#plus kendrick has a pulitzer prize so–

[belle-keys]

[cyarskj1899]

[narcoticwriter]

Alright, I cooked up a little theory on all of this beef between Kendrick and Drake and I am likely reaching a lot, but I would like to pay attention to this lyric in particular:

"One, two, three, four, five, plus five, ayy"

This is referencing how many tracks Kendrick claims he has left, which is 10. Now, if we count this together, Kendrick will have 14 tracks dissing Drake specifically (yes, I'm counting the track with Metro and Future in it).

Why is this important? Because I was thinking about it as every song is like a bullet being unloaded into Drake at this point. And the comparison struck me as odd.

So I looked it up and there are gun magazines that can hold 14 bullets specifically, one of them being the Glock .40 caliber gun. Why is this gun relevant?

Because it's the same one that killed Tupac.

And why is that relevant?

Well, whose voice did Drake necromance in one of his diss tracks recently with AI? And who does Drake admire and so much so that one of his songs plays whenever he opens his toilet?

Yeah.

Like I said before, I might be reaching, but coming from the guy that won a Pulitzer prize? It wouldn't surprise me if it's real and he did that on purpose and if that happens to be the case...

Holy fuck, that's a lot of layers to pick through.

Edit: The count is 15 if you include the Metro and Future track, but the magazine is more commonly found with 15 bullets anyway. So the point still stands.

[kartiavelino]

The highs and lows of pop culture in 2018

While some things in the world could be going better, it was at least another fascinating year in pop culture. A yodeling boy from a Walmart aisle 3 went viral, the people behind the charming “Crazy Rich Asians” got crazy rich and The Rock took a breather by only releasing 16 projects. In a nod to Brett Kavanaugh, let’s flip back through our calendars and revisit the highs — and yes, some lows — of TV, movies, music and celebrities this past year. Jan. 28 Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Kesha at the Grammys The singer is joined onstage by dozens of white-clad female singers for a buzzworthy #MeToo tribute. Too bad the show was broadcast on CBS. Feb. 4 Justin Timberlake flops at Super Bowl LII Justin Timberlake returns to the big game’s halftime show after the notorious 2004 “wardrobe malfunction” and underwhelms with a milquetoast medley. They should have just had the Prince hologram perform the whole thing. Jack’s death revealed on “This Is Us” Crock-Pot cooked when it’s forced to defend itself after a very special episode of the weepy drama finally clears up a long-running mystery, revealing that a fire caused by a slow cooker led to Jack’s demise. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Nor would you want to. Feb. 16 [embedded content] “Black Panther” storms theaters A film about a third-tier character, who’s had trouble even sustaining his own comic book title over the years, goes on to become the year’s biggest domestic earner. Man, studios should really start making some superhero flicks. Feb. 18 [embedded content] Fergie botches the national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game The singer shoots the vocal equivalent of an airball with a slowed-down, sexed-up version. The NBA hasn’t been party to a musical travesty this bad since the last time Knicks owner James Dolan’s rock band performed. March 16 “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opens on Broadway The red-hot London import bows on Broadway, and audiences watch as their money disappears, with scalped seats to see the original story about the adult wizard asking as much as $5,000. March 27 Adam Rose/ABC via AP “Roseanne” returns ABC revives the blunt-force sitcom after a nearly 21-year hiatus, giving the network enough time to plan for absolutely every factor that could affect the show’s success. Absolutely every one. April 16 Kendrick Lamar wins a Pulitzer Prize In a curveball, the awards committee hands the prestigious prize to the rapper for his album “DAMN.” The honor comes with a $15,000 prize. “Do you have change for a $30,000?” Lamar asks the committee. April 28 Reuters Michelle Wolf stirs controversy at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Wolf roasts Donald Trump, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the media so ferociously, it forces the hosting body to actually rethink the dumb event. May 18 Peter steals “Deadpool 2” Despite all the new characters crammed into the sequel, it’s Peter, the dad-bod everyman member of X-Force played by Rob Delaney, who is the breakout. His eventual Disney ride will allow visitors to sit in a comfy chair and compute their earned income tax credit. May 19 AP Prince Harry weds Meghan Markle The British heir marries mixed-race American Meghan Markle, leading to endless speculation about whether Harry’s family will accept someone so different. After all, Markle is only cable-TV-star-rich. June “Fortnite” continues to dominate screens In June, the video-game maker announces it has attracted a whopping 125 million players — though most of us are no closer to knowing what the hell it is. June 15 Wretched “Gotti” opens The biopic starring John Travolta as the infamous mob boss gets whacked by critics, earning a 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers might rather spend a year in a maximum-security federal prison. June 21 [embedded content] Paul McCartney goes for a “Carpool Karaoke” In arguably the greatest installment of the long-running late-night segment, the former Beatle returns to Liverpool, stopping by his childhood home and rolling down Penny Lane. All the while, Paul makes sure to introduce himself to stunned locals, as if they don’t know who he is. That’s for Ringo. June 29 Drake acknowledges secret child on “Scorpion” After weeks of rumors, the rapper steps up nobly and confirms that he has a son with a French woman. “I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world/I was hiding the world from my kid,” he raps on the album. Might want to hide those old episodes of “Degrassi” from him, as well. Sept. 20 Disney chief announces pull-back on “Star Wars” After the summer’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” fizzles, Disney’s Bob Iger admits in an interview that the amount of “Star Wars” material may have been “a little too much.” Bad news for people hoping for a trilogy about how Greedo got his vest. Oct. 11 CNP/startraksphoto.com Kanye West visits the White House Ye stops by the Oval Office and launches into a rambling 10-minute monologue that is so incoherent, he nearly lands a position in Trump’s cabinet. Oct. 14 Celebrity couple-of-the-moment Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson split Who’d have thought we’d ever live in a world where two kids who moved in together, got matching tattoos and got engaged a few weeks after meeting don’t last? Nov. 12 Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Stan Lee dies The world, and fanboys, mourn after pop-culture force Lee passes away. On the plus side, he accomplishes something that’s unheard of at Marvel: actually ending a story. Dec. 16 Kentucky radio station plays “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” for two straight hours The station says the song captures what the holidays are truly about: providing gathered families with petty culture-war ammunition to argue about around the tree. Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/12/27/the-highs-and-lows-of-pop-culture-in-2018/ The post The highs and lows of pop culture in 2018 appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://www.kartiavelino.com/2018/12/the-highs-and-lows-of-pop-culture-in-2018.html

[sinceileftyoublog]

Live Picks: 6/15-6/17

Self Defense Family

BY JORDAN MAINZER

This weekend sees Taste of Randolph, an unexpectedly good booking at Winnetka Music Festival, and as usual, lots of good club and outdoor theater shows.

6/15: Bitchin Bajas, Hungry Brain

We’re big fans of local experimental heroes Bitchin Bajas here at SILY. They’ve given great, organ, synth, guitar, and woodwind-heavy sets at Pitchfork Music Festival and the MCA, and their most recent album Bajas Fresh was one of our favorites of last year. They’re on quite the streak, their self-titled record and collaboration with Bonnie “Prince” Billy preceding Bajas Fresh, cementing the band as one of the most forward-thinking in the country, let alone Chicago. They continue to do their thing at Hungry Brain tonight.

Local guitarist/synth master Sam Wagster opens.

6/15: Kendrick Lamar, SZA, ScHoolboyQ, & Ab-Soul, Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre

To Pimp a Butterfly. Untitled Unmastered. DAMN. Besides Young Thug, Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar (ed. note: It feels so good to type that) is the only person to appear on all of SILY’s year-end lists. That says more about Lamar being prolific than anything else, not to take away from the quality of his art. In addition to being a master storyteller, he’s the best live performer in hip hop today. To see him alone is essential. To see him along with his fellow TDE label-mates is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

SZA, one of the best breakouts of last year, occupied our #17 spot with CTRL. Contributor Lauren Lederman described it as “an album that explores the electricity, the beauty, the messiness, and the self-consciousness of present-day relationships” as well as “a close examination of modern sex and romance that doesn’t hold back.” Judging solely from her Grammy performance, she should have the vocal chops to bring a headline-worthy performance, permanent damage aside.

Blank Face LP, the fourth album from ScHoolboyQ, was his best. It didn’t have any obvious standouts like “Hands on the Wheel”, one of the best rap songs of the decade (though the Kanye West-featuring “That Part” comes close). But it was more cohesive than his previous records, and decidedly darker, going through his scars with less humor than before. He announced last year that he would release yet another album, which still doesn’t seem to be quite done. Apparently, he recorded around 50 songs for it. Hopefully, he’s whittling it down to the best, showing more curatorial restraint than the aforementioned previous “That Part” collaborator. 

I’ve always felt somewhat bad for Ab-Soul. The rapper’s breakout, 2012′s Control System, was sort of left in the TDE/Black Hippy dust when Lamar and ScHoolboyQ released bigger records (though I’ll take Control System over Habits & Contradictions any day). He’s followed it up with inferior albums that are still good but therefore finds himself billed 5th here. If you’re going to this, be sure to arrive early to catch this heady MC.

Rappers Jay Rock and Lance Skiiiwalker and singer SiR also open.

6/15: Brandi Carlile, Chicago Theatre

Alt-country folk rocker Brandi Carlile has been releasing great records since 2005, when she released her self-titled debut. 2007′s The Story had a title track anthem that found its way onto films and TV shows, as well as a low-key emotional centerpiece “Turpentine”. In 2009, she released the Americana-tinged Give Up The Ghost Americana-tinged and followed it up with the gospel-infused Bear Creek in 2012. Her last two, 2015′s The Firewatcher’s Daughter and 2018′s By The Way, I Forgive You were steps down as a whole but still had great songs, namely singles “Wherever Is Your Heart” and vocal powerhouse performance “The Joke”. While her set should be heavy on the new record, she’s an incredible talent, seemingly able to conjure the weariness that pervades her best songs on a dime when performing live.  

Americana duo The Secret Sisters open.

6/15: Low Cut Connie, Winnetka Music Festival

Low Cut Connie’s new album Dirty Pictures Pt. 2 is a lot like their other albums: retro and emotive, sometimes for the sake of it. But the live show of Adam Weiner and company continues to be the main draw for seeing them--including their plethora of classic covers. They play at 7:00 P.M. at the BMO Harris stage.

6/16: Asleep at the Wheel, Old Town School of Folk Music

Austin-via-Paw Paw country band Asleep at the Wheel combine traditional western swing with Texas country. Lately, they’re known for their tribute albums to Bob Willis and The Texas Playboys, the most recent record released in 2015. Not to say the band doesn’t have great original music--they’ve been releasing records since the early 70′s, and have about 30 to their name. Take a listen to “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read” and “Miles and Miles of Texas”. 

6/16: Alison Krauss, Ravinia

While her soundtrack performances and Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Robert Plant was what got her noticed beyond the oft-insular world of Americana, Alison Krauss is a great bluegrass singer and musician even when performing solo or with her band Union Station. While last year’s Windy City wasn’t necessarily up to snuff with her classics, it was still a solid entry in her ever-expanding catalog.

Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel opens.

6/16: Self Defense Family, Beat Kitchen

Self Defense Family is one of the more varied and ambitious bands to come out of this recent batch of emo bands. Their 2014 album Try Me was notable for half of its duration being due to a 40-minute interview with porn actress Angelique Bernstein, wherein she talks about the abuse she’s received over the years. (It was like the most interesting This American Life episode ever.) Later this month, the band will release Have You Considered Punk Music and have so far released the title track and "The Supremacy of Pure Artistic Feeling", a track that sees vocalist Patrick Kindlon reflect on the isolating nature of creativity and his decade-plus of music making. Both new tracks are typical of the band--wiry, emotional, and slow-burning.

Brooklyn experimental metal band Sannhet and local post-rockers RLYR open.

6/17: Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, Jay Pritzker Pavilion

We previewed Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters at Riviera back in February. Here’s what we had to say about them then:

“At this point, pretty much anybody who vaguely pays attention to guitar music knows about Robert Plant’s full-fledged transition from classic rocker to old folk fogey–Raising Sand, his collaboration with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss, won them Album of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards. But lesser known and just as solid are Plant’s two albums with his new-ish band The Sensational Space Shifters, 2014′s Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar and last year’s Carry Fire, which allowed Plant to bend beyond the traditions of rock, bluegrass, or folk, incorporating elements of Arabic and North African influence into his arsenal. Luckily, however, for Zeppelin fans, Plant tends to mix beloved rock radio classics in with his newer material, overall making for a set that exudes old school songwriting, familiarity, and warmth whether you’ve heard the new songs or not.”

Chicago favorite Jon Langford opens.

6/15-6/17: Taste of Randolph

Avoid the bros and the overpriced food. Go for the music. Taste of Randolph has its best lineup in years. Headliners include guitarist/singer-songwriter Trevor Hall and goofy soul revivalist Mayer Hawthorne on Friday, Chicano Batman and soul singer Allen Stone on Saturday night, and The Devil Makes Three and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real on Sunday night (which seems odd considering how much overlap there probably is within their respective fan bases).

With last year’s Freedom Is Free, Chicano Batman found their deserved audience, playing at major music festivals and one late night TV. (It was our #41 album of last year.) There are synths, organ, and guitars aplenty, but nothing can surpass the Latin rhythms and enthusiasm of front-man Bardo Martinez. They’ll make Randolph Street the place to be for the first time in a long time on Saturday night.

When we previewed their Concord Music Hall show in January, we lamented the lack of an original material Devil Makes Three album in years. Thankfully, they’ve now announced Chains Are Broken and have debuted the upbeat, funky “Paint My Face”, which they’ll play among I’m A Stranger Here and Redemption & Ruin favorites.

Forget their film soundtracks with Neil Young--it’s Promise of the Real’s self-titled album with Lukas Nelson (Willie’s son) last year that was their best. They should play lots of that album on Sunday night, though Nelson did co-produce Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born remake (and play his backing band). Maybe they’ll throw off the foodie crowd with some musical numbers. (I doubt it.)

Everything Everything also play Sunday. While we found last year’s A Fever Dream more smart than enjoyable, it’ll be thrilling to hear live performances of the title track and “Night of the Long Knives”. The band also released an EP earlier this year, including songs like the skittering, catchy, and yes, overcooked “Breadwinner” and the subtle, soft, chugging ballad “The Marina”.