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☆ Meet Frank Waln, the Sicangu Lakota hip hop artist bringing Indigenous culture to the American music scene
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Alaa Elassar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Sicangu Lakota rapper Frank Waln is bringing Indigenous culture to the American music scene. Weaving Indigenous culture into American musicWaln was 7 years old when he found himself mesmerized by an old black piano sitting in his second grade classroom. He centers nearly every song around the instrument, and often the drums, both fundamental components of Indigenous music. “I want to create my own genre that’s rooted in Native music, Native culture and Native sound, that also becomes a space for other Native musicians who don’t have a place in American entertainment and music culture,” he said. Deanna Dent/ReutersDespite his extensive accomplishments – including three Native American Music Awards – Waln measures his success differently.

Persons: Frank Waln, “, ” Waln, Mita, Tara Rose Weston “, Waln, I’ve, Nas –, doesn’t, don’t, ”, I’m, Leslie Frempong, ’, Peter Pan ”, Fleetwood Mac, Deanna Dent, Teca Organizations: CNN, “, Lakota, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology, White, US Department of, Harvard University, Smithsonian National Museum of, Columbus, Reuters Locations: South Dakota, Lakota, American, America, United States, “, Waln’s, White American, Boston

☆ How Karol G went from a Latin music star to a fashion icon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Robb Young | Graciela Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

With 66 million followers on the platform, Karol G ranks 70th in terms of follower count but 6th when it comes to engagement rates. But the label’s enthusiasm for its Karol G campaign a half-year after its release is telling, nonetheless. Karol G attends the #BoF500 Gala during Paris Fashion Week at Shangri-La Hotel Paris on September 30, 2023 in Paris, France. By the time Karol G entered the scene in a big way, fashion, luxury and sportswear giants were still warming up to her male counterparts. People aren’t as fixated on that anymore.”Indeed, it is the shift in attitudes toward language that appears to have helped Karol G secure the Loewe deal.

Persons: Karol G, Jonathan Anderson, Karol’s, Shakira, — Karol G, Provenza, “, ”, Nicki Minaj —, Karol, Karol G's, she’s, Lea Colombo, “ Karol G, Charlie Smith, Loewe, couldn’t, Ricky Martin’s, hasn’t, “ I’ve, Anderson, Karol G’s, ” Karol G, Christopher Polk, SocialBook, Kim Kardashian, Julian Martinez, ” Martinez, “ Karol, Miu, Roberto Cavalli, Gina Ferazzi, Loewe’s Smith, Jacquemus, Barbie, Emilio Pucci, —, Vetements, Rick Owens, Pascal Le Segretain, Maykol Sanchez, Spotify’s, Yankee’s, Don Omar’s, Maluma, J, Nicky Jam, . Ivy Queen, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira —, Burberry —, Becky G —, Karol —, Ovy, Bad Bunny, Rich Fury, Karla Martínez, There’s, Leila Cobo, Billboard’s, ” Cobo, aren’t, “ Jonathan, ” Karol, Carolina Giraldo Navarro, Colombia’s, J Balvin, Cobo, She’s, ” she’s, haven’t, ’ ” Karol G, Alexander Tamargo, Nina García, Elle, García, ” García, I’ve, I’m, it’s, Brett Alan Nelson, I’d Organizations: The, Fashion, CNN, —, Billboard, MTV, New York City’s Rockefeller Center, Variety, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Brands, Los, Paris, Spotify, Reebok, Umbro, Dolce, Gabbana, Nike, Guess, Adidas, Trailblazers, Burberry, Levi’s, Kappa, Puerto Rican, Pew Research Center, Limits, Vogue Mexico, reggaeton’s, Loewe, Carolina, Puerto Locations: Spanish, ”, Latin America, New York, Newark , New Jersey, California, Versailles, bejeweled, Paris, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Canada, America, Balmain, Barcelona, Rosalía, American, Panama, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican, Caribbean, Medellín, Colombia, Puerto, Miami, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Chile, Austin, Austin , Texas, Mexico, North America, Europe, Dubai, Singapore, Nairobi, Puerto Rican, Sera, Miami , Florida, Colombiamoda

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quincy Jones, who once embarked on an international diplomatic tour with jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, will receive the U.S. Department of State's inaugural Peace Through Music Award. A ceremony honoring the 28-time Grammy winning producer, musician and arranger will be held Wednesday night and as part of the launch of the State Department's new Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. The tour was part of a Cold War program to spotlight American music and culture and counteract similar efforts by the Soviet Union. “You’re going to see a long-standing partnership between the Academy and the State Department,” Mason said in an interview. We have no more powerful tools in our diplomatic toolkit, and I look forward to seeing – and listening to – the results of this initiative.”The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative was developed following the 2022 Promoting Peace, Education, and Cultural Exchange (PEACE) through Music Diplomacy Act.

Persons: — Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Jones, Antony Blinken, Harvey Mason, Dave Grohl, Mickey Guyton, Herbie Hancock, Jamie Barton, GAYLE, Christopher Jackson, LADAMA, Aimee Mann, Rakim, Armani White, Gillespie, Michael Jackson’s, Oscar, “ You’re, ” Mason, “, ”, Roosevelt, Bruce Springsteen, “ I’ve, ” Blinken Organizations: ANGELES, U.S . Department, State's, State, Music Diplomacy Initiative, Recording Academy, American, U.S . State Department, State Department, Fulbright, Arts and Science, Academy, Inter, American Affairs, AP, Education, Cultural Exchange, Diplomacy Locations: Southern Europe, South Asia, Soviet Union, East Berlin

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana folklorist Nick Spitzer and Mississippi blues musician R.L. Boyce are among nine 2023 National Heritage Fellows set to be celebrated later this month by the National Endowment for the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors in the folk and traditional arts. He founded the Louisiana Folklife Program, produced the five-LP Louisiana Folklife Recording Series, created the Louisiana Folklife Pavilion at the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and helped launch the Baton Rouge Blues Festival. “But see, I play the old way, and nobody today can play my style, just me.”Boyce has played northern Mississippi blues for more than half a century. He has shared stages with blues greats John Lee Hooker, a 1983 NEA National Heritage Fellow, and Howlin’ Wolf.

Persons: Nick Spitzer, R.L, Boyce, Spitzer, Bess Lomax Hawes, ” Spitzer, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Fats Domino, “, Hawes, ” Boyce, ”, John Lee Hooker, Howlin ’ Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Ed Eugene Carriere, Michael A, Cummings, Joe DeLeon “ Little Joe ” Hernandez, Roen, Elizabeth James, Perry, Luis Tapia, Wu Man Organizations: ORLEANS, Heritage Fellows, National Endowment, Arts, Heritage Fellowship, Library of Congress, Washington , D.C, Tulane University’s School of Liberal Arts, Tulane, Louisiana Folklife Program, Louisiana Folklife, Baton Rouge Blues, Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife, Heritage, Associated Press, NEA, Blues, Heritage Fellow Locations: Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington ,, New Orleans, Acadiana, Washington, Indianola , Washington, New York, Temple , Texas, Waimea , Hawaii, Dartmouth , Massachusetts, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Carlsbad , California

☆ Naomi Campbell showcases fast fashion collection with PrettyLittleThing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Alex Rees | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On Tuesday night in New York City, Campbell debuted a collection designed with the fast-fashion brand PrettyLittleThing — days before the official beginning of New York Fashion Week’s Spring-Summer 2024 show calendar. Naomi Campbell closes the runway show for her new collection with PrettyLittleThing. Campbell poses for promotional photos wearing looks from her PrettyLittleThing x Naomi Campbell collection. A model walks the runway during PrettyLittleThing x Naomi Campbell at Cipriani 25 Broadway on September 05, 2023 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesTwo of the collection’s ensembles were created by emerging designers Campbell brought into the fold: Victor Anate and Edvin Thompson.

Persons: Naomi Campbell, Campbell, Evan Agostini, “, Chris Parnell, Davido, Campbell’s, “ I’m, ” Campbell, Women’s, ‘ Let’s, ’, WWD, Cipriani, Dimitrios Kambouris, Victor Anate, Edvin Thompson, haven’t, — Campbell, Winnie Harlow, Alton Mason, Emily Ratajkowski, Halima, Tommy Dorfman, Teyana Taylor, Kola, Julia Fox Organizations: New, New York CNN, New York, Nigerian -, Broadway, “ Locations: New York, New York City, ”, Nigerian - American, chainmail, Halima Aden

☆ Remember when Will Smith’s ‘Fresh Prince’ wardrobe broke boundaries?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Hanna Phifer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

(CNN) — Upon reflection, the odd couple sensibilities that captivated viewers of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” were in place even before the cameras started rolling. Smith's "Fresh Prince" fashions captured, and curated, the visual aesthetic of hip-hop culture. Uncle Phil, conversely, stuck closely to upper middle-class regalia, with suits, sweater vests, and golf polos. “You wore a dashiki and an afro.”Uncle Phil and Smith face off in a scene from the "Fresh Prince" episode "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." As DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Jeff Townes and Will Smith perform with backing dancers at the 1993 American Music Awards.

Persons: Bel, Will Smith, James Avery, ”, Smith, Avery, Philip Banks, Phil, Elena Romero, Chris Haston, Uncle Phil, ” Smith, “, Joseph Del Valle, ” Romero, Flash, Jazzy Jeff, Jeff Townes, Banks Organizations: CNN, ”, NBC, Civil, Black, Museum, FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology, Getty, Black American, ” Entertainment, ABC, Smith Locations: West Philadelphia, California, United States, New York, America

☆ Jimmy Buffett, legendary 'Margaritaville' singer, dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Henry Austin | Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jimmy Buffett of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performs during the 2022 New Orleans & Jazz festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 08, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jimmy Buffett, the singer-songwriter who drew millions of fans with his folksy tales of living and loving on tropical sandy beaches, frozen concoction in hand, died Friday night. But it was in Key West, Florida, in the 1970s that Buffett "found his true voice," according to his website. As time went on, Buffett also appeared on TV, movies and his work became a musical. There was also a Broadway show based on Buffett's music, " Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville," which debuted in 2017.

Persons: Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy, Buffett, Hank Williams, Alan Jackson, —, Jerry Jeff Walker, margarita, Tom Selleck, Jimmy Buffett's, Joe Merchant, Jane Slagsvol, Cameron, — Christopher Cichiello Organizations: Reefer, Orleans & Jazz, Forbes, Alabama's Auburn University, University of Southern, Billboard Magazine, Key West, University of Miami, Men's, Associated Press Locations: Orleans, New Orleans , Louisiana, Pascagoula , Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, New Orleans, Nashville , Tennessee, Key West , Florida, South Florida, Margaritaville, Pitcairn, Savannah

☆ Fans Remember Jimmy Buffett, ‘a Poet of Paradise’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I’ll always be grateful for his kindness, generosity, and great performances through the years, including at the White House in 2000,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “My thoughts are with his family, friends, and legion of devoted fans.”Major sports franchises and fellow entertainers also recognized the singer’s death on social media. Mr. Leritz recalled that Mr. Buffett said: “I’ve never done this before. Any tips?” He said he advised Mr. Buffett to treat the scene like a normal conversation — deliver the lines and genuinely listen to what the other actor is saying. Eventually Mr. Leritz pieced together whom he had been talking to, and now, he said, it’s a memory he holds dear.

Persons: “, Jimmy Buffett, Biden, Bill Clinton, “ I’ll, ”, Buffett, Jimmy, Toby Keith, ” Lawrence Leritz, Leritz, didn’t, “ I’ve Organizations: ”, White, White House, Miami Heat N.B.A Locations: American

☆ Ali Bongo: who is Gabon leader ousted in military coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A still image from video shows Gabon President Ali Bongo being interviewed in Libreville, Gabon, September 24, 2016. Following a stroke, his fitness to rule was questioned, sparking a failed coup in 2019 as he convalesced in Morocco. Before sitting down for a televised interview with Reuters after his 2016 election win, Bongo removed a large silver watch and several gold rings. When Bongo won a 2016 election, accusations of vote meddling stoked public anger amid a period of low crude prices and belt-tightening. In 2019, a military coup was foiled, with the coup plotters citing a lack of information following Bongo's stroke in 2018.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Michael Jackson, Omar, Junior, Alain Bernard Bongo, Ali, Keen, Britain's Prince Charles, Alessandra Prentice, Edward McAllister, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Omar's, WikiLeaks, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, autocrats, Morocco, French, Congo Republic, France, U.S

This is Blackswan, a K-pop group whose members hail from around the world. Gabi agreed, chiming in: “Everything that a K-pop group has, we have.”Trained the Korean wayThe four members may not be Korean, but their journey to Blackswan followed a well-worn, uniquely Korean path that involved auditioning to become trainees in a hyper-competitive program. Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesBy contrast, some of the newer Blackswan members have been training for a year or less. “When I was 15, my friend showed me a K-pop music video … and since then, I kind of got stuck on the K-pop genre,” Fatou said. But the Blackswan members say most of the criticisms come from international observers, while Korean fans and artists have been largely supportive.

Persons: South Korea CNN —, Gabi, Fatou, UNIQ, Blackswan, ”, “, ” Fatou, –, Yoon Deung, “ presentable, Yoon, Blackpink, Emma McIntyre, Lee Gyu, aren’t, they’re, Lee, ” Lee, Kevin Winter, I’m, I’ve, Lee Wool Organizations: South Korea CNN, DR, CNN, Korean, DR Management, Coachella, George Mason University Korea, South, Hockey Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Brazil, United States, India, Senegal, Belgium, Waterbomb, Europe, South America, Indio , California, South Korean, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Los Angeles, West Africa, America

The lawsuit filed on Monday said Kante is entitled to more than $20 million in profit from the infringing music. Representatives for Kante, Lipa and WMG did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. Kante's website said he has played the Talk Box on songs by musicians including rappers Kanye West, Big Boi and J. Cole. The lawsuit said producer Stephen Kozmeniuk approached Kante in 2019 about creating a talk-box track to use on "Levitating." "Levitating" was released on Dua Lipa's hit 2020 album "Future Nostalgia."

Persons: Singer Dua Lipa, Florion, Bosko Kante, Kante, Lipa's, WMG, Lipa, Sandy Linzer, Russell Brown, Kanye, Big, J, Cole, Stephen Kozmeniuk, DJ, Madonna, Missy Elliott, DaBaby, Blake Brittain, David Bario, Richard Chang Organizations: Singer Dua, Skanderbeg, REUTERS, Warner Music Group, Kante, Thomson Locations: Tirana, Albania, Dua Lipa, Los Angeles, British, Lipa, Washington

☆ Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

US singer Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto) performs on stage during an invitation only concert at the newly opened Encore Boston Harbor Casino in Everett, Massachusetts on August 8, 2019. "No country has given the world such great music," Bennett said in a 2015 interview with Downbeat Magazine. The evening's performance resulted in the album, "Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged," which won two Grammys, including album of the year. Bennett would win Grammys for his tributes to female vocalists ("Here's to the Ladies"), Billie Holiday ("Tony Bennett on Holiday"), and Duke Ellington ("Bennett Sings Ellington — Hot & Cool"). He also won two Emmy Awards — for "Tony Bennett Live By Request: A Valentine Special" (1996) and "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" (2007).

Persons: Tony Bennett, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, Bennett, Antonia Benedetto, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Sylvia Weiner, Bennett didn't, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Sinatra, Sinatra's, Cheek, Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Amy Winehouse, Winehouse, Oscar, Amy, Porter, George Gershwin, George Cory, Douglass Cross, Ralph Sharon, Ralph, Danny, David Letterman, Fred Astaire, Elvis Costello, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, — Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Long, Susan Crow Benedetto, Anthony, Anna, James Infirmary, Bel, Miriam Spier, you'll, it's Bing Crosby, Art Tatum, Lester Young, Stan Getz, Joe Bari, Rosemary Clooney, Arthur Godfrey's, Pearl Bailey, Bob Hope, Mitch Miller, Hank Williams, Miller, Chuck Wayne, Chico Hamilton, Art Blakey, Count Basie, Harry Belafonte's, Martin Luther King Jr, Selma, Bennett's, Johnny Mandel's Oscar, Clive Davis, Tony, Bill Evans, Patricia Beech, Sandra Grant, Susan, Johanna, Antonia, Dae, —, Benedetto — Organizations: Associated Press, American, MTV, Ellington, New, Frank Sinatra School of, Arts, Armed Forces Network, Armed Forces Radio, American Theater, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, Greenwich Village, Paramount Theater, Sinatra, Columbia Records, Count Basie Orchestra, Army, Civil Rights Movement, Carnegie Hall, Columbia, IRS, Kennedy, National Endowment, Arts Jazz, Smithsonian Museum of American Locations: Everett , Massachusetts, Francisco, New York, San Francisco, Little Rock , Arkansas, Astoria, New York City, Queens, Italian, Germany, Greenwich, Montgomery, Los Angeles

☆ Lisa Marie Presley died of small bowel obstruction - coroner
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 13 (Reuters) - Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, died of a small bowel obstruction as a delayed consequence of bariatric weight loss surgery, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner reported on Friday, six months after she died. Presley, a singer and songwriter in her own right, had been taken to hospital after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest at her home. The medical examiner listed the cause of death as "sequelae of small bowel obstruction." "The obstruction was in the form of a strangulated small bowel caused by adhesions that developed after bariatric surgery years ago," the examiner said in a report. She was the only child of one of the greatest stars in American music, and was 9 years old when Elvis Presley died of heart failure at age 42 in 1977 at Graceland.

Persons: Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Presley, Priscilla Presley, Austin Butler, Riley Keough, Finley, Harper Lockwood, Michael Jackson, Nicholas Cage, Daniel Trotta, Robert Birsel Organizations: Los Angeles, Medical, Golden Globe, Thomson Locations: Beverly Hills , California, Graceland

☆ Lisa Marie Presley died of small bowel obstruction, coroner says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Taylor Swift changes controversial lyrics for ‘Better Than Revenge’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

From Taylor Swift On her birthday in 2019, Swift shared this photo of herself as a child. From Taylor Swift A 13-year-old Swift sings the National Anthem before an NBA game in Philadelphia in 2002. Kevin Winter/ACMA/Getty Images Swift sings the National Anthem before Game 3 of the 2008 World Series in Philadelphia. John Mabangalo/Pool/Getty Images Swift performs during a sold-out show at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2009. Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images Swift performs on stage during an "Eras Tour" concert in Atlanta in April 2023.

Persons: CNN — Taylor Swift, ” Swift, “, Swift, ” Taylor, shaming, ” Taylor Swift, Christopher Polk, Scott, Andrea Swift, Taylor Swift, Jesse D, Tim McGraw, Kevin Winter, John Mabangalo, Chad Batka, Bryan Bedder, Larry Busacca, Miley Cyrus, Lucas Till, Hannah Montana, Sam Emerson, Everett, Jonas, Frank Masi, Taylor, I'm, West, Beyonce, Jeff Kravitz, Lucy Nicholson, Christopher Morris, Josh Haner, Kevin Mazur, James Taylor, Charles Sykes, Matt Sayles, Mark J, Terrill, Invision, Jimmy Fallon, Douglas Gorenstein, Nicholas Harvey, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Laraine Newman, Bill Hader, Taran Killam, Kristen Wiig, Keenan Thompson, Fred Armisen, Kerry Washington, Betty White, Bradley Cooper, Dana Edelson, Andrea, Ethan Miller, Tim Boyles, Selena Gomez, Jordan Strauss, Mike Coppola, John Shearer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Brandon Urie, Katy Perry, Republic Records Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Will Heath, Seth Wenig, Terence Rushin, didn’t, It’s, –, Scooter Braun, Braun Organizations: CNN, Staples Center, NBA, of Country, Garden, New York Times, New York's Rockefeller Center, Walt Disney Co, Kanye, Madison, MTV, NBC, ACM, Academy of Country, Getty, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Universal Pictures, Coachella, Republic Records, New York University, Machine Locations: Los Angeles, West Reading , Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, New York, Auburn Hills , Michigan, Newark , New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Frankfurt, Germany, London, Arlington , Texas, Tampa, Chicago, Atlanta

☆ MSCHF’s ‘microscopic’ Louis Vuitton handbag sells for over $63K at Joopiter auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A minuscule handbag measuring just 657 by 222 by 700 microns (or less than 0.03 inches wide) sold for over $63,000 at an online auction Wednesday. Barely visible to the human eye, the fluorescent yellowish-green bag is based on a popular Louis Vuitton design — though it is the work of a New York art collective, not the luxury label itself. Microscopic 'Louis Vuitton' handbag sold for $63K at an auction, the latest project from art collective MSCHF. MSCHFThe sale was hosted by Joopiter, an online auction house founded by American musician, record producer and designer Pharrell Williams. “Pharrell loves big hats, so we made him an incredibly small bag,” he told the newspaper.

Persons: Louis, Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams, Williams, Louis Vuitton’s, Kevin Wiesner, “ Pharrell, MSCHF, ”, Andy Warhol, Damian Hirst, Birkin, Iggy Azalea, Janelle Monáe, ’ Organizations: CNN, Louis Vuitton, Joopiter, New York Times, Nike Locations: New York, Brooklyn, American

☆ Regional Mexican Music Is Finding More Ears. Peso Pluma Is Helping.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jon Pareles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Génesis,” the album released on Thursday by the Mexican songwriter known as Peso Pluma, could easily become a blockbuster. Its advance singles have already been streamed tens of millions of times. Other songs that Peso Pluma has released this year have racked up hundreds of millions of plays — among them “Ella Baila Sola” (“She Dances Alone”), his collaboration with the band Eslabon Armado, which reached No. Peso Pluma — Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, 24, whose stage name translates as Featherweight — is at the commercial forefront among young Mexican and Mexican American musicians who are updating vintage sounds for a broad new audience, in songs known as corridos tumbados, or trap corridos. Regional Mexican music is a folky, organic alternative to nearly all the other best-selling 2020s pop.

Persons: “, Pluma, “ Ella Baila Sola, — Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, He’s, Natanael Cano, ” Organizations: Grupo Frontera, Grupo Firme, Junior Locations: Mexican, Mexican American, Banda, United States, Mexico

☆ Charles M. Blow on ‘Rapper’s Delight’ - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Charles M. Blow | Charles Blow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

America Is An Island Where the Rules Never Changepick the one piece of culture thatbest captures the country. America Is ... We asked 17 columnists topick the one piece of culture thatbest captures the country. Opinion America Is Black Pain and Joy“Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang was the first rap song I remember hearing. Struggle and pain are often a kiln for creativity, and that has meant that much of American culture is born of the story of Black American life. It took the crosscurrents of Black life and produced of them a chorus, and America — and the world — was enthralled.

Persons: topick, Joy “, Eric Reese, I’m, America — Organizations: Library of Congress, Sugarhill, America Locations: America, South, New Jersey

☆ Revisiting ‘The Light in the Piazza’ Through an Asian American Lens
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Matt Stevens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Miles was at the top of the Encores! list for the role of Margaret. She recalled learning English while growing up in Hawaii as her Korean language skills diminished and becoming frustrated with her mother’s stubborn accent and lack of concern, unlike her friends’ parents, about things like having nice clothes. Over time, she said she even developed a sort of bitterness toward her mother. “And so I carry all of these stories and these ideas with me when we’re building Margaret,” she said.

Persons: Miles, Margaret, Ben Brantley, Miles “, ” Ramos, Tony, “ Sweeney Todd, ” Organizations: Broadway Locations: United States, South Korea, Hawaii

☆ BTS 10th anniversary: Superfans make pilgrimage to South Korea to celebrate the K-pop band that conquered the globe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Kathleen Magramo Yoonjung Seo Paula Hancocks | Kathleen Magramo | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Scroll through the gallery to see how the K-pop group went global. ilgan Sports/Multi-Bits/Getty Images BTS fans at the "Love Yourself" North American Tour at the Staples Center on September 9, 2018 in Los Angeles. Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/Getty Images BTS won all three awards they were nominated for at the 2021 American Music Awards held in Los Angeles. Theo Wargo/Getty Images BTS addressed Asian inclusion and representation at the White House in Washington, DC on May 31, 2022. “Being in America and not seeing that much of Asian representation, when I saw that seven Asian guys were trending … that totally like piqued my interest immediately.

Persons: Rowan Joss, Katie Myles ’, they’re, ’ ”, Joss, HYBE, Myles, Kim Tae, Jung Ho, Kim Nam, Kim Seok, Jeon Jung, kook, Min Yoon, Psy’s, ”, Chelsea Guglielmino, Jimmy Fallon, Andrew Lipovsky, Matt Winkelmeyer, Theo Wargo, Kent Nishimura, CedarBough Saeji, ” Saeji, Katie Myles, –, hasn’t, Anthony Wallace, ’, Lisa Trinh, Diana Phung, they’ve, Trinh, they’ll, Jimin, Hwang Young, Startrip, Yoonjung Seo, Jungkook, dad, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, it’s, Michelle Cho, It’s, Phung Organizations: Seoul CNN —, BTS, Records, YouTube, ilgan, Staples Center, Chelsea, NBC, Getty, White, Los Angeles Times, East Asian Studies, Pusan National University, ARMY, Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Tower, CNN, The, Guinness, Spotify, University of Toronto Locations: Hong Kong, Seoul, South Korea, Scotland, Los Angeles, Washington , DC, Korean, AFP, Seoul’s, California, Gangwon province, Busan, Korea, Cafe, America

☆ BTS 10th anniversary: K-pop sensation’s decade-long style evolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —This week marks 10 years since K-pop sensation BTS burst onto the South Korean music scene in a flurry of chunky chains, baseball caps and spiky hair. BTS pictured at a photo call for the Incheon Korean Music Wave festival in 2013, just months after the band debuted. Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images BTS sport colorful streetwear to perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in November 2017. RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images BTS appears at the American Music Awards in 2017, when they became the first Korean group to perform at the annual ceremony. Amy Sussman/Getty Images Photos: BTS' decade-long style evolution Prev NextNowhere is this more evident than on the red carpet.

Persons: Louis Vuitton, Jungkook, Valentino, Dior, Calvin Klein, Han Myung, Jimmy Kimmel, Griffin, Jordan Strauss, David Becker, Amy Sussman, Lee Ha, jeong, Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello, Kim Jones, Jin, Suga Organizations: CNN, Hit Entertainment, Incheon Korean Music, Bauer, BTS, Entertainment, MTV Locations: Korean, Seoul, South Korea, Jimin

☆ The Zamrock Band Witch Lost All but One Member. Its Singer Carries On.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jim Farber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In the years since Witch first made an impact, younger musicians have been paying attention. Sampa the Great, a 29-year-old Zambian rapper with international reach, said she connected “to the defiance and the edginess” of Witch’s music. “To have traditional music and infuse it with rock, that’s what I do with hip-hop,” she added. She collaborated with Witch on a track from her 2022 album “As Above, So Below” and appears on one of the band’s new songs. “We have the original gear from those records and the same sound engineer,” said Jacco Gardner, the band’s current bassist, who hails from the Netherlands.

Persons: Witch, “, Ahmed Gallab, Witch “, ”, Jacco Gardner, Stefan Lilov, Chanda, headbanging, Jagger, ” Chanda Organizations: Partisan Records, DB Locations: Sudanese American, African, Lusaka, Zambia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Brooklyn

☆ Opinion | The Flaws of Perfection
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Warren Zanes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Springsteen’s prior release, “The River,” was his first No. “Nebraska” was dirty, kind of mumbled in sections, its hushed tones punctuated by a few screams; it told scary stories. Warren Zanes is the author of “Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’” and “Petty: The Biography.” A former member of the Del Fuegos, he teaches at N.Y.U. and continues to write and record music, sometimes with the poet Paul Muldoon’s Rogue Oliphant band, sometimes on his own. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Kevin Lambert grew up in North Carolina in the 1980s, and first visited his mother's native South Korea in 2000. Courtesy Kevin LambertIt might seem an odd desire given many have never set foot in South Korea. But life in South Korea brings its own challenges – and many eventually return to the US. For Kim, it’s a relief to be back in South Korea, where the safety is “100% better.”“I plan to live (in South Korea) until I die,” he said. “If South Korea today was as impoverished as it was when I left, why would I return?” he said.

☆ Chris Strachwitz, Who Dug Up the Roots of American Music, Dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Alex Traub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Strachwitz (pronounced STRACK-wits) specialized in music passed down over generations — cotton-field music, orange-orchard music, mountain music, bayou music, barroom music, porch music. The songs came not only from before the era of the music industry but even from before the existence of mass culture itself. Mr. Strachwitz was the founder of Arhoolie Records (the name comes from a term for field hollers). In addition to recruiting his own artists, he did his own field recordings, music editing, production, liner notes, advertising and sales. In the company’s early years, he affixed the labels to the records and mailed them himself.

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