jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 02/14/2022 - Hip-Hop Halftime, Segregated Music Journalism, A&R Women, Tuma Basa, Gunna, L'Rain...

Love songs are one of the great essences of life, the only thing that's lasting. Open in browser Monday February 14, 2022 Rooftop concert: Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg at the Super Bowl, Inglewood, Calif., Feb. 13, 2022. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) quote of the day "Love songs are one of the great essences of life, the only thing that's lasting." - George Benson rantnrave:// The Hip-Hop Episode Except for upside-down 50 CENT, who looked like he was being held hostage, that was probably the least awkwardly choreographed halftime show in SUPER BOWL history, moving from stage to stage, roof level to floor level, upstairs, downstairs, virtual batons being passed among six featured performers like it was no big deal, like it was just another CORONA commercial with SNOOP DOGG ambling on the sand and not the short-track speed skating chaos it easily could have turned into. Hip-hop is a storyteller's art and this was a storyteller's performance. Here was KENDRICK LAMAR tagging "ALRIGHT" with a rhyme about forgetting about Dre and here was EMINEM, one story above him, smoothly grabbing the baton with a verse of "FORGOT ABOUT DRE." Here was DR. DRE gently tagging out Eminem's pianist and sitting down at the piano himself to play a snippet of TUPAC's "I AIN'T MAD AT CHA" and point the way toward his "STILL D.R.E." finale. No one seemed rushed or agitated. It was easy like that from start to finish, and it *made sense* like that. Super Bowl halftimes do not always make sense, even the good ones. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between people hitting their cues and not hitting their cues. Sometimes you have no idea why TRAVIS SCOTT is showing up in the middle of a MAROON 5 show. Sometimes you don't know which camera the WEEKND is supposed to be looking at. Sometimes not *every single song* is an all-time pop moment. Despite the NFL's three-decade-long resistance to booking a hip-hop show and despite a few online weirdos who wanted us to believe this lineup would be the NFL's, if not the world's, undoing, this may have been the single poppiest halftime show the NFL has ever produced. "CALIFORNIA LOVE." "IN DA CLUB." "FAMILY AFFAIR." "LOSE YOURSELF." Wall-to-wall classic pop. MARY J. BLIGE losing herself in the music the moment. It's quite possible middle-age middle America was singing along to what QUESTLOVE called "the most beautiful blackest s*** ever," which was performed on a set designed to look like a block in Compton—which is about 10 miles southeast of SOFI STADIUM—with recognizable neighborhood landmarks. How could they not? Everybody was on, even 50 once he was freed and allowed to stand upright. "We're going to open more doors for hip-hop artists in the future," Dr. Dre had said at a press conference Thursday. The NFL would be insane not to put AARON DONALD in front of those doors to hold them wide open. Forgot About Kaep? The booking of hip-hop halftime was the product of a three-year-old partnership between the NFL and JAY-Z/ROC NATION, which was itself a reaction to the criticism the NFL got for canceling quarterback COLIN KAEPERNICK for kneeling before games to protest racial injustice. A few hours before Sunday's game, ERIQ GARDNER of the media startup Puck reported the league had vetoed the idea of Eminem kneeling in sympathy during the halftime show as well as requesting (but not, apparently, demanding) that Dr. Dre cut the line "still not loving police" from "STILL D.R.E." Neither artist listened. Em knelt. Dre shared the non-love. And then the league, which hadn't commented on the Puck piece, said it had made no such ask and that artists (and even players and coaches) were free to kneel if they wanted to. It's hard at this point to know how to believe. It's also hard not to notice that everybody wins—the artists by appearing to be in defiance of the league and the league by being able to protest that it does in fact support free speech. The NFL/JAY-Z partnership has been controversial from the start and any given gesture or non-gesture can cause more controversy at this point. They were good gestures either way. Good on Eminem for taking a seat and good on Dre for standing by his words. In related news, good on MICKEY GUYTON for a gorgeous a cappella take on "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER." And one final Super Bowl note: The LOS ANGELES RAMS, who went on to win the game, took the field to the sound of NIPSEY HUSSLE's "LAST TIME THAT I CHECC'D." Read of the Day ADLAN JACKSON on segregation in music journalism. And yes, I'm aware this item immediately follows me, a white man, having written 700 words about hip-hop halftime. That's why I'm highlighting it. It's Valentine's Day And BILLBOARD's got you: All-time best love songs (or, at least, all-time best love songs that hit #1 or #2 on the charts, so you won't find this one, for example). All-time best hip-hop love songs. All-time best anti-love songs. And the outsize importance of this particular day for labels' bottom lines. Helpful addendum: "14 Awesome Metal Love Songs That Aren't Ballads." Rest in Peace HOWARD GRIMES, who as the drummer for Memphis' Hi Rhythm Section was central to the sound of classic records by Al Green, Ann Peebles and other staples of Memphis soul... Milwaukee rapper 414 LIL MOE, at least the fifth rapper murdered in the US in 2022. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator love on the brain Study Hall How Long Can Music Journalism Stay Segregated? By Adlan Jackson As the music journalism industry itself shrinks with the media industry at large, gestures at post-racial universality have in many ways entrenched white power in the music press. Variety She's (Finally) the Boss: Women Are Rising to the Top of Major-Label A&R Departments By Jem Aswad Rani Hancock, the recently appointed executive vice president and head of Columbia Records ' A&R department, took a bold and uncommon course into the music industry - uncommon for a woman, anyway. She studied to become a recording engineer at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Trapital How Tuma Basa is Bringing Black and African Music to the World with YouTube By Dan Runcie Tuma, who joined YouTube in 2018, is leveraging the site's worldwide reach and connecting it with not only emerging artists (think NBA YoungBoy) but on-the-rise genres too (AfroBeats, Dancehall). ABC News The killings of 2 aspiring NYC rappers spark debate about a controversial rap genre By Deena Zaru The shooting deaths of Tahjay Dobson and Jayquan Mckenley, two aspiring rappers, reinvigorated the debate about drill music and its connection to violence. The Guardian 'Don't take the damn thing': how Spotify playlists push dangerous anti-vaccine tunes By Shanti Das Conspiracy theory songs claiming Covid-19 is fake and calling vaccine 'poison' being actively promoted in Spotify playlists. Billboard The Top 50 Love Songs of All Time By Fred Bronson Songs have been written about every topic imaginable, but the best ones have been penned about the ups and downs of being in love. The New York Times Rap Takes Over Super Bowl Halftime, Balancing Celebration and Protest By Jon Caramanica Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent asserted the power of hip-hop's oldies generation on pop music's most-watched stage. Vulture Gunna Pushed Himself to the Top By Lawrence Burney After a decade making music, the rapper is finally known for his name alone. Agence France-Presse What's next for TikTok's music industry revolution? By Eric Randolph With a billion users, TikTok has rapidly become one of the most important players in the music industry, and now has its sights set on revolutionising the way artists are discovered and get paid. The Commercial Appeal Howard Grimes dies: Hi Rhythm drummer provided the backbeat for Al Green, Ann Peebles, more By Bob Mehr A critical figure in the early years at Stax Records, Howard Grimes made his lasting legacy as a member of the famed Hi Rhythm section. love nwantiti GQ I Made Beats With New York Drill Rap's Hottest Producer, Cash Cobain By Abe Beame Come along for the ride as Cash flips songs by T.I., Nirvana and the Spice Girls into new beats on the spot. Notion L'Rain: 'I'm Just Adding Layers' By Josephine Amstad L'Rain grapples with change through her kaleidoscopic approach to sound. She chats on her album "Fatigue," creating something new and what's next. Billboard Valentine's Day Has Labels Asking Playlist Makers: Will You Be Mine? By Steve Knopper If Mariah's the Queen of Christmas, then Al Green Is King of Valentine's Day. Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder in Conversation with Bruce Springsteen By Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen Eddie Vedder joined Bruce Springsteen in conversation to talk about Vedder's new album, "Earthling," and the process behind creating the album. KQED Classical Music Has a Diversity Problem. What Does the Solution Look Like? By Iris Kwok The Emerging Black Composers Project creates opportunities for a group whose contributions to classical music have historically gone overlooked. Newcity Music The Doorway to Everywhere: An Alternate View of Music Streaming By Rick Vines What if we stop harping on the weaknesses of streaming and start using its strengths? Complex 'Jeen-Yuhs' Doesn't Aim to Sway Your Opinion of Kanye West. It Wants to Add Context. By Lei Takanashi The first time Clarence "Coodie" Simmons ever picked up a camera, it was to film a fight for Channel Zero, a Chicago public access television show that covered the city's rap scene. The show's name is familiar to any Kanye West fan who has stumbled upon archival footage of the rapper's younger years. The New York Times Jazz Freed Keith LaMar's Soul. Can It Help Him Get Off Death Row? By Laura Zornosa With concerts and a new album, musicians are trying to draw attention to the case of an inmate, convicted in the death of five other prisoners, who they believe deserves a new trial. The Guardian The rumba radio station, the DJ … and 110,000 albums looking for a noisy new home By Sam Jones The unique Gladys Palmera archive may cross the Atlantic from Madrid to secure a permanent base. NPR Music Game was her middle name: The world was never ready for Betty Davis By Oliver Wang Raucous, outspoken and empowered, Davis, who died last week at 77, always knew what she wanted her music to be - raw - and she took control of her career in an era when few Black women could. what we're into Music of the day "The Star-Spangled Banner (live at Super Bowl LVI)" Mickey Guyton Video of the day "Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show" Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent Music | Media SUBSCRIBE Suggest a link "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" Jason Hirschhorn CEO & Chief Curator HOME | ABOUT | SETS | PRESS Redef Group Inc. LA - NY - Everywhere Copyright ©2021 UNSUBSCRIBE or MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION