#"Music Afro"

[albertayebisackey]

“Don’t touch my hair, when it’s the feelings I wear. Don’t touch my soul, when it’s the rhythm I know.” - Solange Knowles

[violetvisionss]

I usually put lyrics of whatever song the photo reminds me of. This song has no lyrics but encapsulates the image.

Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas

2023

[mccek]

Boy, you know you my baby

Don't need to say it 'cause you

See the way I'm ridin', baby

No need to question if it's yours, boy

You sound crazy 'Cause you know that I won't

Give it to nobody else

Just promise that you'll always hold me down

Every time I hit you up

Will always be the same with us

And when he asks me, who I'm steppin' for

I say the same thing every single time

AfroWave Pt.8

[afrohouseking]

Famous DJ SOLOMUN Ultimate Set in Egypt dropping the best electronic dance music songs.

[hsmagazine254]

Reviewing Nameless: The Afro-Pop Icon from Kenya

Unravelling the Musical Journey of Nameless in the Afro-Pop Genre Album: “Re-Invented” (2006-2014) Genre: Afro-Pop and R&B In the colourful tapestry of Kenya’s music scene, one name that stands out is Nameless. With his captivating blend of Afro-pop and R&B sounds, this talented artist has left an indelible mark on the hearts of music lovers. From chart-topping hits to awards and accolades,…

[renaissance-sys]

hello there,,!! i've been being to do a small "intro" as i've been wanting to make more plural/system friends, so here are some things about us,,!! :Dc /pos

🌨

we are afro-puertorican and are diagnosed with; autism, manic depression, fnd *with tic-like movements*, and severe anxiety...

some of our hobbies are; drawing, reading, creating pinterest boards, scrap journaling, sleeping, listening to music and playing video games...

some of our hyperfixations are; true crime, sonic, cult of the lamb, minecraft, horror movies *especially saw*, hannibal and resident evil...

some of our special interests are; minecraft, spongebob, horror movies *especially saw* and sonic...

our collective favorite color is; black...

our collective favorite movie is; saw x or the shining...

our collective favorite song is; de selby (part 2) - hozier...

our collective favorite band is; glass animals...

our collective favorite quote / lyric is; "i am a true romantic, free falling love addict"...

🗯

please do dm us or send us anonymous asks if you want to talk about anything,,!! despite our social anxiety and displays of introvert behaviors, we're still welcome for communication,,!! :3c /vpos

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

hi lemon! i’m here reporting for nice ass(k) week!

first off: this quote in your bio. love happens in a series of bursts and inches, and it is worth convincing the brain to do the work the heart is already capable of.

is this your quote or someone else’s?

also i know you love music. i do too, but have a very basic taste but love finding new music. do you have any recommendations? i’m pretty open to whatever!

do you drink coffee? if so what’s your coffee (or tea if you’re one of those non coffee drinkers) order? i love asking people how they take it!

Hi Rachel!! Thank you for your inquiry 🍑

I wish that quote was mine!! It is from Hanif Abdurraqib, who is one of my favorite writers and also just one of my favorite people in general. We share so many common values and I love his perspective so much (except for cheese. I cannot support this man’s cheese agenda). This quote is from an instagram story he posted talking about one of his favorite Frightened Rabbit songs.

Speaking of music and Hanif, I actually discovered his writing when I was listening to one of my favorite rappers, Loyle Carner, talk about his favorite rappers and he recommended Hanif’s book of essays, Go Ahead in the Rain, which is a love letter to A Tribe Called Quest. Who is one of my favorite rap groups, so I had to go buy and read the book immediately!

I am sure your music taste isn’t basic!! Mine is very, very eclectic! I make playlists for most of my fics, you can find them on Spotify here! I will make a list of some specific recommendations below!

For coffee, yes I am obsessed (but I don’t do caffeine for health reasons 🙈). I like just regular drip coffee with oat milk as a creamer, but I don’t like that burnt rubber coffee like Sbux. I want it to be strong and smooth! If I’m ordering espresso I love a nice cappuccino but generally I’ll go for an oat milk latte. Or a golden milk (Owen Strand core). I also really, really love tea. My favorite is Lady Gray, but I love a nice ginger or chai or Twinings buttermint. I love going to fancy tea houses!

Okay! Music recs! I will start with a few of my favorite albums from last year and then a few I’m looking forward to this year.

Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus (pop, Latin pop)

Recommended tracks: I Wish You Roses, Fantasy, Como Te Quiero Yo, Endlessly, Blue

Yussef Dayes - Black Classical Music (JAZZ)

Recommended tracks: Afro Cubanism, Rust, Pon di Plaza

Gabriels- Angels & Queens (Soul)

Recommended tracks: Taboo, Remember Me, Love & Hate at a Different Time

Tekno - The More The Better (Afrobeats, pop)

Recommended tracks: Peppermint, Peace of Mind, Regina

Captain Planet - Sounds Like Home (Brazilian Funk)

Recommended tracks: Destello, Moqueca, Kité Soufè

Drama - Till We Die (Funk, house)

Recommended tracks: Drama, Tighten it Up

June Freedom - 7 Seas (Afrobeats, pop)

Recommended tracks: Messi, Diana

KAROL G - Mañana Será Bonito (pop, Latin pop, raggeton)

Recommended tracks: TQG, BESTIES, PERO TÚ, OJOS FERRARI

Upcoming

Kali Uchis - Orquídeas (Pop, Latin pop) this one is coming on Friday and I am going to be VERY annoying about it!!

NewDad - MADRA (lo-fi, indie pop)

Yard Act - Where’s My Utopia (Brit pop, indie rock)

[kickmag]

Meshell Ndegecello's Red Hot & Ra: The Magic City Album Stream

Meshell Ndegeocello's curated Red, Hot & Ra: The Magic City is a tribute to the work of the late Afro-jazz futurist Sun Ra. The album is the latest in the Red Hot Organization's series of projects started three decades ago to raise awareness and money for A.I.D.S. Ndegeocello uses Sun Ra as a muse to produce abstract sketches of his work instead of cover songs. Every composition is original and reflects Sun Ra's visionary status by tapping the creativity of contemporary voices. In some places, Sun Ra actually appears when he is sampled recanting the band's travels and his philosophy on "Solipsistic Panacea (Black Antique)" and "Departure Of The Seven Sisters." Ndegecello delves into the spirit of Sun Ra's expression with a variety of collaborators including Marshall Allen who is the leader of the late musician's Arkestra. Hip-Hop/punk rocker Pink Siifu provides ethereal poetry and scraggly-whispered rap on "El-soul The Companion, Traveler" and "Yet Differently Not- Mars Hall (in)." 

"#9 Venus The Living Myth" pays homage to Sun Ra's respect for other planets and his avant-garde jazz with a cacophony of saxophones, percussion eruptions, choral-like chants, and quotes from the master himself. The Justin Hicks-penned "Reproductive Manatees" has Sun Ra's early proto-funk keyboard experimentation and parts that sound like sung prayers. Ndegeocello's creative decisions encapsulate Sun Ra's sonic and philosophical creed of jazz-based musical freedom and respect for other life forms and planets. The Magic City presents all the spookiness, improvisation, mystery, and elusiveness of Sun Ra and his Arkestra who were waiting on aliens decades before George Clinton's mothership landed in D.C. 

[lyriumsings]

oh damn I was just wondering if I should ask if you took oc questions and I saw a post about you wanting to talk about them. so. this is your sign: free pass tell me whatever you want about whoever you want. I’d like to know stuff about them (please. thank.)

This ask has literally been sitting here for like a year and I can’t stop thinking about my infamous mc so i’m gonna use this as a sort of preview introduction lol so anon if you’re out there im so sorry lmaooo and i absolutely love asks about my brain blorbos or anything really ngl i’ll probably copy and paste all this information to their Official Art ™️

Name: Octavia “Tavvi” Blackwater

Stage name: Tavvi

Pronouns: they/she

Sexuality: Bisexual

Band name: Beneath the Challenger (BTC). Octavia came up with the name and it’s basically a metaphor for them being super depressed lmao. It comes from the Challenger Deep which is the lowest point on earth beneath the Mariana’s trench.

Vocal Insp: donna missal (pinnacle voice bc for them tbh), The pretty reckless, the haunt

Music Insp: The Pretty Reckless, The Haunt, (for all of these bands i have very specific songs that i plug in as BTC’s lyrics lmao i have a playlist for them that i basically hc as their songs), Bad Omens (Just Pretend is SUCH a seven x mc song and i hc it as BTC’s best song), Mothica (VICES tho), and Honey Revenge! Here’s their playlist it grows everyday lmao

Fandom: Aquanauts. I hc that Maya figured out the bands meaning and picked based on that, Octavia genuinely loves it and finds it cute. And somehow the fact that the name makes sense to what the band name is makes them feel very seen and comforted tbh

Ep: Under the Water

Favorite unreleased single: The Slowest Heart (Which i actually took from Gilded Lily bc that song has heavy Octavia x Seven vibes) They have “the slowest heart�� tattooed on there left rib age side boob area lol Although I feel like if she wrote it it’d be closer to the sped up version and a bit angrier mixed with hurt but the lyrics are perfect)

Romance: Seven’s ex. Still has his initials and doesn’t bother to cover it. And they are harboring a very blatant crush on Orion that if they’re being honest about started specifically because Orion seems pretty unattainable and they have no actual expectations of that fantasy becoming a reality (at least at first). Some cute stuff about them and seven tho: I hc fans called them Seven8 cuz Octavia means 8 or i guess Setavia works but Seven8 is so cute to me. And that seven had them in his phone as “8” and Octavia had him as “7 Ducky”

Some backstory:

Octavia is biracial her mom is white and her dad is black (specifically has afro indigenous roots but he was a foster kid so very estranged from these cultures) does not have a good relationship with their parents at all. Their parents didn’t really want kids? Sort of had Octavia because that’s what they were “supposed” to do next after getting married. Octavia is very much just an item checked off a list in a lot of ways regarding them. Very much the type of people who probably shouldn’t have had a kid not because they didn’t provide physically but they’re just emotionally nonexistent and incredibly dismissive lol. So yeah, so she had a very lonely childhood.

They did lots of ballet/contemporary dancing and soft ball which she does still actually enjoy as hobbies presently, but for the most part she’s obsessed with music and making music. They have a bat from highschool that they call “Lucky Lucy” where for two separate games in a row she hit nothing but home runs with it. Now, she takes it to every show and makes everybody touch Lucky Lucy before performing.

Octavia is obsessed with old hollywood glamour and old movies/shows from that era— most specifically Audrey Hempburn. They have several references/quotes from her tattooed on them: “never throw out anyone” is a partial quote from “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw anyone out.” that they have tattooed directly under their S.D. tattoo which is my favorite lol and another is “i was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.” probably on their opposite forearm from S.D. (There’s more but i gotta map them out.) They can do a transatlantic accent, and did so for many months as a teen to annoy their parents.

Lastly, romantic history: before Seven they had a girlfriend, Maria. Who was pretty much their polar opposite—very straight laced, serious, and structured but also incredibly sweet, polite, absolute wifey material—and honestly while she supported Octavia’s dream on a surface level she thought Octavia needed a more concrete plan for the future. They dated for about half of high school and split amicably when it became clear that Octavia wasn’t going to change/Octavia’s underlying feelings for Seven became a bit too obvious to ignore. They’re still in contact and friendly and Maria is married and has two kids.

Post Seven, Octavia had one serious relationship that was on and off for 8 months about a year after their initial split. It was bad. Incredibly toxic content warning type bad. Dean Clayton was the lead singer of another indie band Violet Vapors and was a general misogynistic piece of shit. It was a they just didn’t see the red flags until they were already in it type situation, bc no one advertises themself as a pos partner obvs. She doesn’t like to talk about it and borderline actively ignores it, but if they ever saw him again they’d probably take their bat to him tbh. Octavia is in a muuuuch better place now (comparatively speaking, which i mean the bar is in hell so do with that what ye will) still does drugs and drinks but it’s not nearly as bad as uhhh this era of their life.

[millenniumblue]

Y2K Futurism in Hiphop and RnB

This optimism for the future had a massive effect on Black art, Black music specifically, and we saw a boom in futuristic aesthetics in music videos from the era, with directors like Hype Williams creating dazzling music videos dipped in metallics, leather, sterilized, and icy interiors, and trippy CGI, like we can see in the music video for Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson's What's it Gonna Be?!

In "Afrofuturism, The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture", Ytasha L. Womack writes, “Afrofuturists sought to unearth the missing history of people of African descent and their roles in science, technology, and science fiction. They also aimed to reintegrate people of color into the discussion of cyberculture, modern science, technology, and sci-fi pop culture. With the Internet in its infancy, they hoped to facilitate equal access to progressive technologies, knowing that a widespread embrace would diminish the race-based power imbalance and hopefully color-based limitations- for good.”

Like the Black artists and creatives who embraced Afrofuturism in the 60s and 70s, the 2000s gave way to a new generation of Black people who saw their future up in the stars. 

The Black futurists of the 60s and 70s dreamed of a return to the motherland/mothership of Africa, a liberation of their people as a collective community by mixing Afro-centrism with space imagery, pyramids up against the stars, traveling to distant planets for a new beginning, taking the global African diaspora and spreading out in the galaxy. These were star children on a path to alternate worlds away from the racialized oppression and violence Black people faced globally on earth. A quote that best captures this space-age futurism is from Octavia E. Butler, "There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns."

There was a strong sense of community in this era, of collective liberation and unity

In contrast to this, the future of the 2000s was one plagued by a deep feeling of loneliness.

Yes, we see the recurring theme of Black people escaping Earth on spaceships to the stars, but in this era, they aren't escaping to a community; they're escaping alone to fancy space mansions, to advanced technology like the camera we see Lisa controlling in the video.

In his Video Essay, "Remembering Y2K Afrofuturism in Music Videos, GoldFro. Dives deeper into this idea of isolation in this era of Black art.

When the clock struck 12 on the first of January 23 years ago, the world had been collectively holding its breath. No one knew where the new millennium would take them, yet even in this era of uncertainty, people were able to predict that technology would be both a blessing and a curse. Techno-transcendence meant giving up physical connection for digital freedom, and Y2K Afrofuturists in their shiny metallic cages, alone in cyberspace, while they sang songs of longing to be loved and held, captured this feeling in a way I think is really beautiful.

[mccek]

Call me when ya feeling sick

Call me when ya feeling down

Call me when you need someone to talk to

Call me when ya feeling lonely

Call me when you need somebody

Call me when you need someone to talk to

AfroWave pt.4 (2)

[marsnicolasliwiak]

Research: Aliens/Robots/UFOs

Alien Moodboard

Design:

Capoeira: The Capoeira are an alien duo from Bust a Groove who came to Earth to collect old metal signboards. Unlike the other dancers in the games, the Capoeira work together in their dances as they are named after an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that heavily uses dance and music, with their theme music also being capoeira. The two aliens do have names: Kiki and Lala, like the Sanrio characters.

Novi Stars: Novi Stars were a 2012 fashion doll line made by MGA that had of the concept of alien girls with different gimmicks, such as clear legs filled with various things, from colourful liquids to plastic sweets, and light up features. While not popular in their initial run due to the popularity of Mattel’s Monster High line, Novi Stars are now loved by older doll collectors due to their unique designs and concepts.

Mars: Mars is a character from Lauren Faust’s portfolio project Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls (If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Faust also made My Little Pony Friendship is Magic). In Milky Way, the planets are personalised into teenage girls who roller skate across the galaxy, with a variety of styles and personalities for the team. In Mars’ case, she is the kookiest member of the Galaxy Girls as she’s an alien with a heavy passion for the arts who likes standing out.

Robot Moodboard

Design:

Mimi + O’Chunks: Mimi and O’Chunks are characters in Super Paper Mario who works alongside Count Bleck and his team to “Recreate the world in their vision” (I say in quotes because it’s a lie. And these two are the only ones who don’t know that until the climax.). These two are grouped together because they’re both robots; O’Chunks is a military robot while Mimi is a dysfunctional Pixl (Pixls are small robotic creatures who are created by Ancients and can embody the souls of people close to death so they can continue living). These two are extreme opposites, with Mimi being a self-serving and sassy fashionista who coordinates everything and can mimic other's appearances and O’Chunks being a short-circuited brute who’ll attack anyone the moment he finds out they’re a threat to Bleck’s plan (He’s also Scottish. This is import to mention.).

Wall.E + Eve: Speaking of opposites, Wall.E and Eve from the movie Wall.E are both great robots. While Wall.E is stuck on a destroyed Earth and was made to clean up trash, Eve was made to keep the last sapling to revive the Earth and is sent to Earth. The movie mostly focuses on their relationship and the life that humans currently live, and despite their lack of dialogue, their actions speak so clear. Also the contrast in their designs, especially in terms of shape usage, is really good.

Chibi-Robo: Chibi-Robo is the name of the character and 2005 Gamecube game. In the game, you play as a tiny robot named Chibi-robo and are tasked to help clean the house of your new owners, the Sanderson family, to gain happiness points and be the very best robot while also helping out sentient toys. Chibi-Robo's design, while extremely basic, is cute and sleek, with the plug on his back giving him a more unique appearance as well as being an important mechanic.

Spaceships Moodboard

Design:

UFO Houses: UFO houses, known officially as Futuro Pods, are small scale and round house with a colourful and alien-like exterior. Designed initially by Finnish Architect Matti Suuronen in the 1960’s, these houses were meant to be the future but were protested against due to their over the top look and due to having zoning issues. These houses are now treated as tourist attractions, and are well known for inspiring an abandoned war officer retreat in Taiwan called the Sanzhi UFO Houses.

Halberd: The Battleship Halberd is a large and dark spaceship that appears throughout the Kirby Franchise. The ship is operated and owned by Meta Knight, a renowned warrior within Dreamland, who uses it to trap Kirby in Meta Knight’s Revenge to get rid of Dreamland’s peaceful vibe and as a status symbol. The Halberd stands out so much even compared to other slightly more dark things in the franchise, but that's what makes it super unique.

Lot Starcutter: The Lor Starcutter is a spaceship (Literally) that appears in Kirby’s Return to Dreamland and is operated by the game’s twist antagonist, Magolor. The ship might not belong to Magolor however, as it might instead have belonged to some other Ancient within Halcandra, the world where Magolor is from and the possible birthplace of most Ancients.

[ejesgistnews]

Taylor Swift and Tyla Dominate 2024 MTV EMAs: Full Winners List Revealed In a dazzling night of music and celebration, American pop superstar Taylor Swift emerged as a major winner at the 2024 MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), taking home four awards, including Best Artist and Best Live Artist. The event, held at Manchester’s Co-op Live on November 10, saw Swift outshining several top industry names despite her absence. The 34-year-old megastar expressed her gratitude in a pre-recorded message, noting her "sadness" at not being able to attend.   Member of the British band the Pet Shop Boys Chris Lowe performs during the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at the Co-op live stadium in Manchester, north west England, on November 10, 2024. – The ceremony’s 30th edition, which brings together the biggest names in world music, takes place at Manchester’s new Co-op Live venue, with ten of the eleven artists nominated the most, being women. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE   Tyla Shines, Makes African History South African sensation Tyla stole the spotlight, clinching the Best Afrobeats Award, beating top Nigerian acts such as Asake, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Rema, and Tems. Tyla’s victory marked a historic moment, as she became the first African artist to win three awards in a single night at the MTV EMAs. Alongside Best Afrobeats, she also took home the Best R&B Award and Best African Act Award, a record-breaking achievement for the rising star.   Video screens display US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift accepting the award for best video during the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at the Co-op live stadium in Manchester, north west England, on November 10, 2024.  (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE   Tyla Reacts to Win Reacting to her triumph, Tyla expressed her excitement on social media. Quoting a tweet from the organisers, she thanked her fans, affectionately known as "Tygers," saying, “Thank you Tygers once again! Y’all are insane!” Her incredible rise has been bolstered by her debut single, "Water," which catapulted her to global recognition and earned her several accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance in February 2024. South African singer Tyla (L) delivers a speech after accepting the award for best afro-beats artist during the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at the Co-op live stadium in Manchester, north west England, on November 10, 2024.  (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE   Full List of Winners and Highlights The 2024 MTV EMAs marked the show’s 30th anniversary, returning to the UK with a star-studded celebration. Voting opened with Taylor Swift leading the nominations with seven nods, including categories like Best Video, Best Pop, and Biggest Fans. Other top contenders included Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter, each with five nominations. Nigerian stars Ayra Starr and first-time nominee Tyla were among those leading the charge with four nominations. British singer-songwriter Rita Ora presents the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at the Co-op live stadium in Manchester, north west England, on November 10, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE Despite her victories at the MTV EMAs, Tyla’s name was notably absent from the 2025 Grammy nominations, announced just days before the ceremony. However, her stellar performance and historic wins at the EMAs solidify her status as one of Africa’s most promising musical exports. US rapper Busta Rymes (R) performs during the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at the Co-op live stadium in Manchester, north west England, on November 10, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE READ ALSO: Grammy Awards Nominations 2025: Full List of Nominees as Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Asake, Tems Shine South Korean band Le Sserafim perform during the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at the Co-op live stadium in Manchester, north west England, on November 10, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

  Here Is The Full List Of 2024 MTV EMAs Winners: BEST SONG Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” Beyoncé – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!” Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – WINNER BEST VIDEO Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” Charli xcx – “360” Eminem – “Houdini” Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us” LISA ft. Rosalía – “NEW WOMAN” Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – WINNER  BEST ARTIST Beyoncé Billie Eilish Post Malone RAYE Sabrina Carpenter Taylor Swift — WINNER  BEST COLLABORATION Charli xcx & Billie Eilish – “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar – “Like That” Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile” LISA ft. Rosalía – “NEW WOMAN” — WINNER Peso Pluma, Anitta – “BELLAKEO” Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”  BEST NEW Ayra Starr Benson Boone — WINNER Chappell Roan LE SSERAFIM Teddy Swims The Last Dinner Party Tyla BEST POP Ariana Grande — WINNER Billie Eilish Camila Cabello Charli xcx Dua Lipa Sabrina Carpenter Taylor Swift  BEST AFROBEATS Asake Ayra Starr Burna Boy Rema Tems Tyla – WINNER BEST ROCK Bon Jovi Coldplay Green Day Kings of Leon Lenny Kravitz Liam Gallagher – WINNER The Killers BEST LATIN Anitta Bad Bunny KAROL G Peso Pluma — WINNER Rauw Alejandro Shakira BEST K-POP Jimin — WINNER Jung Kook LE SSERAFIM LISA NewJeans Stray Kids BEST ALTERNATIVE Fontaines D.C. Hozier Imagine Dragons — WINNER Lana Del Rey Twenty One Pilots YUNGBLUD BEST ELECTRONIC Calvin Harris – WINNER David Guetta Disclosure DJ Snake Fred Again.. Swedish House Mafia BEST HIP-HOP Central Cee Eminem — WINNER Kendrick Lamar Megan Thee Stallion Nicki Minaj Travis Scott BEST R&B Kehlani SZA Tinashe Tyla — WINNER Usher Victoria Monét BEST LIVE Adele Coldplay Doja Cat RAYE Taylor Swift — WINNER Travis Scott BEST PUSH Ayra Starr Chappell Roan Coco Jones Flyana Boss Jessie Murph Laufey LE SSERAFIM — WINNER Mark Ambor Shaboozey Teddy Swims The Warning Victoria Monét BIGGEST FANS Anitta Ariana Grande Beyoncé Billie Eilish Chappell Roan Charli xcx Katy Perry LISA – WINNER Nicki Minaj Sabrina Carpenter Shawn Mendes Taylor Swift MTV EMA 2024 BEST REGIONAL ACT NOMINEES BEST AFRICAN ACT Asake Ayra Starr DBN Gogo Diamond Platnumz TitoM & Yuppe Tyla BEST ASIA ACT BINI ILLIT Mahalini MASDO Sakurazaka46 BEST AUSTRALIAN ACT Confidence Man CYRIL Kylie Minogue Sia The Kid LAROI Troye Sivan BEST AUSTRIAN ACT Bilderbuch Christina Stürmer Esther Graf Money Boy RAF Camora Wanda BEST BRASILIAN ACT Jão Luisa Sonza Matuê Pabllo Vittar Pedro Sampaio BEST CANADIAN ACT AR Paisley Kaytranada Nelly Furtado Shawn Mendes Tate McRae BEST CARIBBEAN ACT Eladio Carrion Luar la L Myke Towers YovngChimi Young Miko BEST DUTCH ACT Claude Jonna Fraser Mr. Belt & Wezol Roxy Dekker Son Mieux BEST FRENCH ACT Aya Nakamura Dadju & Tayc GIMS Pierre Garnier Slimane Vitaa BEST GERMAN ACT AYLIVA K.I.Z Luciano Pashanim Shirin David BEST INDIA ACT Armaan Malik Chirag Todi Dee MC & EPR Hanumankind Kamakshi Khanna Mali BEST ITALIAN ACT Angelina Mango Annalisa Ghali Mahmood The Kolors BEST ISRAELI ACT Agam Buhbut Anna Zak Noa Kirel Shahar Saul Shahar Tavoch BEST LAT AM CENTRAL ACT Beele Blessd Kapo Manuel Turizo Sofia Castro BEST LAT AM NORTH ACT Danna El Malilla Gabito Ballesteros Natanael Cano YeriMua BEST LAT AM SOUTH ACT Dillom Emilia Luck Ra Maria Becerra Trueno BEST NORDIC ACT Alesso girl in red Laufey Swedish House Mafia Zara Larsson BEST POLISH ACT Daria Zawiałow

Kacperczyk Kwiat Jabłoni Pro8l3m Zalewski BEST PORTUGUESE ACT Bárbara Bandeira Bárbara Tinoco Dillaz Ivandro Slow J BEST SPANISH ACT Ana Mena Belén Aguilera Dani Fernández Lola Indigo Mikel Izal BEST SWISS ACT Benjamin Amaru Faber Nemo Priya Ragu Stress BEST UK & IRELAND ACT Central Cee Charli xcx Chase & Status Dua Lipa Hozier RAYE — WINNER BEST US ACT Ariana Grande Beyoncé Kendrick Lamar Sabrina Carpenter Taylor Swift About the MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) is an annual event established in 1994 by MTV to celebrate outstanding achievements in the music industry, particularly targeting European and global artists. Modeled after the iconic MTV Video Music Awards, the EMAs recognise music across a variety of genres and regions, making it one of the biggest nights in entertainment. The event is hosted in a different European city each year, with past locations including Berlin, Paris, and London, adding a unique cultural flair to the global music celebration. The full list of winners and nominees was shared on the organisers' official social media accounts, highlighting the diverse and international scope of this year’s awards. Related terms: African artists at MTV EMAs 2024 Taylor Swift Best Artist 2024 MTV EMAs Full list of MTV EMA winners 2024 Best Afrobeats Award MTV EMAs 2024 Tyla makes history at MTV EMAs Taylor Swift wins MTV EMAs 2024 MTV European Music Awards 2024 winners list AFP/ Ejes Gist News

[fineartsjournal]

213341 Art Studio IIIA ⋆ Week 5 - Dire, Dire, Dire...

We find ourselves in the present day. Not for long, I still haven't even covered J Dilla. I have, however, stumbled across these two albums, both from 2023, and both from Brazil, where half my family is.

These being: Mimosa by cabezadenego, Mbé & Leyblack, and Sexto Dos Crias by DJ Ramon Sucesso.

Both these were found browsing RateYourMusic for plunderphonic essentials, to which I was pleasantly surprised to find two Baile Funk albums in the ranks.

I wrote about this for Contextual Studies last semester, so I'll quote myself for the following:

[Baile Funk is] "...a music genre of hiphop and Miami Bass sensibilities that originated from the Rio de Janeiro slums - or favelas - in the early 1990s, with a jumpy, vulgar and generally fun attitude."

This was referring to the album Mimosa in particular, which-

"...uses energetic sampling of Afro-Brazilian music new and old, particular the genre Baile Funk..." "The sampling approach, as well as very straightforward lyricism about gay sex; entails an incredibly danceable musical experience of black queerness in Brazil..."

In an interview with Gabinete last December, group member Luiz Felipe (seen pictured on the album cover) outlined the motives behind Mimosa:

“For me the sample has the function of reframing (?), you recount the history via a new perspective […] I find that the sample has a profound connection with black culture through its principles […] it is based on our very own history. And the sample for me isn’t just in music, it is in the argument; you can sample video, you can sample ideas, you can sample words, the way in which we created this project was entirely sampled.”

Sexta Dos Crias is much the same, with DJ Ramon Sucesso using his DJ controller to zoom across fragments of funk at lightning pace. No sample sticks around for long, instead, you find yourself tumbling between- "...firework-like bursts of classic funk carioca samples, his own productions, mainstream tracks, nonsense TikTok sound bites, and tons of his trademark beat bolha. All contained within an unparalleled, mischievously non-linear rhythmic flow."

Now in working mode for the next presentation, I tinkered around with the Super Mario 64 soundtrack in Audacity until I came across a neat sound.

Sampling the first four notes in the track Dire Dire Docks, I slowed the speed by 95%, and again by another 95%. Doing this required me to segment the piece and individually slow each of the segments, as doing the whole thing at once would cause Audacity to crash.

I then divided the resulting track into a left-ear and light-ear channel, playing at a slight delay to each other, forming a 'panning' effect.

Over this year, I've learned some audible differences in 'slowing' techniques.

A regular 'record' slow lowers both the pitch and tempo at once, sounds clean, and takes very little processing power to perform.

Just shifting the tempo is a little trickier; a low-fidelity tempo slow repeats small sections of the audio every fraction of a second, creating this ssttaaggggeerreedd ssoouunndd.

The high-fidelity version of this sees Audacity artifically 'filling in' these staggered gaps. This results in a stretchy, metallic sound.

A "paulstretch" also doesn't affect the pitch, but drenches any slowing in cavernous reverb.

Here's a little comparison I made:

For this next one, I took the "yahoo!" sound that Mario makes when performing a 'long jump' action in-game, and slowed it using the lo-fi tempo slider, shaved off the latter 8 minutes, and slowed it again; until it was 3 minutes of repeated "ya-" noises; otherwise representing a fraction of a millisecond.

Experimenting further, I added a 'delay', pitch-shifted so that each 'echo' would play at a lower key. Reversing this sound created a turkey-like noise, which I then looped in turn.

I then took the theme from the game's "File Select" menu, again slowing it down to a 20th of its speed. From there, I took the opening fraction-of-a-note and looped it, lowering the key each time to create a jiltery progression.

Press play on both tracks and they... kind of work together!

Ruby, Ariel and I caught up with Mike for a brief talk on materials, which we mapped out to the following:

Then I remembered something cool. Being a fan of Aphex Twin would come in handy eventually - meet SampleBrain.

It was available as a free download on Github.

After loading it up (and convincing my PC that this was not malware), the program looked like this:

I followed the instructions and placed the shorter tracks from the SM64 soundtrack into the "brain contents", and loaded a loop taken from OPN's Zebra into the "target sound".

⚠️ PLEASE LOWER YOUR VOLUME! ⚠️

Will this be my go-to sample-processing unit? Time will tell.

Being the algorithmic hymns of a straightforward piece of software, it gets loud. REALLY quick. Using this software more in my work will require a lot more effort in the mixing department.

𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕒 𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕗 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕖𝕞𝕞𝕒!

I showcased my current project, sketches, different audio methods I'm using (SampleBrain included), as well as playing what I've made so far. This was mainly a catch-up for prodding into my own motives, rather than critiques.

The qualities of Super Mario 64 (SM64) are a hallmark of internet-era nostalgia; and for me, a nostalgia not just from the unreal, but the unlived; to be nostalgic for I game I haven't played, from a time before I was born.

The development of the presentation side of my work following the Week 3 critique came with a need to tear down barriers in audience interaction, remove that digital suspicion that we hold onto through the introduction of the familiar to the modern.

This will be a very 'modern' piece, but I still will be using MP3 players; like a letter symbol on your Gmail app, or a rotary speaker on your Phone icon.

I was listening to the Runescape soundtrack the other day.

It's this fantasy game from the early 2000s that I know jack-shite about, but the music is nice.

Nevertheless, it's clearly evoked a longing for those that grew up playing it, as every comment is reminiscing on lost times.

So I thought - what if I took one of these comments and just... removed any and all reference to Runescape, video games and even music - from it? What is left?

Runescape was, and is not a real place, but these are very real feelings.

[theloniousbach]

ALMOST LIVESTREAM: RAVI COLTRANE with David Virelles, Dezron Douglas, and Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, BIRDLAND, 27 JUNE 2024

Here’s another gift from the YouTube algorithm, very welcome during a season that Mezzrow’s is not streaming so that renovations can happen.

I would have seen RAVI COLTRANE at City Winery had I been in town in early June as he is a very fine saxophonist whom I don’t know well enough. I’m probably a bit intimidated by his name, just as I am by his parents’ music. He did cover his father’s later Expressions referring to it as a tune by John Coltrane. His mother was the pianist and Rashid Ali was by then the drummer. Pharoah Sanders was also on the date. While I only dabbled in post-Quartet albums, this tune from the first posthumous album in the pipeline was, in these hands, coherent and comprehensible while maintaining all the challenges. I have tried to see St John Coltrane as accessible because he is. But the tic remains.

He was dead when Ravi was a very little boy, so in fact his mother was the bigger influence. She too bears the revered name and advanced the spiritual trance side of the tradition which should have appealed to this Deadhead, but didn’t.

Through all of this RAVI COLTRANE is simply a high caliber jazz saxophonist. Not a revolutionary (because there are so few), but a contributor to the Kuhnian “normal science” that is so wonderful. He had a high power band with Dezron Douglas showing his usual depth, David Vierelles adding finally a Latin power especially on the opener Round Midnight, and Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts who hasn’t shown up on the streams much being a powerhouse. Douglas was positively funky for Watts’ Katrina James and had a counterpoint riff underneath the Monk. His solo during Wayne Shorter’s Virgo was the high point of arguably the best tune of the night. Vierelles finally impressed me as previously he was too in his head to show his Cuban roots. Not an issue here as, again, Round Midnight was picante with his seasoning. He managed the ballad quite well but he was best being percussive and strong. Watts seemed cool and detached, but he smiled more as he settled in—at what they did with his tune, with the Charlie Parker closer.

But of course it was Coltrane’s show. His playing, mostly tenor but soprano on the second tune (probably an original) and sopranino for the Parker, was properly shaded. There was probably some of his father’s pre-modal playing in his, but that’s true of a big plurality at least of tenor players and there was a quote (Afro Blue?) in the opener. But, as with Expressions itself, there was a transparency to his playing that was very appealing.

I am very glad to have found this show, particularly when it came up.

https://www.youtube.com/live/JNhgodNRcAw?si=ury9xcWkNRBq0ALz

[consistantly-changing]

[Image descriptions in order: a twitter thread by @/arakkisuperstar "afro-arakkii leo says 🔺 RES..." (verified) which says "most people don't exercise bc it's fucking boring dude. that's it. it's literally boring as hell. especially things like weightlifting, which is 9/10 times just grinding for vanity reasons. and people are always going to be iffy about it until we normalize play as exercise]

["most people don't want to just go to some sweaty building and hate their bodies into something society deems acceptable like you know what would be great for heart health? tag. we should all go to the park and play tag]

["but i'm so sick of gym bros shitting on people for not wanting to exercise like bro....this shit isn't natural. picking heavy things up over and over again to look bigger is something we just made up! and it's not even fun!"]

["Pretend There's Something I..." replies "I used to fence. The number of women who'd come to beginner classes, groan at the mention of lunge drills, then realize quote, “wait, I don't mind the lunges if it means I get to stab someone”, unquote."

arakkii responds "fencing era gave me the best legs of my life. and i was GOOD. and it was FUN".]

[@/zeeuntitled00 "Zee ✰" replies to the thread "i get it, music definitely makes the experience for me"

arakkii responds "basically only work out now so i have something to do while i listen to my audiobooks".]

[@/brihemoth "🧊BRI🧊" replies to the thread "This. I would be fit as hell if jungle gyms for adults existed and playing wasn't ended in middleschool. Like, I don't want to run on a pad in a building with other people on other pads. I want to climb and swing and jump and pretend im on a pirate ship again".]

[@/AM_Pines "A. M. Pines" replies to the thread "We need Discovery Zone for adults. We need to run through Legends of the Hidden Temple. We need racing slides."]