NYS Music 202​0

Tag: 2020

  • Holiday Rapping: The Eight Rhymes of Christmas

    Christmas is here. Which means it’s time to deck the halls with bars of the holiday. So grab your cup of eggnog, your Santa hat, and enjoy this list of Christmas raps.

    Christmas Rap
    Remember the 80s?

    “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch” by Tyler, the Creator.

    Inspired by the music and animation of Dr. Seuss’s “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” Tyler took the reigns and composed a soundtrack to accompany the 2018 Universal Studios animated film The Grinch. Although a whole EP full of songs inspired by The Grinch can be found on Tyler, the Creator’s Spotify, something about Tyler’s typical cartoonishly deep vocal inflections make this song a true holiday standout.

    “Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West featuring Teyana Taylor

    There’s something almost ironic about how Kanye, a man known for calling himself “Yeezus,” would release one of the 2010s most critically acclaimed Christmas songs. Originally released on December 17th, 2010, “Christmas in Harlem” brings us the best of both worlds around the holidays. Produced by Hit-Boy and originally released as part of Kanye’s GOOD Music series, “Christmas in Harlem” exhibits the raw talent West possesses when it comes to the meticulous process of arranging music.

    “Santa Clause Goes Straight To The Ghetto” by Snoop Dogg featuring Daz, Nate Dogg, Tray Deee, & Bad Azz

    Have you ever wanted to hear a gritty, G-Funk Christmas song that simultaneously critiques the modern commercialization of Christmas? Well, “Santa Clause Goes Straight to The Ghetto” is the song for you to hear this holiday season. Again, this song is a perfect blend of Snoop’s typical West Coast cool, calm, and collected rap flows while flipping the typical narratives driving Christmas songs. This song is sprinkled with social commentary and full of joyous Christmas cliches.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVkg5FM59NA

    “Christmas in Hollis” by Run D.M.C.

    If there were ever to be a rap song synonymous with Christmas, it would be Run D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis.” This song may owe some of its notoriety to the hotly contested Christmas movie, Die Hard (yes, it’s a Christmas movie! ). Run D.M.C. trade-off shouted verses about stumbling across Santa in the park.

    “Christmas Rappin’ ” by Kurtis Blow

    For the next song on our list, we go back to the early days of rap when its popularity as genre was just becoming mainstream. Curtis Blow’s “Christmas Rappin’,” was released in 1979 and found instant success, capitalizing on two popular trends, rap and holiday music. “Christmas Rappin’,” was a product of two Billboard employees who recognized the potential for a hit song. They then enlisted Curtis Blow as the MC who would deliver this rendition of the Christmas classic “Visit from Saint Nick.”

    “Merry Muthaf****n Xmas” by Eazy-E featuring Menajahtwa, Buckwheat from the Lil Waskals, Will 1X, & Atban Klann

    Eazy-E isn’t referred to as one of the kings of gangsta rap for nothing, the twisted spin “Merry Muthaf****n Xmas” takes on Christmas music and is a prime example of E’s close ties to gang life growing up in Compton, CA. Everything about this song rings true to West Coast rap: the beat, the lyrical narratives Eazy-E and company explore, and, not to mention, the yuletide sampling and mentions of Santa that classify this otherwise raunchy cut as a Christmas song.

    “Nothing For Christmas” by Rae Sremmurd

    Rae Sremmurd’s “Nothing For Christmas” is the first song on our list that takes all the tropes and clichés of Christmas music and combines them with all the lackluster components of trap instrumentals. In a way, this song gives birth to a new musical genre – trap-mas music. And that alone gives this song an immense amount of bragging power.

    “Chi-Town Christmas” by Chance, The Rapper

    The most recently released song on this list, “Chi-Town Christmas” is perhaps one of the most emotionally potent tracks from Chicago-born artist Chance, the Rapper. Chance released a whole album’s worth of original Christmas music this past month featuring longtime collaborator Jerimiah. In “Chi-Town Christmas,” Chance once again takes center stage as the rap game’s family man and recites verses depicting a lowkey Christmas in Chicago. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Chance dabble in Christmas music. However, this is by far his most organic attempt.

  • System Of A Down Releases New Music For the First Time in 15 Years

    System Of A Down released new music on November 6, 2020 for the first time in 15 years. The band dropped two songs, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” both speak of the dire and serious war happening in their cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia. 

    The heavy metal band, System Of A Down, formed in Glendale, California back in 1994. They are an Armenian-American band who have released five studio albums throughout the years. Three of those albums debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and were even nominated for four Grammy Awards. Their most well known song is “B.Y.O.B.” which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance back in 2006. The band is made up of  founding members Serj Tankian who does lead vocals/ keyboards, Daron Malakian who does vocals/ guitar and Shavo Odadjian who plays bass/ backing vocals as well as John Dolmayan who plays drums. John Dolmayan replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian back in 1997.

    The new songs “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” are the bands way of trying to inspired people to speak out about the horrific injustices and human rights violations occurring by the hands of the Azerbaijan and Turkey (along with Isis terrorists from Syria). They have attacked the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh which we as Armenians call Artsakh. Civilians young and old have been awakened day and night by the frightful sights and sounds of rocket attacks, falling bombs, missiles, drones and terrorist attacks. People have had to find sanctuary in makeshift shelters while trying to avoid the fallout of outlawed cluster bombs. Their attackers have set their forests and endangered wildlife ablaze using white phosphorus, another banned weapon.

    The band asks people to donate and help those who have been affected by the ever growing accounts of crimes against humanity currently happening to the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. In return the band offer downloads of the two new songs for just $2. These funds will be used to provide crucial and desperately needed aid and basic supplies for those affected by these hideous acts.

    For more information on the release and reasonings behind “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” visit System Of A Down’s website.

  • Planet Afropunk Announces Lineup for Global Virtual Show

    Planet Afropunk announces their lineup for their global virtual show. The free virtual show is taking place on October 23-25, 2020 and will include big names like Common, Mayra Andrade, Dua Saleh, Larissa Luz + Carlinhos Brown, Asiatica, Black Haus, Mc Yallah, T. Nava, Tciyf, Yves Tumor and many more. Planet Afropunk hopes to be a safe space for people to celebrate and inspire, cry and shout, and to heal and motivate one another during these trying times. 

    Planet Afropunk plans to create new ways for people to experience the next generation of Black creativity, music and culture. They plan to do this by bringing together the largest virtual gathering of the worldwide Black creative community into one curated online space in 15 years. One of the reasons Planet Afropunk is able to be such a big global celebration is because of it’s partners. These partners will help power Afropunk’s iconic digital destinations and make it a one of a kind show this year. Some of the big names they are partnering with include VERIZON, BOSE, TEQUILA DON JULIO, Ideaville, powered by Target. VERIZON is helping to bring the artist lineup for AFROPUNK’S festival on the World Stage. BOSE is supporting the audience’s musical discovery journey through a special set from Masego, Serpentwithfeet and Jonah Mutono also on the World stage. TEQUILA DON JULIO 1942 who is powering sets by DJ Poison Ivy and DJ Ruckus. Ideaville, powered by Target, will spotlight Black voices and stories. They hope to succeed at doing this by creating a safe space for all of AFROPUNK’s communities. Part of their charge in doing this is by partnering with Penguin Random House to uplift Black voices by featuring a selection of NY-Times best-selling authors in our Rock N’ Read Bookstore and powering author readings and conversations. 

    The full line up of musicians participating in the Planet Afropunk global virtual show include: Afrobapho, Afrocidade feat. Majur and Mahal Pita, Ari Lennox, Arka’n Asrafokor, ASIATICA, ÀTTØØXXÁ feat. Hiran, Balimaya Project, Blac Rabbit, BLACK HAÜS, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Bootsy Collins, Common, DJ Poison Ivy, DJ Ruckus, Dua Saleh, Duckwrth, DUMA, Duo B.A.V.I., Durand Bernarr, Ecko Bazz, Elaine, Jahmed, Johnny Cradle, Jonah Mutono, KIRBY, Larissa Luz + Carlinhos Brown, Loshh, Lous and the Yakuza, Masego, Mayra Andrade, MC Yallah, Mereba, Meshell N’Dege Ocello, Moonchild Sanelly, Moonga K., Moses Sumney, Muneyi, Muzi, Nêssa, Rebelmatic, Sampa The Great, Serpentwithfeet, Smino, Solo Ntsizwa Ka Mthimkhulu, Songhoy Blues, T. Nava, Tawiah, TCIYF, The Veldt, Theon Cross, Tiana Major9, Tiwa Savage, Tobe Nwigwe, Tomi Agape, TrapFunk & Alívio, Ukhoikhoi, Virus, Yan Cloud, Yves Tumor. 

    There will also be some speakers at the event which will include Amanda Seales, Ashlee Marie Preston, Blerdcon, Bridget Todd, Dawn Richard, Dulcé Sloan, Ivie Anie, Jesse Williams, Maimouna Youssef AKA Mumu Fresh, Robert Glasper, Tamika D. Mallory, Terrace Martin.

    People interested in attending and getting more information can visit Afropunk’s website. People who don’t want to miss any exclusives and updates on the event can RSVP here.

  • Beastie Boys Campaign Ad for Joe Biden Gets Pulled Over Harassment to Featured Club Owner

    The Beastie Boys announced their decision to allow their song, “Sabotage” for a Biden and Harris Presidential Campaign ad. Unfortunately the ad was pulled due to the featured club owner receiving harassment from President Trump supporters just days after debuting on October 18, 2020 This is the first time the band has ever allowed one of their songs to be used for a presidential ad. The ad focuses on how COVID-19 is detrimentally affecting the live entertainment industry. 

    https://youtu.be/SW86jyTsYe4

    The Beastie Boys have sued Monster Energy and GoldieBox  in the past for using their songs without permission in their ads. The only things they have allowed is the use of “Sabotage” in trailers for “Star Trek” and the “Destiny 2” video game.

    The Beastie Boys are a hip hop and rap group from New York City that formed back in 1978 under the original name Young Aborigines before becoming the Beastie Boys in 1981. Some of their most well known songs include “Sabotage,” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” “Fight for Your Right” and many many more. Their debut album, Licensed to Ill, was the first rap record to top the Billboard 200 chart. They have eight studio albums and have become a household name throughout the years and recently released a documentary “Beastie Boys Story Out Now” on April 14, 2020.

    The Ad focuses on the venue the Blind Pig that is a club Ann Arbor, Michigan that has been extremely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The venue was shut down after its 50 years of existence where it was a substantiation part of its community. It’s owner in the ad speaks about how he considers Donald Trump’s shortsighted response to the coronavirus crisis is one of the main reasons his venue is in such poor shape. 

    A spokesperson from the Biden campaign according to the Variety article explained that, “the Beastie Boys, who had ‘never licensed music for an ad until now,’ agreed to the use of “Sabotage” in the spot ‘because of the importance of the election.’”

    The Ad was pulled on Wednesday October 21, 2020 after the owner of the Blind Pig received threats and was attacked by Trump supporters. Campaign spokesperson Bill Russo expanded on the situation saying, “The price for having a voice in our political process cannot be endless harassment. And yet, that is what Joe Malcoun and his family currently face as he was doxxed, harassed and threatened after the Trump campaign has sought to smear a community leader who dared to speak out against Trump’s failed response to the Covid crisis. It is shameful,” according to The New York Times article.

    For more information on the Beastie Boys visit their website and for more information on the The Biden and Harris Presidential Campaign visit their website. 

    *Article Updated on October 23, 2020*

  • Aqueous Takes on The Silver Lake Twin Drive-In Again

    Aqueous announces their plans to perform at the Silver Lake Twin Drive-In. The drive-in is located in Perry, NY on October 24, 2020. 

    Aqueous Silver Lake Twin Drive-In

    This will be Silver Lake Twin Drive-In third time to host Aqueous. The drive-In also hosted two nights of live Aqueous fun, from the safety of viewers cars, back in August. This socially distanced concert experience is becoming a normality across the United States due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Silver Lake Twin Drive-In is located at 7037 Chapman Ave in Perry, NY. The Silver Lake Twin Drive-In produces weekend film features on two outdoor screens with a casual restaurant, mini-golf & more on-site.

    The gates for the show will open at 5pm at the Silver Lake Twin Drive-In and Aqueous will be live in front of screen one  at the drive-in from 6PM – 9PM. Tickets are going on sale at 10AM on October 9, 2020. The general admission for the show will be $125 for a four-person carload. The VIP tickets for the show will be $175 for a four-person carload. The VIP tickets include admission to show, parking spot in the first two rows, limited edition poster. Individual add-ons for cars over four people will be $40 per person for general admission and $60 per person for VIP ticket holders. 

    All the parking at the event will be designated by Drive-In Security. Management has final authority over where viewers may park. VIP parking will be in the first 2 rows of the Drive-In while general admission vehicle parking will be on a first-come-first-park basis behind the first 2 rows. To help with the obstruction of guests’ view, vans, trucks, and SUVs will be asked to park on one side of the snack bar or in the last three rows of the theater. To comply with social distancing guidelines, all vehicles must park at least 6 feet away from neighboring vehicles. Once parked, do not move your vehicle. If you choose to leave in your vehicle, you will not be permitted to re-enter the drive-in.

    People will be allowed to sit  outside their vehicles or in the back of a pickup truck as long as the patrons remain a minimum of 6 feet away from other guests. Face masks are not required unless you are in a public area within 6 feet of other guests. All guests must remain inside or near their vehicles at all times except for bathroom trips, to visit the snack bar or Charcoal Corral restaurant, walking your dog, or walking to a designated smoking area. All guests must wear face masks whenever they are in a public area within 6 feet of other guests until further notice.

    For more information on Aqueous and their upcoming shows visit their website.

  • Make Music Winter Celebration Returns in 2020

    Make Music Winter celebration will return in 2020 across the country on December 21. The celebration is free, outdoor, and will take place in different cities nationwide. Attendees of the musical event will not only be it’s audiences but also it’s participants into music makers.

    The third nationwide rendition of the Make Music Winter takes place on winter solstice, December 21, while its counterpart the Make Music Day takes place on summer solstice, June 21. The the winter celebration first started in 2011 in New York City. Since then the celebration has grown  and last year it took place in nearly 40 cities in the United States in 2019. The celebration will ring in the longest night of the year, and celebrate the end of 2020. Both celebrations are presented by The NAMM Foundation.

    Most of the celebrations include parades. Unlike a traditional parade, most of the events for this celebration will stay on the sidewalks. Some march through a park or along an elevated rail line, or ride on bicycles, or take place on train cars and platforms. However you do it, being mobile brings music throughout your city, and helps you stay warm in the winter weather. The events are also participatory. Meaning that everyone is invited to be part of the music-making, whether by singing, playing an instrument, tap dancing, carrying a boombox, or whatever the event calls for. The whole idea of the celebration is for everyone to make music together in celebration of winter solstice.

    This year’s celebration will be a socially-distanced event and will focus on keeping it’s participants as face as possible. People interested in participating should fill out this short form to register an event somewhere close to home.

    For more information on the Make Music Winter celebration this year visit their website.

  • LarkFest 2020 Cancelled Due to COVID-19

    LarkFest is a well known Albany tradition loved by it’s community for bringing guests from all over, vendors, artists, and musicians to the Lark Street Corridor in Albany. Unfortunately, this year the festivities have been cancelled due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The festival was scheduled to happen on September 19, 2020 from 10:30AM -5:30PM.

    LarkFest

    Lark fest is put on by the Lark Street Business Improvement District. It is a celebration of everything unique and exciting about Lark Street and the creative culture of the greater Capital Region of New York. LarkFest was cancelled this year due to the inability to keep attendees safe which is the festival’s highest priority. On top of the  inability to keep people socially distancing and safe, the restrictions on mass gatherings make it impossible to make LarkFest happen this year.

    The team behind LarkFest encourages people to continue to safely support the artists, musicians, businesses, and vendors that make this event so special each year despite it being cancelled this year. LarkFest plans to be back and booming in 2021. Until then, there are a few local arts & cultural organizations that are so critical to the foundation of what makes their community unique and beautiful the team behind LarkFest want to point people in the direction to support. These organizations include African American Cultural Center, Albany Center Gallery,  Albany Symphony Orchestra, Creative Impact Capital Region Artist Fund, Irish American Heritage Museum, Palace Theatre.

    For more information on LarkFest visit their website.

  • Summer Sonic Festival Takes to the Virtual Stage

    Summer Sonic Festival announced their 2020 festivities will take to the virtual stage. The festival will live-stream archived performances from big names like Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Rihanna, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips and many more. The free live-stream starts on July 22 and runs through to July 23 via the Summer Sonic YouTube channel at 7AM EST.

    Summer Sonic Festival is usually held in Osaka and Chiba, Japan at the Makuhari Messe Event Hall. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day and then go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The festival was founded in 2000 and typically features rock music. This year’s festivities were stopped due to the pandemic but the festival will go on in spirit on the virtual stage.

    The festival won’t be hosting live performances but will show highlights from the past 20 years. The archive performances include Boom Boom Satellites from 200, B’z from 2009, Coldplay from 2008, The Flaming Lips from 2009, Oasis from 2005, Sigur Ros from 2012 and Sonic Youth from 2009 on the July 22. The archive includes Green Day from 2012, Nine Inch Nails from 2009, Rihanna from 2012, The Prodigy from 2008, and X JAPAN from 2011 on July 23. The Summer Sonic archived performances will become available for streaming beginning at 8:00PM Japan time (4:00AM in Los Angeles, 7:00AM in New York) on July 23. The live-stream will free and available everywhere via Summer Sonic Festival’s YouTube channel.

    For more information and to see the full lineup please visit Summer Sonic Festival’s website.


  • Ben Folds Sums Up this Year with Single “2020”

    In response to the first six months of this “rollercoaster year,” Ben Folds has written a new single “2020.”

    The song expresses Folds’ take on 2020. “We seem to be currently reliving and cramming a number of historically tumultuous years into one,” he says. “For a moment it was all about the 1918 pandemic. Then we began seeing hints of the Great Depression before flipping the calendar forward to the Civil Rights protests of the 1960’s. Running beneath this is the feeling that we’re in the Cold War, while seeing elements that brought us to the Civil War rearing their head, making us wonder if we’ve learned a damn thing at all.”

    At the start of this year, Folds was on an orchestral tour of Australia. However, it was cancelled due to the pandemic, and is set to continue in 2021 along with his US tour. Since quarantine, Folds has been working on his next album, the sequel to his 2019 New York Times best selling memoir A Dream About Lightning Bugs, and other new creative projects.

    Folds notes that the current sense of accelerated time is not only “personally disorienting,” but “also artistically disorienting.” The single is about that, how so much seems to happen each day that topics can be “out of date or even inappropriate by noon.” “2020” touches on the fact that this year seems like several past years crammed into one.

    Despite today’s stress, Folds optimistically hopes for a better 2021 to come. “2020” is available for streaming now.

  • Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Decides to Cancel Their 2020 Season Due to COVID-19

    Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival announced it’s decision to cancel it’s 2020 festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival had previously planned to postpone their 2020 festival but decided to completely cancel it. Like many festivals out there right now, the priority of keeping people safe trumps the priority of the festival happening this year. 

    Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival was originally postponed to September 24-27 back in March. The festival was ultimately cancelled on June 24 via a statement made on their website. Their statement on their reasons behind cancelling the festival said, “Our annual time together on the Farm is nothing short of magical, but out of an abundance of caution and for the health and safety of all Bonnaroovians, artists, staff, partners and our community, this is a necessary reality.  More information on lineup, camping and accommodations will be available at a later date.”

    The festival will be offering for current ticket holders to either having their tickets roll over to the 2021 season or to get a refund on their tickets. Ticket holders will have to log into their Frontgate account and select the refund option starting on July 1, 2020 and will be able to request refunds until July 31, 2020. Ticket holders who don’t request a refund within this time will have their ticket automatically roll over to the 2021 festival. Ticket holders who purchased from Nashville Shuttle, Airport Shuttle, Hotel package, or purchased tickets through Lyte, Fevo, or Ticketmaster Resale, there will not be a rollover ticket option for 2021. Those ticket orders will be automatically refunded and will be issued to your original method of payment.

    Although there will be no Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this year, a weekend-long virtual festival will be taking place on the rescheduled Bonnaroo dates September 24-27, 2020. The virtual festival will include some of the staff’s favorite moments from past and present, along with some special surprises. There will be more details on this released on this virtual festival soon.

    For more information on the Cancellation of the 2020 season and the virtual festival visit Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival’s website.