feature
Featured topics in Beat's musical universe.
The Sound of Showing Up
When you first hear Marcel Marculescu, it doesn’t feel like you’ve discovered a rapper chasing attention. It feels more like you’ve stumbled into someone’s internal monologue—the kind that plays late at night when the screen is still glowing and tomorrow’s goals are already lining up in your head. His music isn’t loud for the sake of being noticed. It’s deliberate, thoughtful, and rooted in a very real version of modern life.
By mysoundMusic15 days ago in Beat
Hold On to the Vision: El Pablo 1x Leads with Purpose, Music, and Community
Memphis has always been a city of sound, soul, and fearless originality—and standing firmly in that tradition is El Pablo 1x, the award-winning, nationally touring artist and visionary leader of the Black Sheep Kid movement. More than just a performer, El Pablo 1x is a curator of culture, a builder of platforms, and a relentless advocate for independent artists who dare to move differently.
By Independent Indie Artist Radar19 days ago in Beat
10 Vibrant Indie Hits From the 2010s
As an adult in the 2010s, I never thought I'd feel nostalgic for this decade. And yet, when I listen to indie hits from that era, I feel wistful as I think about this cheerful, optimistic time when I'd recently started college, Marvel was about to make movie history with The Avengers, and bright, peppy tunes dominated the radio.
By Kaitlin Shanks22 days ago in Beat
Adrienne Park Is Building the Music She Couldn’t Find
Adrienne Park doesn’t fit neatly into a single creative box—and that’s exactly what makes her work so compelling. She’s a poet, a bestselling author, a lawyer, a longtime IT professional, and an independent musician carving out a space that feels entirely her own. Rather than choosing one lane, Park moves fluidly between disciplines, allowing each part of her background to shape the music she creates today.
By mysoundMusic25 days ago in Beat
Salvation Army Gets Bell Rung by Brave Survivor
In late September of 2024, singer/composer Robert Jeffers, aka Bobby Wizdum, was preparing for the release of his record Long Way Home. While the record brought truth to light about organized corruption, its real message was a journey of growth, enlightenment, and miraculous trauma recovery. Unfortunately, as he was about to bring this record and story to the world, his microphone was unplugged by a popular and powerful “Christian” organization.
By mysoundMusicabout a month ago in Beat
The Quiet That Follows the Applause
I didn’t cry at the end of Better Call Saul. I cried three days later, while washing dishes. The water was hot, the sponge worn thin, and suddenly—without warning—I saw Kim Wexler’s hands again. Not in the courtroom. Not in the finale. But in that tiny Albuquerque office, adjusting the blinds just so, trying to control one small thing in a world spinning out of her grasp.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Beat
The Song That Brought Him Back
After my mother passed, grief settled into our home like winter fog—thick, gray, and impossible to ignore. He stopped whistling while fixing the sink. Stopped tapping his boot to the oldies station. Even his laugh, once so loud it startled the dogs, vanished into a silence so heavy it filled every room. For two years, he moved through life like a man walking in someone else’s shoes. So when he said, voice barely above a whisper, “Let’s go south for New Year’s,” I didn’t ask why. I just booked the tickets.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Beat
Tyla’s Chart-Topping Rise
Introduction When South African singer Tyla released her self-titled debut album in late 2023, few predicted it would ignite a global movement. But by 2025, her name was everywhere: on Billboard charts, Grammy stages, and playlists from Lagos to Los Angeles. Fueled by her breakout hit “Water”—a seductive fusion of amapiano, R&B, and pop—Tyla didn’t just enter the global music scene; she reshaped it.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Beat
