Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
The 'List: Best (Depending On Who You Ask) of 2017. Top Story - December 2017.
Hello, one and all. If any of you follow my posts, you all know by now that I do not listen; or rather barely to, any new music, unless it's by an artist that I'm still willing to validate and listen to. 2017, in my opinion, has been a less-than-stellar year in music, mostly because (realizing that it's a one-sided argument) the music has been so sub-par and one-note, that I must now chuck it up to a major generation gap.
By Carlos Gonzalez8 years ago in Beat
Darlene Love Never Fails to Bring Christmas Home
Darlene Love first appeared on the scene in the 1960’s girl group, The Blossoms. The female flowering provided doo-wop backup for artists that ranged from Sam Cooke and Elvis to Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick. On her own - through the sometimes contentious relationship with Phil Specter - emerged hits like He’s a Rebel, He’s Sure the Boy I Love and Wait til my Bobby gets Home. Her resume also includes screen credits as Danny Glover’s wife in the Lethal Weapon movies and a decades long run singing Christmas Baby Please Come Home on the David Letterman Show. But while her voice may have destined her for stardom, it was her father’s weekly inspirational oratory that would actually force the path she landed on.
By Rich Monetti8 years ago in Beat
Captain Beefheart - Safe As Milk
Never ventured into the magical world of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band? Where do you look for the entry point? With many artists and bands, it could be anywhere, with others it is in the middle, with some it is actually at the end. While quite a few listeners are mystified and a bit hesitant with all the stories of his truly avant-garde masterpiece Trout Mask Replica and a few other albums, as well as his idiosyncratic character and studio/live/private life stories, the entry point into his music is quite simple. You start at the beginning. And the beginning, the ‘official’ one, as if the word official can be stuck in front of the good captain’s name (his real name is either Don Vliet or Don Van Vliet - he stuck to the latter) is with his album Safe As Milk.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic8 years ago in Beat
Nicki Minaj
Nicki, Nicki, Nicki!! Nicki Minaj was born Onika Maraj on December 8, 1982 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. She moved to the USA when she was younger. Nicki hadn't always had the luxury life. Her father had problems with drugs and being abusive towards Nicki's mother. He even went as far as burning their house down. Nicki and her mother survived the house fire, but she always had a passion for music at a young age. When she was in middle school, she played the clarinet, which gained her an admission to a school of arts. Her dream was to do acting, but after so many attempts she decided to get a job. After working so many jobs, she was fired for poor customer service. Then one day she decided to pull a group together called "The Hoodstars." They released a few mixtapes, but Nicki left the group and started working on her solo mixtapes. She caught the attention of the CEO of "Dirty Money Entertainment," who signed her a contract. Some of her popular mixtapes like Playtime is Over, and a follow-up that really got her career started on the way to fame as a rapper. Then in 2009, she released her third mixtape and got her hits on the Top 20 Billboard's Hot Rap Song. This caught the attention of rapper Lil Wayne, who signed her a contract with "Young Money Entertainment." She started by making cameos in videos with people like Robin Thicke and Mariah Carey. The day finally came, her debut album Massive Attack, which changed to Pink Friday was released in 2010. That was when her career as an artist started and took off. She had hits off the album that made the Top Billboard Top 20 Rap Songs. Her song "Your Love" was one of her number one hits. "Super Bass" was another top hit that went platinum. There were a lot more hit songs on the album that you can name. In 2012, she collaborated with one of top 80s queens, Madonna and fellow artist MIA on a song called "Give Me All Your Luvin." Later on that year, she debuted her studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Popular songs like "Stupid Hoe" and "Roman in Moscow" were on the album. And they became very popular songs on the chart.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
They’re Back After 4 Years
This just came out, but Apple Music, iTunes pre-orders, and others have been able to listen to this album since the night before the release. It’s got many elements from many different genres. The really cool thing about this is that they are still making heavy music for a band who has been in the metal business for almost a decade.
By Johnathon Lopez8 years ago in Beat
Hot SoundCloud Week 2
Back for week two of the hot SoundCloud playlist. Productions by Tea proudly presents the best twenty artists to have submitted their tracks via SoundCloud, Facebook, or email. To get featured on future playlists, contact me at SoundCloud, or SoundClick. You can also email me.
By travus Leroux8 years ago in Beat
20 Songs You Might Not Know Were For a Broken Heart
Music is medicine for the heart, soul, and most importantly the brain. Many moms play Mozart while their babies are still in the womb, and many teachers pay music to help their students learn and retain knowledge better. Stroke victims listen to classical or jazz music to increase the verbal memory and attention span. It's been said that music and math go hand in hand. Typically, those who play an instrument are pretty good at math. Music improves physical performance as well as attention and concentration. Relaxing music helps calm your body so you can sleep better. It helps people suffering from different diseases control erratic movements, and temper tantrums. Overall, I'd say music is pretty beneficial in every aspect of a persons life.
By Bryanna Burshnick8 years ago in Beat
Review - Eminem ('Revival')
Hip Hop legend Eminem's ninth studio album has officially dropped and it's a monster. It's got 19 songs and is one hour and seventeen minutes in length and feature the likes of Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, Kehlani, Pink, and more. After stories about his marketing campaign over at HipHop DX, which I think is pretty funny and smart, and it leaked two days before the actual release. Oh, let's also not forget his Trump bashing freestyle he did for the BET awards which, to me, set a base level tone for what this album is going to be about. What you actually get from this project is one of his most polished and innovative albums. It doesn't drag at all because every couple of songs he smoothly changes up the sound. I'm going to be highlighting some tracks that I think have to hit potential and also that stand out because breaking down 19 songs is deathly and frankly, I won't care by the end.
By Calder Amos-Wood8 years ago in Beat
A Tale of Two Queensryches
Queensrÿche was a great band, and in many ways, still is. In fact, the first CD I ever owned was Queensrÿche’s 'Empire.' I loved the music video, and fully enjoyed the harmonies, the vocals, the overall feel of the song. It was a great song, a great album, and it made me a fan.
By Nick Falkner8 years ago in Beat
Adrienne Houghton (Bailon)
We all remember Adrienne Bailon from the girl groups 3LW and Cheetah Girls. But how it all started was on October 24, 1983, Adrienne Bailon was born to a Puerto Rican mom named Nilda and an Ecuadorian father named Freddie in Lower East Side, New York City, New York. Adrienne always loved music. She actually started singing when she was five years old. Her and her sister would sing for their family a lot. So Adrienne knew that she was going to be a famous singer one day. That day came true one day while she was singing with church in Madison Square Garden, Ricky Martin approached her and asked if she and four other singers if they could sing backup for him at his concert that night.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
