As his quarantine beard grew, his anxieties and frustrations with stagnation also grew and Chad Galactic racked his brain to come up with ideas to raise funds for out-of-work artists. Feeling inspired, he started by designing stickers with artist and friend “PickleKing,” which created a stream of income for those in need.
Galactic kept the ball rolling and was motivated to assemble an all-star band that recorded a cover of the song “Shake Your Rump” by the Beastie Boys. Joining him from The Mother Hips, guitarist Greg Loiacono and bassist Brian Rashap, Tea Leaf Green drummer Scotty Rager, and Jack Johnson/ALO keyboardist Zach Gill. Even Beastie Boys’ own DJ/Producer DJ Hurricane participated on the track. And in true Galactic style, Chad took on all three of the Boys’ vocal parts.
To accompany the track, Galactic also created a YAUCH Love Merch Store where half of the proceeds are being donated to the Tibetan Monks that Adam “MCA” Yauch loved so dearly. Yauch’s life accomplishments have been so influential on Galactic that he felt very deeply to find a way to honor him.
Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca was established in 1992 as the North American seat of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamsala, India. Between 1992 and 2014 the monastery was housed in an old Victorian era house in downtown Ithaca, NY and today has since moved to a larger complex on 28 acres of land, three miles south of Ithaca. The monastery offers retreated, weekend intensives on a variety of subjects in Tibetan Buddhism, as well as evening classes in the fall and spring.
An upcoming live stream by The FoodRap Duo features Chad Galactic & Reed Mathis on Wednesday, June 23 at 6:23 PM PT on Facebook Live.
In an industry filled with chicanery, few have been as authentic as the late Prodigy. Born, Albert Johnson, the diminutive emcee experienced enough for several lifetimes, always staying true to himself, or in his own words, “keeping it thoro.”
As a rapper, Prodigy was known for his opening bars that would set the tone. Encapsulating an entire record with his first couple of lines. In that sense, his upbringing served a similar purpose, setting the tone for what became an oft-dangerous career and an even more lawless life.
Hailing from Hempstead, New York in Long Island, Prodigy’s musical feel had been cultivated from an early age. His grandfather, Budd Johnson, was a saxophonist who worked extensively with the likes of; Dizzy Gillepsie, Quincy Jones and Duke Ellington. His grand-uncle, Keg Johnson, was a trombonist who played with Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway.
The musical lineage carried on with his parents as his mother, Frances Johnson, was an original member of pioneering 1960’s girl group, The Crystals. And his father, Budd Johnson Jr., was a member of a doo-wop music group called, The Chanters.
Additionally, Prodigy’s paternal grandmother, Bernice Johnson, operated a successful dance school in her Jamaica, Queens backyard, where he spent a bulk of his childhood. A young Prodigy was honed in musical arts at an early age and was hardened by a diagnosis of sickle cell anemia, a chronic blood disease found primarily in people of African descent, which often resulted in long hospital stints.
In a Vibe Magazine interview preceding the release of his solo debut, H.N.I.C., prodigy shared a glimpse of his battle with the fatal disease:
The sickle-cell got me where doctors said I couldn’t play sports, I couldn’t overexert myself…I been going to the hospital since I was born, about 10 times a year, for about a week or two each time. I don’t know, man, some psychological sh*t goes down. I be all doped up for weeks. Morphine, Demerol—a whole bunch of drugs.
Despite a cultured upbringing, Prodigy’s condition and his nuclear family’s real life struggles kept him conscious of the harsh realities of the outside world.
My pops did a lot of stupid sh*t, man,” Prodigy revealed. “One time the n***a took me to rob a jewelry store. I was like, 5. He didn’t give a f**k, though. He was like, ‘This is my son. He can see everything I do.’ I love him for that. Even though it might not be right, so what? That was my pops!
Even though his roots were in Hempstead and Lefrak City, Queensbridge became part of Prodigy’s identity. That’s where most of his friends were from (including Havoc, the other half of Mobb Deep) and where he spent much of his time.
Prodigy (left) Havoc (right)
As he became invested in the street life, the determination to make it as a rapper grew tenfold. A 16-year-old Prodigy tasted minor success with an uncredited guest-verse on the Hi-Five record “Too Young,” which was featured on the Boyz’ N The Hood soundtrack.
From there, the Mobb Deep story reads like a feature presentation. From waiting outside of the Def Jam records offices in hopes that someone would listen to their demo — where Havoc not only brought a gun but managed to shoot someone — to world tours, platinum selling albums (and flops), Prodigy remained “thoro” in every sense of the made-up word.
In many ways, his life in the streets shaped the way he acted, talked and what he rapped about.
Everybody sold drugs. It made me stop caring about school and start caring about how I looked. I started acting up even more after school to prove to my friends in the hood that I was still cool. I was a crazy little kid. I blame sickle- cell and my father.
When he was embroiled in a rap beef with Jay – Z, he didn’t spend much-time trading diss records, instead he and his crew ran up on Jay – Z, according to his autobiography, My Infamous Life:
I walked over to my people. ‘Where’s Jay-Z?’ I asked, surveying the shadows of Justin’s. ‘I don’t see him.’ So we lined the front door of Justin’s on both sides. We weren’t going to let Jay-Z leave without dealing with us first. ‘P, we’re gonna beat the lips off Jay’s face [as] soon as we see him,’ Godfather, Nitty, and Nitty’s cousin Kiko all assured me. Kiko had a gun and he wanted to shoot Jay.
‘No! It’s not that serious,’ I said. ‘We’re just gonna beat him up. Don’t pull that gun out.’ Through the crowd, I saw Jay and Jermaine walking with three bodyguards towards us. Jermaine Dupri was aware of my beef with him and was visibly shook, started speed walking with his bodyguard when he saw me. He quickly hightailed it out the door. Jay-Z spotted us lined up against the door waiting for him. Then from about two yards away, he extended his hand to shake mine.
‘It ain’t no beef,’ Jay said. ‘It’s just music, man. No drama.’
Prodigy is cut from the cloth of “if you said it then you lived it.” That’s why he admittedly was not embarrassed when Jay put up a picture of a 12-year-old Prodigy dressed in a Michael Jackson getup on the titantron, during his Summer Jam set in 2001, in an attempt to humiliate him.
In his mind, Michael Jackson was the biggest act in the world at the time and everyone was a fan of him, there was no shame in that (he also rumors that Ashanti, who was a student at his grandmother’s dance studio where the picture hung, is the one who delivered the image to his adversaries). In an ironic twist, Jay – Z was applauded for being able to get Michael Jackson to make an appearance at the very same edition SummerJam! Further proving Prodigy’s point, but the industry doesn’t view the world like he does.
The best way to summarize Prodigy’s makeup as a man, is to look at the reason behind his three-year prison sentence. After getting pulled over for an illegal U-turn, police searched his SUV, found a gun and took him in for investigation. Except, these cops didn’t care about the gun. They were the “hip hop police” and were more interested in his relationship with 50 Cent, to whom Prodigy and Havoc were signed to at the time. They tried making a deal with him that would keep him from serving any time, but Prodigy provided no information. They became desperate and one of the officers asked, “Between us, maybe you can drop a gun in a 50’s car and help us get him.”
In October, 2007, he was convicted for possession of an illegal firearm, halting his career and all business dealings he had in the works.
Of course not all bad things are for naught. It was during this time that Prodigy penned his autobiography and gained considerable knowledge of self and began to transform himself into more of a spiritual being, believing in the presence of abstract entities. How else could he have made it this far?
The H.N.I.C. didn’t live much longer as he passed away on June, 20 2017, due to complications of his sickle cell anemia. Fans of his can find comfort in knowing that Prodigy was one of if not the realest rapper and that he wasn’t all industry like his more commercially successful counterparts.
When hip hop went full glitz and glamour during the “shiny suit era,” of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Prodigy doubled down and recorded his solo debut. He put out even more gutter street music, filled with violence and more vivid tales of guns, drugs and murders, because that’s what was really happening. His appeal to a major-label subsequently plateaued and Prodigy spent much of his later years releasing music through independent labels.
Ultimately, he would be proud to know that his life was captured in the opening line from one of his most memorable records. Because he really did “break bread, ribs and hundred dollar bills.”
Tupac, Ja Rule—a whole bunch of people talk about pain. “And Tupac, he even said some sh*t about my sickle-cell [on his song ‘Hit ‘Em Up’], so that inspired me to make a real song to show n***as what pain is.
The Lesson GK shared the upbeat new single “Boogie” featuring DJ Premier. The first glimpse of what is bound to be the underground hit of the summer.
The Lesson GK, a diverse multi-instrumental collective residing in New York City featuring Lenny “The Ox” Reece, J. Hoard, and more, have announced their long awaited debut full-length album Another World, to be released on June 25 via Jammcard Records. This will be the inaugural official release from Jammcard Records, a brand new arm of Jammcard, the Music Professionals Network.
DJ Premier, producer and half of the duo Gang Starr, said of the collaboration, “I love their whole movement! You can tell that the soul is in every player and musician that plays along with them. And J.Hoard, just his singing, his style, his flambioency, everything is just fully packaged and it’s a must see if you’ve never seen or heard them.”
As for Another World, fans have been asking for an album to take home for ages, but the band didn’t want to rush it. Now, the time finally felt right to take production from the stage to the studio, in a way that was most authentic for the group.
“Usually people write a song, compose it, record, then figure out how to get it live but we do it live first,” explained Lenny of their process. “We tricked ourselves into making an album. We all care so much about what happens – we’re all best friends – this is our passion project. Sometimes caring so much can be a hindrance, so we started with making a beat tape to set low stakes, but we tricked ourselves into making a tape that came ultimately together into an album.”
The care, the heart, the community can be fully heard on The Lesson GK’s new music. It’s the perfect sound for summer and an anthem for modern times.
The latest effort from Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo is now available for consumption. Released under Mello Music Group (which has released albums with the likes of: Ghostface Killah, Joel Ortiz, Pete Rock & Apollo Brown), the 14-track, 56-minute album is a reflection of the socio-economic impacts of modern-day gentrification within inner-city neighborhoods.
Skyzoo, born Gregory Skyler Taylor, brings a full-circle perspective to the listener. Growing up during one of the peaks for crime in New York City, he can reference the good and bad between the two eras. From the lawlessness and the heightened sense of self that the 1990’s brought, the changing of the guard in the mid-aughts where being “gangster” gave way to “backpack rap” and being openly nerdy, to present-day, where the culmination of the previous epochs have helped shape our current social-political climate.
My music has always been a combination of a few things: storytelling, motive, and reflection. I tell stories that speak on the motives of those I grew up with and why they’re such, and then reflect on how those things impacted us all, both my inner circle and subconsciously, the listener.
A long-serving and accomplished artist, Skyzoo has been releasing music since the early 2000s. Gaining notoriety for his solo work as well as collaborations with the likes of: 9th Wonder, Wale, Ghostface Killah, Pharoahe Monche, Black Thought, Dr. Dre, Spike Lee, amongst others. He gained further recognition after being featured on the soundtracks for basketball videos games NBA 2K11 and NBA 2K12.
Dr, Dre (Left) Skyzoo (Right)
All The Brilliant Things is the veteran emcee’s first project since his 2020 EP Milestones and his first album since 2019’s Retropolitan, but has been in the works for over three years.
The idea was to truly try and tackle the realities of gentrification, and this new era of cultural appropriation, commonly known as ‘culture vulturing.’ The way they intertwine with one another, parallel at times, and how us as the residents of our long standing homes and creatures of these cultures have been stripped of it, or at times let it happen, and even in some cases sadly helped it happen, all for what we assumed was our best interest. The irony of it all is, despite how it all makes us feel in hindsight, one would have to admit that the orchestration of it was truly brilliant. Brutal, and heinous, but somehow pretty brilliant. Hence the title of the album.
You can now purchase, add and favorite Skyzoo’s All The Brilliant Thingsat your preferred DSP.
Today marks what would have been Tupac Shakur’s 50th birthday. 25 years after his tragic death, Shakur is still relevant within pop culture as his influence has paved the waved for the generations that followed. Born, Lesane Parish Crooks, in the East Harlem Section of Manhattan, Tupac is widely recognized as one of the most influential rap artists of all time and was even named on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Artists.
Every rapper who grew up in the Nineties owes something to Tupac. People either try to emulate him in some way, or they go in a different direction because they didn’t like what he did. But whatever you think of him, he definitely developed his own style: He didn’t sound like anyone who came before him.
— 50 Cent
Despite hailing from New York, Shakur’s ambitions were never rooted to the City, attending performing arts school in Baltimore, alongside Jada Pinkett, later moving out West in pursuit of his dreams as a rapper. Shakur would link up with hip hop group Digital Underground in 1991, going from dancer to roadie to band member. Much of his early solo work was produced by Shock G, Digital underground’s frontman.
Riding around in the car headed to a workout with Bronny listening to 2pac “Makaveli” is pure joy to me! “Hold Ya Head” just went off followed by “Against All Odds”
Here we can see a young Tupac Shakur performing live on the Arsenio Hall Show alongside Shock G during the height of the group’s popularity, serving on backup dancer duty.
Shakur was placed in the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry in the mid-1990’s. On November 30, 1994, after arriving at the world-renowned Quad Studios for a recording session, Tupac was ambushed by a group of stick up kids looking to relieve the rapper of his jewelry. Shakur shot himself in the groin while reaching for a gun to protect himself. The Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy were at Quad Studios at the time of the attack. Tupac subsequently blamed them for setting him up, and thus began the rivalry that would eventually prove fatal to both sides.
Shakur’s parents had been active Black Panther Party members in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A month before Tupac’s birth, his mother Afeni was tried in New York City as part of the Panther 21 criminal trial.
Watch How Tupac Influenced the popular book, The Hate You Give
Tupac’s first stage name was MC New York, in 1989. Shakur’s discography includes eleven albums, seven of which were posthumously released. Greatest Hits, a collection of Tupac’s most popular songs is currently the best selling rap-compilation album of all time
Watch Tupac And Biggie Preform in Brooklyn
Tupac is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, selling over 75 million records worldwide. In 2002, he was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible.
Watch Tupac Roam the Streets of NYC
During Shakur’s film career, he starred in the movie Juice, which was written and shot in NYC.
25 years after his death, Tupac and his music is still a significant impact in our society. Tupac’s birthday is celebrated by hip hop and music lovers worldwide.
On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was fatally shot after leaving a boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. At approximately 11:15 pm, a white Cadillac pulled up next to the BMW sedan that was escorting Tupac and fired several shots. Shakur was hit four times and the driver — Death Row head honcho, Suge Knight — had a bullet lodged in his head. Shakur remained on life support for six days after his shooting. Eventually passing on September 13, 1996.
Whats your favorite Tupac Song? Let us know in the comments below.
Fans can celebrate Tupac’s career by listening to his music here on Spotify.
The trappings of inner-city life are evident in many of those who have had to experience it. To the end that growing up in or near a housing project can lead to many tumultuous situations. The terrain of public housing is a breeding ground for congregation. Factor in the extreme poverty, and public housing projects have become hubs for all kinds of illegal drug and gang activities.
Stack Bundles (left) and Max B (right)
It doesn’t take much to falter in those conditions and for some, making it out without succumbing to the influences of the streets can feel like walking in quicksand. With that in mind, when someone has a chance to escape the repetitive cycle of implodement, there are contrasting feelings and behaviors from peers. Some live vicariously through the impending defect-ee, while it breeds contempt within others.
Such was the case for up-and-coming rap star, Stack Bundles. Hailing from Redfern Houses in Far Rockaway, Queens, one of the most dangerous housing projects in New York, where death had become the norm, according to the New York Times.
Mourning the murdered has become a familiar routine at the Redfern Houses in Far Rockaway, Queens. First there are the makeshift memorials, with flowers and candles and a smattering of personal items. Then, the dead often get more permanent epitaphs scrawled on the walls of the apartment house they called home.
Who Was Stack Bundles?
Jim Jones (left) and Stack Bundled (right)
Born Rayquon Elliott, the slain rapper had made a name for himself with his “compelling raps, magnetic personality, and unique fashion sense.” Which gave him the attention of Dipset general, Jim Jones. Along came ByrdGang (Jones’ crew) affiliation and a prominent feature on Jim Jones’ “Weatherman,” with Lil Wayne.
The record’s success meant Stack Bundles had enough gravitas to go on tour with Lil Wayne, where he began to cultivate relationships with Wayne and other important figures in the music industry. Moreover, he already had strong ties with Jones, Wayne, DJ Clue, Lupe Fiasco and Funk Flex, amongst others. It seemed as though a record deal and a major-label debut was inevitable.
Unfortunately, not every rags-to-riches tale comes to fruition and on June 11, 2007, a 24-year-old Stack Bundles was fatally shot as he was heading into his apartment building in the morning’s wee hours. In detail, Stack spent the night out with friends at a Manhattan nightclub, he was approached by an unknown number of assailants and shot in his head and neck as he entered his building, according to relatives and acquaintances.
Per routine, Stack’s friends and family celebrated his life with a small memorial outside of his building, with candles, copies of his CD’s and a White Castle bag from the fatal night he killed.
All in all, Stack Bundles is a Far Rockaway legend. However, his legend serves as a harrowing reminder that no matter how close one is to making it out, the drawbacks of the inner-city wait for no one.
East Coast meets the Midwest on the Lex Luger assisted banger featuring Chicago rapper, Valee. From Staten Island bred, classical music composer, MVW (Michael Vincent Waller), the two-minute long record is the second single released from his upcoming project, Classic$ (the first hip-hop project from Michael Vincent Waller after releasing three classical albums). With “Still Do” following the Shanique Marie and Lex Luger assisted, “Survey Says.”
A sui generis collaboration, MVW is recognized in the classical world for his portrayal of “melodic classicism.” Something that this record subtly and blatantly emphasizes.
On the vision behind his upcoming project, MVW explains,
My core intention on Classic$ is to get classical music into hip-hop without dissolving either. It’s about allowing the production and samples to breathe organically. We’re not simply trying to add orchestral heavy strings. Instead, we’re relying on dark and episodic chamberal moments, which fit naturally. I hope people are like, I didn’t know classical music could be so funky. I can’t believe trap [music] is so sensuous and beautiful.
Michael Vincent Waller
“Still Do,” is rich in production. It begins with a sensual violin solo which loops throughout before light strings and a thumping drum track starts the record. Light keys are sprinkled throughout the loop and Valee echoes his rhymes of a luxurious life, with trap and classical genres working together symbiotically.
Still do, get the guap we still do. B*tch want to hit up 90210 to shop we still do.
The production on the song just spoke to me, Valee says of the record. I knew I had to do something different and use a brand new flow for it.
Valee
On Classic$, MVW also recruits multi-platinum producer Lex Luger (known for his extravagant sounding orchestral beats and unique use of ihats to open records), whose work with the likes of Rick Ross, Kanye West, Waka Flocka Flame amongst others have made him world renowned.
The two have co-produced multiple records for the album as they have unlocked a bridge between their two worlds.
Lex Luger on the beat
I want to take the same attention to detail associated with classical and chamber music and apply it to one of the most viable, listenable, and casual genres, i.e. trap, explains MVW.
It’s got freshness and energy, but there are a whole bunch of nuances and details you don’t typically hear in modern rap. I’m trying to take the best of both worlds.
The anticipated posthumous album — Exodus — from recently deceased rap legend, DMX, has arrived. Executive produced by longtime collaborator and friend — Swizz Beats — the 13-track project features a myriad of prominent entertainers past and present.
The likes of Jay – Z, Alicia Keys, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Usher, the Lox and Swizz Beats himself all grace the album, giving it a nostalgic feel as DMX’s former contemporaries share the stage with him one last time. And while the rumored Pop Smoke record didn’t make the final cut, there is still fresh energy from the likes of Memphis-bred, Moneybagg Yo and Griselda trio, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher.
While DMX confirmed an upcoming album several months before his death, the record’s prominence grew after the rapper’s untimely passing at age 50, after suffering from a heart attack on April 2. With his death not being confirmed until a week later, it gave fans a chance to appreciate DMX’s unique contributions to the genre of hip hop. From his raw and grizzly delivery, to his brutally honest dissertations on his battles with addiction and his troubled upbringing.
Alas, his fans can rejoice in the fact that DMX gave his all on his final effort.
It’s not an album that was pieced together after he passed, revealed Swizz Beats. We had plans to do a two-month cleansing and workout [program] before we came with the album. He was going to rebrand himself with new photos of him looking the best that he could look … But unfortunately we didn’t get to that part.
Exodus may also serve as closure for supporters of the oft-embattled rap legend. DMX lived a troubled life, and after superstardom, he began to make headlines for his legal troubles and his addictions as often as he did for his music.
I can at least listen to a song now without breaking down. I’m making it look strong, but I’m crushed, I’m destroyed, I’m hurt. But I had to pull this through for him and his family and for his legacy, shared Swizz Beats.
With a near decade-long hiatus in between albums, ‘X took time to get clean and refocused and after his Verzuz battle with Snoop Dogg, he was humbled and excited to know that he still held a place in the fans heart. On Exodus, we hear — for maybe the last time — what a focused and motivated DMX sounds like.
The Windy City will see the return of Pitchfork Music Festival and Lollapalooza for engagements this summer. Grant Park will host Lollapalooza July 29-August 1, while Pitchfork Music Festival will return to the friendly confines of Union Park over September 10-12.
CHICAGO, IL – JULY 31: Recording artist Flume performs on the Samsung Stage at Lollapalooza 2016 – Day 4 at Grant Park on July 31, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Samsung)
Lollapalooza celebrates its 30th year as a world-class festival in 2021, and has been known since inception for its multi-genre, diverse lineups. More than 165 bands will perform on eight stages over four full days of music July 29-August 1 in Chicago’s crown jewel, Grant Park. 4-Day Tickets are on sale now at lollapalooza.com.
The all-star lineup for Lollapalooza includes Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Tyler, The Creator, Miley Cyrus, DaBaby, Marshmello, Illenium, Journey, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, Alison Wonderland, Brittany Howard, LAUV, Kim Petras, Omar Apollo, Ashe, LP, Jacob Banks, Olivia O’Brien, Princess Nokia, Trevor Daniel, and more.
Launched by founder Perry Farrell in 1991 as a touring festival, Lollapalooza remains an innovator in festival culture over 25 years later. Lollapalooza was the first festival to bring together artists from a wide range of musical genres on one bill, it was also the first to travel, the first to expand to multiple days, the first to introduce a second stage, the first to blend art and activism, the first to offset its carbon emissions, the first to put electronic music artists on the main stage, the first to create family friendly programming, the first to make its home in an urban city center and the first to expand internationally.
In accordance with current local public health guidance, full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results will be required to attend Lollapalooza 2021. For patrons who are not fully vaccinated, a negative COVID-19 test result must be obtained within 24 hours of attending Lollapalooza each day. Details on the festival entry process will be available in early July. Lollapalooza is excited to partner with the City of Chicago to encourage vaccination in Chicago in the weeks prior to the festival. If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccines or to find a vaccination location near you, please visit www.vaccinefinder.org.
For 15 years, the Pitchfork Music Festival has delivered an eclectic musical lineup, singular in its ability to place contemporary, cutting-edge acts alongside some of the most revered artists of our time. It’s this unique blend of discovery and tradition that makes the Pitchfork Music Festival stand out as one of the most celebrated weekends of the year.
Pitchfork Music Festival opens on Friday, September 10 with Phoebe Bridgers, Big Thief, Animal Collective, Yaeji, The Fiery Furnaces (their first show in over a decade), black midi, Hop Along, Kelly Lee Owens, Ela Minus, DEHD, The Soft Pink Truth, DJ Nate, Dogleg, and Armand Hammer.
Saturday features St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon, Ty Segall & Freedom Band, Waxahatchee, Jay Electronica, Jamila Woods, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Faye Webster, Amaarae, Maxo Kream, Divino Niño, Bartees Strange, and Horsegirl.
On Sunday, the festival hosts Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Danny Brown, Cat Power, Andy Shauf, Caroline Polachek, Yves Tumor, The Weather Station, Mariah the Scientist, oso oso, KeiyaA, Special Interest, and Cassandra Jenkins.
Pitchfork Music Festival tickets are now on sale here. Three-day passes are $195 and single-day passes are $90. The Pitchfork PLUS upgrade, including a range of exclusive amenities, is $385 for a three-day pass and $185 for a single-day pass. If the festival is postponed or rescheduled due to COVID-19, ticket buyers can keep their passes for the new dates or request a refund. More details are available here.
To ensure the health and safety of guests, artists, and staff, the Pitchfork Music Festival will adhere to the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 protocol, and will keep attendees updated as federal, state, and local regulations evolve.
Closing out Season 46 of Saturday Night Light, musical guest Lil Nas X worked through a wardrobe malfunction as The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy hosted flawlessly on an emotional finale.
The episode began with a full cast cold open looking back on the ups and downs of the past year, including an appearance by the host of the first episode of the season, Chris Rock. This also marked the first time all season that SNL had full (and vaccinated) in-studio audience.
Just over a week before the start of Pride month, Nas appeared in a pre-recorded take on Madonna’s “Holiday” with Kate McKinnon, Bowen Yang and Punkie Johnson all looking forward to all things Pride – parades, brunch, clubs, drama – that were missed due to COVID-19 in 2020.
For his first song, Lil Nas X performed “Montero (Call me by your Name),” the music video for which he received criticism from the religious right for twerking with Satan. On the stage in Studio 8H, Lil Nas X used a stripper pole while flanked by dancers, and with 30 seconds left in the song, split his pants. Seamlessly, Lil Nas X continued to perform with his hand covering his crotch, ending with a striking image of himself with giant wings projected behind him. He didn’t let on about the malfunction until a Tweet a few minutes later.
The second performance of the night featured the just released track “Sun Goes Down.” The more vulnerable turn finds Lil Nas X wearing a white suit and reflecting on the suicidal thoughts he had while growing up gay and in the closet. With lyrics “Since ten, I’ve been feelin’ lonely / Had friends but they was pickin’ on me / these gay thoughts would always haunt me / I prayed God would take it from me,” “Sun Goes Down” elaborates on why he was so bold about trolling conservatives with more vulnerability than we’ve seen yet.
That’s all for Season 46 of Saturday Night Live. Stay tuned for Season 47 starting in September/October 2021. What was your favorite musical guest of the season? Share in the comments below.
