Chance the Rapper refuses to stay inside the lines of conventional rap music in his latest release, Coloring Book. The Chicago rapper’s third mixtape that dropped May 12 guides listeners through both a playful and spiritual journey. Are you ready, Big Fella?
For his sophomore album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, Travis Scott really tries to forge his unique identity as an artist by trying to invent a new genre of music and make it all his own.
The third annual Moonrise Festival returned to Pimlico Race Course for two days (Aug. 6 and 7). The festival’s focus on electronic dance music (EDM) with the occasional rap act proved successful, with the Race Course being packed for both days. The headliners for this year’s festival were Bassnectar, Tiesto, Zedd and The Chainsmokers (who played at last year’s Spring Fair).
This year’s Sweetlife music festival jam-packed headliners The 1975, Halsey and Flume, as well as 14 other diverse artists, into a single day. The performances ranged from the full-on, energetic pop of popular singer-songwriters Grimes and Shamir to an 80’s throwback performance from rock band Blondie.
The 18th annual Maryland Film Festival took place in Baltimore from May 4 to 8. Each year the festival showcases approximately 50 feature-length films and 75 shorts in addition to one film selected and hosted by cult film director John Waters, a Baltimore native.
1. Controversy (1981)
Rou Reynolds is the lead vocalist for the English post-hardcore four-piece band Enter Shikari. Their most recent release was 2015’s The Mindsweep. Reynolds answered The News-Letter’s questions via email prior to Enter Shikari’s May 6 performance at the Baltimore Soundstage.
Music Dynasty held its spring show last Sunday night in Bloomberg. One of the many a cappella groups on the Homewood campus, Music Dynasty is the University’s first and only Chinese a cappella group. The group performed to a full crowd, sharing their passion for Chinese music and culture through eclectic performances. This spring concert featured a number of pop songs with Chinese and English lyrics, including songs from artists like Jay Chou, Pentatonix and Meghan Trainor.
The Arthouse is a restaurant, bar and art gallery in Hampden. It is about a 30 minute walk from Homewood campus, located on the west end of W. 36th St.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War is a fantasy action film directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, the man responsible for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and partially involved in Maleficent (2014). The film is something of a follow-up to his Snow White film, following the backstory and later exploits of the titular Huntsman, played by the ever-popular actor Chris Hemsworth.
The Contemporary is one of Baltimore’s most unique arts institutions and perhaps its most innovative museum. It does not collect art, nor does it have a central location for displaying works. Instead, it is a nomadic museum, commissioning works to transform specific Baltimore spaces into nouveau-galleries.
The world celebrated the ninth annual Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16. The festivities, which occur on the third Saturday of April, honor independent record stores. This year, The News-Letter decided to mark the occasion by reaching out to Celebrated Summer Records, a local store, for an interview and some insight into independent music culture. Owner Tony Pence spoke about the store and his relationship with music.
The man behind some of the most innovative sounds in American pop music passed away on April 21. The death of Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as just Prince, marks a 2016 that has already featured the deaths of many visionaries, including fellow musical genius, David Bowie.
Beyoncé released her latest album, Lemonade, on Saturday. Her sixth album and second visual album, Lemonade was a surprise, shrouded in hushed whispers, as no one knew its nature before release date.
Not your typical indie band, Beirut mixes heady blends of lush, brass melodies with electronic and acoustic sensibilities. Drawing from Balkan-inspired folk and postmodern pop, their sound has yet to be replicated by anyone in the indie scene.
The Split This Rock Poetry Festival took place for the fifth time over the weekend from Thursday, April 14 to Sunday, April 17 in Washington, D.C. The festival, which has been held at the nation’s capital every other year since 2008, centers around poetry of provocation and witness.
Last Thursday, emo pop-punk band Citizen played at the Ottobar in one of the last stops on their six-week tour. They were supported by a bevy of similar bands, including Sorority Noise, Turnover and Milk Teeth.
As part of the annual Spring Fair concert, The Chainsmokers performed along with Marian Hill and Shwayze. The outdoor concert was held on the Hopkins campus at the practice field on Friday, April 15. 2,500 tickets were sold for the event.
Artists used to drop albums the same way every time: They would announce a new album in the works, promote it and release it on a set date. Yet, since album releases at their essence are all about marketing and lining up as many people as possible to buy the album, artists and their labels have been getting more and more creative in terms of how they present and release new work.
