jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 02/03/2022 - Vote for Dolly, Spotify-Free World, Gloria Estefan Testifies, Saba, Will Smith, Mitski...

I'm hoping that people listen to Tribe and see the influences of a Slick Rick or a Run-DMC. Or Miles Davis is an influence of ours, Prince is an influence of ours. And then you can see that Prince's influences were Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. And Sly Stone's was Ray Charles, and Ray Charles' was Nat King Cole, and Nat King Cole's was Oscar Peterson, Oscar Peterson's was Duke Ellington.
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Thursday February 03, 2022
REDEF
Helllloooooo? Lionel Richie in the Brill Building, New York, Sept. 3, 1976.
(Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
quote of the day
"I'm hoping that people listen to Tribe and see the influences of a Slick Rick or a Run-DMC. Or Miles Davis is an influence of ours, Prince is an influence of ours. And then you can see that Prince's influences were Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. And Sly Stone's was Ray Charles, and Ray Charles' was Nat King Cole, and Nat King Cole's was Oscar Peterson, Oscar Peterson's was Duke Ellington."
- Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest
rantnrave://
"Hello," Dolly

If DOLLY PARTON doesn't get MARIANO RIVERA'd into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME this year with a unanimous vote (actually we'll never know since the Hall doesn't release its voting results, but the Hall will know), then the Hall should fire every single voter and start over from scratch, which actually might not be the worst idea anyway, but the point is, damn it's about time they nominated her so let's not f*** this up, voter people.

(There will, I suppose, be mild complaints that she's a country singer not a rock and roll singer but news flash you can be more than one thing and rock and roll has always, from day one, been an elastic concept, open to interpretation and open to wayfaring strangers of all types, and if BECK, also nominated this year, is a rock and roll singer and songwriter then Dolly is a rock and roll singer and songwriter but why am I even arguing I know you agree and you will vote for her and/or root for her.)

More disjointed notes, if I may, on a disjointed collection of 2022 nominees put forth by the Hall's nominating committee 25 years after one of those weird mid to late '90s years for which the committee could only come up with one newly eligible artist, EMINEM, who debuted that year and who was worth nominating, and actually I think it's 26 years now because the pandemic happened and time got a little bent and Eminem's first album was 1996, but also, not a single person you know bought or heard that album when it came out and it's a little weird to decide he's officially eligible based on that.

They could have waited till 25 or 26 years after the volcanic arrival of THE SLIM SHADY LP and "MY NAME IS" (both 1999) and nominated NAS or OUTKAST instead this year. Or even, like, OASIS. Embrace and celebrate that strange little era.

This continues to be a perfect time to fill in the enormous holes that previous voters have left behind. A year ago, an unprecedented 11 women were nominated (six individuals plus the GO-GO's) and this year there are six (five individuals, two held over from last year's ballot, plus one half of EURYTHMICS). One of them is CARLY SIMON, singer of the darkest, most cynical song about marriage ever to hit the Top 10, a song I hate a little more with every passing year of my adulthood. She's a first-time nominee and beyond deserving.

But only one Black woman this year: the smoothly dynamic DIONNE WARWICK (speaking of women who some people will insist isn't rock and roll). Four were nominated a year ago and two got in. Dionne is everyone's favorite internet grandmother now. Two 25-year eligibility periods ago, she was the voice that made BURT BACHARACH possible.

LIONEL RICHIE's "HELLO" is a masterpiece. God those changes. There should be a way to vote for him and the COMMODORES together and put them on one plaque. See also: CHAKA KHAN and RUFUS, who the Hall can never quite decide which one to nominate, and who are getting this year off.

They really want you to vote for the MC5 (nomination number six! Hi MARK SATLOF!). And RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE (nomination number four). Loud activist rock. Also fully deserving but you really should vote for JUDAS PRIEST (nomination number three) instead. Louder, uglier, more beautiful, cheesier and activist in a different way. The Hall of Fame's metal wing is empty and meaningless without Judas Priest, who invented and/or codified pretty much everything.

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST kind of sort of un-codified everything, telling the world that hip-hop doesn't have to be this, it can be that. Second albums are famously hard to get right. ATCQ's second was THE LOW END THEORY.

Someday you will explain to your children, who weren't born when DURAN DURAN first became eligible for the Hall and who are now in high school, why it took till 2022 for anyone to put that name on a ballot. The word "pop" will swim around your head like a preset on a vintage ROLAND synthesizer and it will sound pretty damn good.

Also nominated, in order of,wait, why haven't I mentioned them yet: FELA KUTI, PAT BENATAR, KATE BUSH, DEVO, the NEW YORK DOLLS.

Plus Also Too

SPOTIFY's stock, which has been having a rough month, continued dropping Wednesday even after the company reported growth in ad revenue, subscribers and monthly active users in its fourth-quarter earnings call. CEO DANIEL EK told reporters "it's too early to know what the impact may be" from the strong blowback against its biggest podcaster, JOE ROGAN, who's been accused of spreading Covid misinformation on his show. But "I feel good about where we are in relation to that." Spotify lost the remaining members of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG on Wednesday, with the first three having all now said they're asked their labels to pull their music out of the service in solidarity with NEIL YOUNG's Rogan protest... Something you should never do when you're a fugitive who's been on the run a quarter century: Sell vinyl records online. You might get Ipanema'd... Something you should always do when trying to sell NFTs of every musician ever: Ask at least a couple of them for permission. #WorstStartupOf2022... The MICHAEL JACKSON jukebox musical, MJ, opened to lukewarm reviews Tuesday on Broadway, and to a controversy of its own making when it kicked a Variety reporter off the red carpet for asking "difficult questions" of cast members. Reporter MICHAEL APPLER said actors were thoughtfully engaging his questions about how sexual abuse allegations against Jackson might affect audience members' ability to enjoy the show until a rep for the show said "Not on opening night" and kicked him out. The ejection appears to have been in keeping with the vibe of the show, which NY Times theater critic JESSE GREEN described as "a grind of obfuscation, a case of willfully not looking at the man in the mirror"... Meanwhile on Fox, Deadline's MIKE FLEMING JR. reports that RUDY GIULIANI was unmasked as one of the losing contestants during the first week of taping for season 7 last week, prompting judges KEN JEONG and ROBIN THICKE to walk out in protest... HOT 97's DJ DREWSKI says he'll no longer play any diss or gang songs. "I can't change the world, but I can stop supporting the nonsense," he wrote in his Instagram Stories on Tuesday. "Step up your pen game and creativity." The same day, Brooklyn rapper TDOTT WOO was shot in front of his home hours after signing a deal with Million Dollar Music, becoming at least third rapper murdered in the US in 2022.

Rest in Peace

Jazz and R&B drummer PHILIP PAUL, who played on classic records by Little Willie John, Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown and who, with Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, created the beat for "The Twist"... East Bay soul singer FREDDIE HUGHES.

- Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator
heartbreaker
The New Yorker
Imagine a World Without Spotify
By Alex Ross
In order to support musicians you care about, you may have to give up the idea that all music should be available on demand.
Roll Call
Gloria Estefan: Congress should turn the beat around on royalties
By Chris Cioffi
Estefan appeared before the House Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would compensate musicians on terrestrial radio similar to how it works on streaming platforms.
USA TODAY
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 nominees: Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem top varied lineup
By Melissa Ruggieri
Though the Rock Hall has often been rebuked for its relative lack of female inductees, the 2021 list – which included Tina Turner, The Go-Go's and Carole King – and this year's candidates represent the top nominee classes for women in the past 30 years.
Billboard
HitPiece Wanted to Make an NFT for Every Song — Only Its Founders Forgot to Ask Artists First
By Kristin Robinson
The company says it set out to "create a fun experience in the metaverse for music fans and a new revenue stream for artists and owners."
British GQ
Saba is ready to return to the light
By Nicolas-Tyrell Scott
After excavating his own trauma on recent albums "Care For Me" and "Few Good Things," the Chicago-based rapper is starting to look up.
iHeartRadio
Questlove Supreme: Will Smith
By Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Will Smith
Questlove and Team Supreme present a conversation with Will Smith. Thank you and you are welcome.
The New York Times
Lawsuit Against Live Nation Details the Killing of Drakeo the Ruler
By Joe Coscarelli
The Los Angeles rapper's family is suing the promoters of the Once Upon a Time in LA festival, citing negligence in the face of a large gang presence.
Chicago Reader
Catholic school house
By Duane Powell
In the 1970s, teenagers at Catholic-school parties on Chicago's south and west sides helped pioneer house-music culture.
Complex
15 Black British Music Execs Shaking The System (2022 Edition)
By Joseph 'JP' Patterson, James Keith, Chantelle Fiddy...
In the two years since our last list, a lot has changed. Black music—whether it's rap, grime, drill, Afrobeats or Amapiano—has an even tighter grip on the charts, For the first time in history, a Black man—Inflo—won the Brit Award for Best Producer. None of that could have happened without the hard work of the execs we're highlighting today.
Variety
Why Neil Young's Spotify Crusade Is Making Him a Hero to Younger Generations, as Well as His Own
By Chris Willman
Counterculture revivalism: it's not just about vinyl after all. Principles in music is another remnant of that era that's experiencing a comeback, thanks to Neil Young being re-elevated by many to hero status for taking an influential stand. Nice to see you again, personal-integrity-at-the-cost-of-pocketbook-lining!
here you come again
NPR Music
Mitski's 'Laurel Hell' confronts the wild complexity of feeling
By Ann Powers
We're all feeling too much. Mitski's music can help. On her sixth album, she embraces dramatic emotions - and even in the depths of inner dysregulation, her clarity is remarkable.
The New Yorker
Immanuel Wilkins's Divinely Inspired Jazz
By Sheldon Pearce
The alto saxophonist, who has collaborated with Wynton Marsalis, Bob Dylan, and Solange, aims to find God in his music-or, at least, in the act of playing it.
VICE
I Trained With BTS. Here's What It's Like to Be So Close to Making It
By Koh Ewe
"I would be lying if I said that I didn't envy them. But I'm not jealous of their money or their fame."
TechCrunch
Spotify backlash over Joe Rogan did little to boost its streaming rivals
By Sarah Perez
The Joe Rogan controversy has been a PR headache for Spotify in recent days, but it doesn't seem to have yet prompted a sizable exit to rival streaming apps, according to new app store data. 
The Forward
When pop music's fascination with Nazi symbols and history went way over the line
By Ira Robbins
The recent rise of social media opprobrium has made the overt embrace of antisemitism in popular culture nearly unthinkable. Still, it was not too long ago that Nazi symbols, uniforms and names were casually invoked by musicians.
Sound Field
How Do R&B Singers Create Background Vocals? (ft. Linda Diaz)
By Linda Diaz
If you've ever listened to a song SUPER closely, you might have noticed the arrangement of vocals floating around in the background. These are called backing vocals! And believe it or not, there's a lot of skill that goes into crafting perfectly-placed backing vocals.
Billboard
For Lil Wayne, Mac Miller & More, Bringing Mixtapes to Streaming Is a Boon -- But Clearing Them Is 'Hell'
By Neena Rouhani
Hip-hop artists have been rolling out decade-old tapes as a new revenue source and way to engage fans.
The Daily Beast
Hulu's 'Pam & Tommy' Series Rules: A Sex Tape, a Scandal, and a Talking Penis
By Kevin Fallon
The limited series about how Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee's private sex tape was stolen and seen by just about the entire world is as outrageous-and provocative-as it should be.
The Undefeated
Whitney Houston biography, 'Didn't We Almost Have It All,' examines how we all tortured a massive, but troubled talent
By Justin Tinsley
Author Gerrick Kennedy says he tried to balance critique and grace 
Vulture
The Worst Snubs in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame History (So Far)
By Joe Kwaczala
Here are the artists most deserving of Rock Hall induction who somehow have never been nominated.
what we're into
Music of the day
"Expensive S***"
Fela Kuti & Africa 70
Video of the day
"Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest"
Michael Rapaport
Michael Rapaport's 2011 documentary.
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