anyone who spent time on that era's file-sharing networks can verify that the LP was still the most important unit for music obsessives. And it has remained so-albums are the venue for the most niche and audacious creative projects; they remain the organizing principle for press cycles and stadium tours; no one has gold mp3s hanging on their studio walls.
Music fans got a surprise last night as Coachella, the biggest music festival in the country, shared its lineup months earlier than past precedent, with previous releases taking place in November 2024 and January 2023. This year's lineup features a bill of bands that leans heavily on pop superstars. Top billing goes to Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G, a trio of pop acts that run the gamut from latest and greatest (Carpenter), to established industry titan (Bieber) to international superstar (Colombia's Karol G).
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony returns to Los Angeles on Nov. 8 with honorees that include hard rockers Bad Company, pop-rock singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, and hip-hop duo Outkast among the artists who will join the hall this year. The 40th annual induction ceremony at the Peacock Theater will also honor The Twist popularizer Chubby Checker, British blues-rock singer Joe Cocker, Seattle grunge band Soundgarden, and the indie rock duo The White Stripes in the performer category this year.
Armand Hammer and the Alchemist are getting back together for a new album. After connecting on 2021's , they'll drop on November 7 via billy woods' Backwoodz Studioz. The project will feature guest contributions from Earl Sweatshirt, Quelle Chris, Cleo Reed, Pink Siifu, Kapwani, and Silka. See the tracklist and the album artwork, by M. Musgrove, below. Ahead of the album's release, on Thursday, October 23, Armand Hammer and the Alchemist will play a show together at Los Angeles' Lodge Room.
This label has taken off on the internet and threatens to become the number one title for hot dogs. Confusingly, the name eschews the traditional slang for hot dogs that reference the sausage's origins with names like frankfurter, or its makeup with names like tube steak, and instead refers to a firearm. Specifically, the word glizzy is apparently derived from the Glock handgun, with the suffix "izzy" tacked on after the first couple letters.
The tour kicks off November 13 in Portland, Oregon, and will snake its way through major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York before concluding in Miami Beach on December 15.
Time has been surprisingly kind to 50 Cent: Bulletproof, which is 20 this November. In this shooter, 50 Cent gets caught up in a shadowy underground network full of dodgy terrorists, racist biker gangs and mouthy mafia members.
With the release of "Eat Couch," Hit-Boy showcases unapologetic energy through bold lyrics and a playful, bass-heavy beat, creating a nightlife anthem for late hours.
Young Dro's intensity elevates everyone in his radius, switching from laid-back to triple-time spitting, inciting a call-and-response, making it feel as though he's rapping to get another record deal.
"One-four, two-five, my math came from the go-go / My rap came from the culture, my rap game from the GOAT though," Wale declares, grounding his identity in both regional rhythm and generational excellence.
Mick Jenkins kicks things off with clinical precision. Every bar feels designed-tight rhyme patterns, layered schemes, and a vocal cadence that swings between restrained and menacing.
