#aaliyah khan

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

This Rotten Work Has Been Published!

Do you like Carry On or NBC's Community? Do you like messy lesbians in an enemies-to-lovers dynamic? Do you want to know what happens to Chosen Ones after they defeat their villain? Do you wish for a version of Harry Potter that isn't transphobic, homophobic, antisemitic, and racist? (Did you enjoy the seventy million fics I wrote about the mentors coping with the aftermath of the Hunger Games?) Do you like messy background poly bisexuals?

Well, here it is, y'all: all of the edits are done and my book baby has been published! Rachel and Daiyu are finally here for y'all to meet! I'm ordering my own copies now (and will definitely update y'all with photos when they arrive, especially now that I can get a photo with BOTH of my books), but for now, I just wanted to give y'all the link so you can check it out. I'm going to put the blurb below to those who are confused as to what this might be!

Amazon.com: This Rotten Work: 9798879537734: Jenkins, Kenna: Books

The moment Chosen One Rachel Barsky finally kills her magical high school’s evil Headmaster, she’s out. No pressure, no politics, and certainly no more death tournaments for her. She ditches the Magical Realm for a far more chill Normie community college with her two best friends, determined to finally get some blessed peace and quiet—maybe even a good nap. It’s what she deserves after giving up her teenage years to a prophecy that nearly killed her more times than she can count.

But of course Rachel can’t catch a break. Her first day of classes, tragedy arrives on campus in the form of Daiyu Nightbane, Rachel’s archrival and the annoyingly attractive daughter of the now-dead Headmaster. Daiyu’s acting suspiciously normal, Rachel is pissed, and her friends are preaching forgiveness and peace. What gives?

Rachel expects to have to grit her teeth and soldier through the annoyance of her rival haunting her early retirement, but she quickly learns that expectations are never made to last. After an explosive duel that ends up with one of them knocked off of their feet, Rachel is forced to see a kinder side of Daiyu than she ever glimpsed during high school.

Over a school year filled with Shakespeare, lightning magic, and quite a lot of kosher BBQ, Rachel finds herself toppling head-over-heels into an unlikely romance with her rival while she struggles with nightmares, grief, and lingering questions from her high school years. Is it possible to finally make a life for herself? Can the Chosen One really have a happy ending with the golden girl that ruled the school?

---

And to all those who have been following this saga (or liked my fics with similar premises/themes), I think I've managed to gather all of your usernames here for the official publishing!

[shahrukhlove]

THE SUPER SIX - Jawan (2023) Dir. Atlee

[pixlerelish]

Mis chicas

[sapphicsukeve]

EastEnders | Eve Unwin [26.03.24]

- Eve asking Priya & Avani their opinion on her date night outfit was so sweet 🤏

[mymixtapebringsalldaboys2dayard]

Fire & Desire: A Stellaride Playlist

Guess who just binge watched all 12 seasons of Chicago Fire? That calls for a playlist, of course. This one is for Team Stellaride. The highs, the lows, and the happily ever after (fingers crossed).

Listen on Spotify:

Fire & Desire: A Stellaride Playlist

(I originally posted this on the wrong account so if you're seeing it again, that's why)

[bolllywoodhungama]

EXCLUSIVE: Aaliyah Qureishi discusses Shah Rukh Khan and Vijay Sethupathi's friendship in Jawan and reveals the Tamil actor had an acting coach on set: "He's always looking for ways to improve his craft."

Aaliyah Qureishi, who played Jhalli in the film, is a huge fan of Vijay Sethupathi. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and the Jawan team are ecstatic about their film's blockbuster performance, which has earned Rs. 369.43 crore in just seven days and continues to destroy the box office. The film is directed by Atlee Kumar and stars Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara, and Deepika Padukone in major parts. While the film is earning praise from all quarters for its general appeal, the young women of Team Azad are also receiving praise for their performances. Aaliyah Qureishi, who played Jhalli in the film and is a huge fan of Sethupathi, is one among them.

Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Aaliyah said, “I love Vijay sir. I will fight to death anyone who says anything even slightly bad about him.” She stated that she has seen his films such as Super Deluxe and described him as "a humble person." "When you talk to him, you won't feel like you're talking to a brilliant actor or star," she continued. He's really pleasant, quiet, and independent. "He's not particularly flashy," she added.

She also revealed that Sethupathi would be accompanied on set by an acting coach. "Sometimes, he'd have an acting coach with him on the set, just to bounce ideas off on how to do a scene slightly differently or to find out if there's any inflexion he could change," Aaliyah explained. So, even though he's at the top, he's continually trying to enhance his skill." She commented on Shah Rukh Khan and Vijay Sethupathi's friendship, saying, "While Shah Rukh sir is all about charisma and style, Vijay is more about improvisation where he would just say something funny out of the blue."

Sunil Grover, Ridhi Dogra, Sanya Malhotra, Mukesh Chhabra, Girija Oak Godbole, Aaliyah Qureishi, Ashlesha Thakur, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, and Lehar Khan also appear in the film.

Jawan is a Red Chillies Entertainment production directed by Atlee and co-produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma. The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu on September 7, 2023.

[bollywoodbom]

19 popular Star kids preparing to enter in Bollywood soon

https://www.boxofficemovies.in/now/19-popular-star-kids-preparing-to-enter-in-bollywood-soon

[v4vandana]

The Lolita/Coqeutte Zodiac Sign🎀=Virgo♍️🩷

Sydney Sweeney, Virgo Sun

Zendaya, Virgo Sun

Elle Fanning, Virgo Moon

As you may know Virgo is the “Virgin” of the zodiac. And this virginal theme in virgo is often shown in films thru young woman having relationships with older men.

Vladimir Nabokov, Virgo Moon

The novel Lolita was even written by a Virgo Moon.

Dominique Swain, Virgo Moon as Lolita in Lolita(1997)

Note: Humbert Humbert was played by Virgo Sun Jeremy Irons. It’s interesting that Virgo/earth sign woman are like Lolita while Virgo/earth sign men crave someone like Lolita.

Meena Suvari, Virgo Moon as Angela Hayes in American Beauty(1999)

Side Note: Lester was played by Kevin Spacey, Taurus Moon

Aaliyah, Virgo Moon

Her life can somewhat be described as a Lolita-like story because of her relationship with R Kelly when she was underage. And she has a infamous song called Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number produced by R Kelly

Side Note: R Kelly has Capricorn Sun

Jiah Khan, Virgo ASC as Jia in Nishabd

This is pretty self explanatory by the poster and Vijay was played by Amitabh Bachchan who has Virgo ASC*. Btw Amitabh Bachchan was born around 3-4 pm which is most likely Virgo imo than Leo.

Sue Lyon, possibly Taurus ASC* due to her rodden c birth time as Lolita in Lolita(1962)

Humbert Humbert of course was played by a Taurus Sun James Mason

Liv Tyler, Capricorn Moon as Lucy in Stealing Beauty(1996)

Timothee Chalamet, Virgo ASC as Elio in Call Me By Your Name(2017)

Oliver was played by Armie Hammer, Virgo Sun

I have 1 more example i want to write

1.Priscilla Presley, Capricorn ASC

2.Priscilla(2023) a movie about Priscilla Presley, directed by Taurus Sun, Capricorn Moon Sofia Coppola

3.Kristen Dunst(Taurus Sun) as Marie Antoinette in Marie Antoinette(2006) directed by Sofia Coppola

Earth signs dominate the coquette aesthetic which i didn’t get to show examples(and more film exmples) of since 10 is the limits. Btw think of My Melody(Capricorn) when you think coquette or Wonyoung(Virgo) even Jennie(Capricorn). Earths signs will come to mind. Anyways thanks for reading 🩷🎀, stay healthy, stay pretty, stay confident and stay happy .

P.s coquette is a traditional based aesthetic which could be connected to the earth element as earth signs are known to be traditional

[thecardiganunderthebed]

ty fr the tag @yaboi-bennette :))

my current favorite songs are:

Dil to baccha hai ji: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Jutti meri: Neha Bhasin

Softly: Karan Aulja

Are you that somebody: Aaliyah

I think I like when it rains: WILLIS

Arabella: Artic monkeys

[jamilgs]

“What cha gonna do for me” The second, and only other time I was starstruck on a shoot, was working with this lovely lady. When I was a writer my tag was inspired by Genghis Khan and Chaka Khan. Her singing is a mood and league of its own, like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sade, Minnie Riperton, Erykah Badu, Aaliyah, Jill Scott and Mary J. Music and melody is life. 🙏🏽 to all the singers and musicians out there. — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/YUzGysO

[filmmakersvision]

Jawan Review

November 17, 2023

by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty

In the 1970s, Amitabh Bachchan’s entry into Hindi cinema gave birth to the “Angry Young Man.” He was a hero, who fought against the system, who fought against injustice, and became a voice for the subdued people in society. It was one man against the world. Through the 80s, this phenomena continued, but as the new century neared, the romantic hero emerged and the action hero became an afterthought. People either no longer wished to change the system, or they no longer trusted a lone hero to do it. With the birth of a new generation, softer male leads became the norm with Shah Rukh Khan at the height of romantic stardom.

Though Hindi films let go of this concept, South Indian Cinema, continues to celebrate its heroes through films on injustice with a male lead as savior. So it is only natural that Atlee, a South Indian filmmaker, brings back to Hindi cinema the heroic mass entertainer, ironically starring the very actor who had originally taken away the limelight from the “angry young man” of the 70s and 80s. Jawan follows a man who strives for justice, who wishes to correct a system which favors those who are guilty over the many innocents, and for that, he resorts to vigilantism putting him in the crossfire of both the police and an evil arms dealer.

I did not have great expectations from Atlee. Though his films are entertaining, they have never risen to greatness, barring Raja Rani, which is the best of his work. However, he has great mass appeal and Jawan promises the same.The plot is intricately woven with an amalgamation of elements that tackle many relevant issues in society today. From farmer suicides to hospital inadequacies, by blending real stories into a fictional universe, writer-director Atlee appeals to the struggles of the common man and attempts to raise awareness regarding the flaws in the system that governs Indian society. Alongside important themes, the film’s strength lies in its strongly choreographed action sequences with women at the forefront. Shah Rukh Khan as the man of many names is the hero, but he is surrounded by powerful women fighting for themselves and for others. It is exciting, entertaining, and visually captivating with a thoroughly ‘massy’ feel.

However, my biggest issue with Jawan is the same problem I’ve had with Atlee films in the past, particularly Mersal and Bigil. They’re all over the place. The shift between present and past, the placement of flashbacks, too many characters, too many plot points, everything is a disjointed mess. There isn’t a singular arc keeping the story moving. In an attempt to create suspense, using non-linear storytelling, the makers sacrifice emotions. We begin to connect with a character, or get interested in a certain plot point, but a sudden shift in the story, leaves us hanging. By the time it returns, our emotions no longer remain the same.

Nevertheless, it is entertaining and much credit for that goes to the performances. Every single actor in the cast does a tremendous job: the army of six girls (Lehar Khan, Sanjeeta Bhattarchaya, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Girja Oak, Aaliyah Qureishi), Deepika Padukone in a cameo appearance, Seeza Saroj Mehta as the little girl Suji, Sunil Grover, Ridhi Dogra, Eijaz Khan, and even all those in small bit roles. As for the central trio, anything I say in their praise would be less. Nayanthara is enigmatic and powerful as the law-abiding officer in search of who she believes to be a problematic vigilante. I am glad her stardom is finally extending beyond the borders of the south. Though Vijay Sethupathi has already made his mark on the Hindi audience through Farzi, it is through Jawan his versatility comes forth. I have seen so many actors struggle outside their comfort language, but he doesn’t let his difficulty with Hindi get in the way of his menacing performance. And last but not the least, is the star of the show, Shah Rukh Khan. Comedy, romance, drama, action, there is no genre in which he lacks and Jawan touches upon it all. Such a strong, versatile range of emotions is displayed through one character. This film is a reminder that Shah Rukh Khan’s stardom and aura are unmatched.

Jawan is not perfect, it is not without its flaws. But its entertaining nature, the larger-than-life characters, and Shah Rukh Khan’s explosive comeback make it a worthwhile watch.

[waheedawolf]

things i enjoyed reading/watching/listening to this september:

articles

shah rukh khan and masculinity in the modern age by prathyush parasuraman

kudmayi's rousing outro in rrkpk is indicative of pritam's shifting sensibilities by prathyush parasuraman

when will tamil cinema give us a happy queer romance? by deepan kannan

a few favourite things by baradwaj rangan

the spirit of rangeela, at 25 by baradwaj rangan

tribute: hrishikesh mukherjee by baradwaj rangan

review- "omkara" (2006) by baradwaj rangan (heed spoilers if you haven't watched this film)

‘jawan’ is being called a ‘mass movie’ – but what does this term really mean? by nandini ramnath

tollywood's kingmakers by rohitha naraharisetty and divya kandukuri

youtube

how to survive a writers' strike by entertain the elk

in defense of nicolas cage by in praise of shadows

hunger hurts: cannibals and why we're obsessed with them by lola sebastian

sofia coppola shares her rich film archival by w magazine

weaponizing aaliyah and the culture of female rivalry by yhara zayd

beef: a response to toxic positivity by quality culture

'super shy' and 'new jeans' are like nothing i've ever seen by jordan orme

behind the scenes of 'some like it hot': secrets, scandals and marilyn's mystique by matt baume

baaje payal with meenakshi seshadri by DD National

the making of 'valley of the dolls' parts 1 & 2 by be kind rewind

movies

"Guide" (1965) dir. Vijay Anand

"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" (2022) dir. Joel Crawford

"Band Baaja Baarat" (2010) (rewatch) dir. Maneesh Sharma

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) dir. Wes Craven

shows

The Afterparty (2022-)

Moral Orel (2005-08) (rewatch)

(my serializd account)

music

"Guide" by S.D. Burman (the Spotify version sucks, every song sounded better remastered and visualised on the big screen)

"Bollywood Bops for Manwhores" by meeeee :p <3

"Dil Se" by A.R. Rahman

"The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We" by Mitski

[shahrukhlove]

Tengo a mis chicas Dile a los malos Que su tiempo Casi ha terminado Si, sè que ganaremos Y nuestro hefe Pateara tu culo

[cyarsk52-20]

Missy Elliott. Chaka Khan. Willie Nelson. Rage Against the Machine. These are just a few of the legends that make up the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2023—and here we look back on their incredible contributions to culture.

November 3 marks the 38th annual induction ceremony for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Things have certainly changed since the mid-’80s, and this year’s class demonstrates the strides the organization has made to include, and celebrate, artists who have left a huge impact on the genre—even if they’re not necessarily rock ’n’ roll artists themselves. Take Missy Elliott, who’s not only the first female MC to be inducted, but a prolific artist and producer responsible for some of the most enduring hip-hop and pop hits of the early 21st century. There’s also Willie Nelson, whose career could be summed up as one of the quietest but most sustained rebellions not just in country music but in music in general. 

Then again, the attitude has always been more important than the sound, and the most compelling artists have often been the ones willing to do things differently, whether it’s the abstraction of a Bob Dylan lyric or DJ Kool Herc manually running a copy of James Brown’s “Sex Machine” back at a party, creating a seemingly infinite drum loop that became the very foundation of hip-hop. With that, we’ve broken down this year’s inductees into four categories as a way to highlight the various—but essential—ways each contribute: the voices that lead, the rebels who question, the architects who lay the groundwork for future discoveries, and the team players who quietly help bring the show together.

Looking over this year’s inductees, the starting point is almost always the voice. Not only is it literally the first thing out of an artist’s mouth, it’s a metaphor for what sets us apart from the crowd—an especially crucial factor when you’re talking about the individuality and sense of self-expression at the heart of rock ’n’ roll. The fact that you didn’t have to be great in the old-fashioned or technical sense never hurt, either: This is music for—and by—the people. 

MISSY ELLIOTT

Missy Elliott is one of the most distinctive voices in modern hip-hop, not to mention the first female MC to make it into the Rock Hall. But take a closer look and you’ll see an artist who has changed pop on pretty much every level, both onstage and off. Raised in the Hampton Roads area of coastal Virginia, she started her career writing for artists like Aaliyah (including “One in a Million” and “I Care 4 U”), Total, and SWV with fellow genius—and childhood friend—Timbaland. By her own admission, she would’ve been fine behind the scenes but decided to step out anyway, creating a sound that combined the flash of pop with the attitude of classic hip-hop and a playful, futuristic production style that helped reshape the sound of pretty much everything we’d consider popular music since (“Get Ur Freak On,” “The Rain [Supa Dupa Fly],” “Work It”). Casual, collected, easily imitated but never replicated, Missy stands out.

“I think when you creative, you know that you have something that is different,” she told Apple Music of finding her voice, in a 2016 interview. “You just have to step out in faith and not be scared. You have to be true to yourself. That’s the biggest thing. If I’m true to myself, then I’m able to sleep at night if it don’t work. When I was out, there was a certain look and style and sound, and I just came out doing me—and people gravitated to it. You just got to take that chance. I know people always say there’s nothing new under the sun. I don’t necessarily believe that. Before a Missy, there was nobody like Missy.”

CHAKA KHAN

In terms of raw power, you don’t get a lot of voices like Chaka Khan. From her early days with the band Rufus (“Tell Me Something Good,” “Sweet Thing”) to solo tracks like “I’m Every Woman” and “I Feel for You,” Khan is one of the few artists who managed to ride the transition from soul to funk to disco, synth-pop, and club music without missing a beat. She’s nurtured her roots in jazz and classic vocal pop (Echoes of an Era, Classikhan) while continuing to keep an eye on the present, and has collaborated with artists as free-ranging and influential as Miles Davis, Prince, and Mary J. Blige, with whom she won a Grammy in 2008 (“Disrespectful”). A great instrument, yes—but in her voice you can also hear the evolution of Black American pop. “I heard quite a few people who were great in what they did, but a lot of times greatness lacks charisma,” she tells Apple Music, when asked if she found inspiration in other vocalists when she was young and coming up. “There’s something else, a component, a magical source, a recipe. I don’t know what mine was at the time. I think one of the best things about me then and still is that I don’t really recognize or see myself like other people say they see and feel me. To me, singing is natural—it’s just second nature. It’s the easiest thing for me to do.”

GEORGE MICHAEL

Even during his fresh-faced pretty-boy days in the early-’80s synth-pop duo Wham!, you could tell George Michael had something special. He didn’t just sing “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Careless Whisper” and “Last Christmas,” he wrote and produced them—and all before he turned 22, no less. His first two solo albums—Faith and Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1—made him one of the most visible and successful pop artists of the ’80s and ’90s, each exploring masculinity and male sexuality with a tenderness unmatched at the time by anyone outside Prince. And while he didn’t record much in the decade before his death in 2016, he continued a vibrant touring and philanthropic life, donating freely to children’s counseling services, AIDS awareness and research organizations, and—famously—the occasional stranger. His voice was powerful—but his restraint was inspiring.

“It was validation, it was affirmation for him,” Michael’s Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley shared with Apple Music, about his rise to pop stardom. “It went some way to confirming his belief in himself and his personal self-image... There’s a photo of us backstage at the final [Wham! show], and it’s a wonderful photo of him. He has become George Michael, the man he was destined to be. It was a long, long way from the kid who started out at Bushey Meads, and the kid who started out in Wham! as well.”

SHERYL CROW

Sheryl Crow has the kind of resume that can sneak up on you. It isn’t just realizing how many of her songs you already know (“All I Wanna Do,” “Everyday Is a Winding Road,” “Soak Up the Sun”) or the way she quietly splits the difference between country, roots-rock, and adult contemporary pop; it’s that she’s done it all while standing seemingly just outside the spotlight—an insider’s outsider, or vice versa. Born in small-town Missouri in 1962, she started her career as a backup singer for artists like Michael Jackson and Don Henley while writing songs that ended up being recorded by Tina Turner and Céline Dion. Her 1993 debut, Tuesday Night Music Club, was the kind of unassuming phenomenon that set the pace for one of the more varied careers in pop music. Really—who else can say they not only sang with both Prince and Johnny Cash, but had their songs covered by both, too? Then again, if she blew her own horn, she wouldn’t be Sheryl Crow. “For me, I’ve just always been so in the journey that, getting to this point, it’s hard for me to even relate to the fact that I’ve been doing it now for over 30 years,” Crow told Apple Music upon hearing the news that she was going to be inducted. “It doesn’t seem like that long. I feel like my best work’s in front of me.”

Talking about punk rock during his induction of Patti Smith in 2007, Rage Against the Machine lead singer (and 2023 Hall of Fame inductee) Zack de la Rocha said, “The movement she helped define explained why people like me related more to the Bad Brains than the Eagles, why we championed The Clash and hated Ronald Reagan…. Expanding rock’s boundaries, Patti Smith, the poet, revealed truth regardless of the political and social consequences.” Not every artist worked at such a grand scale, but de la Rocha’s broader point is clear: Without rebellion, it isn’t really rock ’n’ roll. 

KATE BUSH

From the minute she walked into her label’s offices insisting that her first single be “Wuthering Heights” (over the label’s first choice) at 19, Kate Bush has done it her own way. Her ’80s albums—self-written and -produced—stand as some of the most formidable and influential music of their time, walking the line between relatively straightforward art pop like “This Woman’s Work” and the suite-like experiments of Hounds of Love’s second half. When 1985’s “Running Up That Hill” suddenly went triple platinum in the UK in 2022 on the heels of a feature in the Netflix show Stranger Things, it was, on the one hand, a surprise: After all, not many songs go triple platinum nearly 40 years after their first release. But to longtime fans, it made a poetic kind of sense: When you’re on your own clock, there’s always time for people to catch up.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

There are quiet rebellions, and there’s Rage Against the Machine. Not only did they successfully combine the delivery of punk and metal with the rhythms of hip-hop and funk, they exposed a generation of listeners to politics and modes of thinking they’d never heard on mainstream rock radio before, whether it was the way “Killing in the Name” framed the police as domestic terrorists (“Some of those that work forces/Are the same that burn crosses”) or the anti-colonialist history of “People of the Sun.” This was music you could lift weights to, blast at the bar to, and contemplate to in equal measure. The rebellion wasn’t just in the sound or ideas—it was in making itself accessible enough to turn millions of heads inside out. The band’s members were as uncompromising as their sound. “Around the origins of Rage Against the Machine, for the first time in my life, I was able to write music that I loved,” guitarist Tom Morello told Apple Music in 2019. “Prior to then, I had been in another band, we had been dropped by a label. I vowed to myself that I was only going to play music that I really believe in. I’ve held true to that. My only bar for releasing something is: Do I love it? When you love it, you rock that shit.”

WILLIE NELSON

Few artists have brushed so casually and yet so continuously against the grain as Willie Nelson. From his days writing future standards like “Crazy,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and “Hello Walls” to his outlaw period in the ’70s to the mix of covers (the Sinatra album My Way) and originals (Last Man Standing) he’s continued to put out in his eighties and now nineties, Nelson has managed to avoid the ever-shifting winds of fashion while continuing to sound vital—not to mention nurturing the jazz, bluegrass, and early American pop that make up country music’s roots. So much of his natural tendency to cut his own path is rooted in the way he grew up in Abbott, Texas, a small town of 350 people outside of Waco. “We are very independent up there, have always been all our lives,” he told Apple Music in 2020. “All Sunday, we used to go out and fight bumblebees, and then we’d come home all swole up with our eyes closed and talk about how much fun we used to have. I come from a crazy bunch of people, and I’ve always stood up for what I believed in and looked forward to somebody to disagree, because I don’t mind arguing or stating my opinions. You have yours. I have mine.”

2021 was the first year in which the Rock Hall stretched the Early Influences category (later renamed “Musical Influences”) to include artists whose careers postdated the birth of rock ’n’ roll, inducting R&B poet Gil Scott-Heron and electronic-pop pioneers Kraftwerk. The shift not only made room for contemporary artists, but for artists whose influence was less about the direct passing of a stylistic torch—the way, say, The Clash and Sex Pistols spawned punk—than laying the foundation for entirely new ways of approaching their music, whether it was Kraftwerk’s embrace of synthesizers and electronics or the way Scott-Heron’s experiments led to what eventually became rap. The work wasn’t done single-handedly, of course—but without their contributions, we might not have gotten there at all.

DJ KOOL HERC

When DJ Kool Herc debuted the record-spinning technique we later came to call the “break” at a Bronx house party back in 1973, he didn’t know he was helping to create an art form in hip-hop. The short version: Take two copies of the same record on adjacent turntables; get to the funkiest, most danceable part; and manually run the records back—one, then the other—to stretch the section out as long as you wanted. Of course, DJs had played an essential role in spreading culture since the advent of recorded music. But the idea that a record itself could be played like an instrument was radical, to say nothing of working-class kids in the Bronx—many of them, like Herc, from families of Caribbean immigrants—starting a revolution that changed American pop. That Herc never really made the leap to recording music the way his peers did makes his induction all the more significant: Like early blues and folk artists whose work was either undocumented or lost, Herc’s legacy lives on in story.

LINK WRAY

Few guitarists had as profound an impact on the sound and feel of rock music as Link Wray. Born in North Carolina in 1929, he started out playing country before developing a spooky instrumental style that culminated in 1958’s “Rumble,” a track whose raw distortion came in part from Wray playing through an amp whose speaker he’d stabbed with a pencil. Generations later, his early recordings still sound like a blueprint for the attitude and menace that has lurked in rock music’s darker corners ever since, from slicked-back rockabilly to thrash. Pete Townshend of The Who famously said that if it hadn’t been for “Rumble,” he would’ve never picked up a guitar. But the best talking-head testimonial for Wray’s influence was Jimmy Page in the 2008 documentary It Might Get Loud, basking to the track in smiling air-guitar reverence, saying nothing at all.

THE SPINNERS

The Spinners are one of the great second-chance stories in pop. Formed in Detroit in the early ’60s, they spent a mostly unremarkable decade with Motown Records before moving to Atlantic, where they connected with Philadelphia songwriter Thom Bell. The work that followed—including “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” and the Dionne Warwick collaboration “Then Came You”—didn’t just rejuvenate the group’s career, it helped define the romantic, soft-focus sound of ’70s soul at a time when Black pop was moving further into the American mainstream. Their recording career petered out by the ’90s, but their influence continues to resonate. When asked what made the group’s take on soul so distinct, current member Jessie Peck is clear: “Definitely the music,” he tells Apple Music. “The way in which the music was delivered by the guys. The style and the class—The Spinners have always been a class act—not to mention the harmonies that The Spinners sing in. I mean, those things are different from what other groups were doing. It was far from the norm. And that remains the case to this day.”

Everyone knows the stars out front. But it’s the faces at the side of the stage that often make the biggest impact, which is why the Rock Hall’s awards for musical excellence (formerly known as “sidemen”) and non-performers (the Ahmet Ertegun Award) exist. Here’s where we honor the producers, songwriters, DJs, executives, session musicians, and other figures who might not necessarily make the music, but who make the music—and the culture surrounding it—possible. Take Ice-T inducting the late Sire Records founder and Warner Bros. vice president Seymour Stein back in 2005: “When you’re a musician and you’ve never had a record deal, basically, you’re on the street. You just have a hope and a dream…. [Seymour] took a cat out of the street—and I was a no-good cat—and basically not only changed my life, but for all practical purposes saved my life.”

DON CORNELIUS

As author and Roots drummer Questlove once put it, Soul Train’s Don Cornelius was, next to Motown founder Berry Gordy, the most crucial non-political figure to come out of the post-Civil Rights era. A radio broadcaster by trade, Cornelius became not only the first Black man to create, host, and own his own nationally syndicated television show, but the first to put Black artists and audiences on a national stage in what felt like a genuinely Black context. It wasn’t just the outfits or the dancing, either: Even the show’s commercials—for products like Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen—reflected images of Blackness and Black pride most of America hadn’t yet seen, and especially hadn’t seen on the screen.

BERNIE TAUPIN

When Elton John got onstage to give his induction speech at the Rock Hall back in 1994, he offered a disclaimer: “I feel cheating standing up here, because without Bernie, there wouldn’t have been Elton John at all.” “Bernie” meant Bernie Taupin, who wrote the lyrics to pretty much every major Elton John song since the two met after they both answered an ad in the English music magazine New Musical Express back in 1967.

In Taupin’s lyrics you could hear the grandeur and nostalgia we came to associate with classic rock come alive line by line, whether it’s the boys out for a rumble on “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” or the beautiful ache of “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man.” “The thing that I’m proudest of is Elton and I’s relationship,” Taupin told Apple Music, upon hearing of his own induction. “Musically we are completely in sync. We have never faltered in our desire to create the best that we possibly can.”

AL KOOPER

Al Kooper might be one of the best decorated rock musicians most listeners have never heard of. Born in Brooklyn in 1944, he started playing professionally while still a teenager, co-writing a few hits for artists like Gene Pitney and Gary Lewis & The Playboys. At 21 he found himself in a session with Bob Dylan, improvising the organ part to “Like a Rolling Stone” despite apparently not even having known how to turn the instrument on. He helped form Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1967 but left a year later, and collaborated with the guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills on the seminal blues-rock album Super Session in 1968. He played piano on The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and signed Lynyrd Skynyrd after hearing them at a bar in Atlanta in 1972, eventually producing their first three albums, which included “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Tune in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on November 3 at 8 pm ET, live on Apple Music 1 and on Disney+ live and on demand.

And don’t forget to watch the induction ceremony, New Year’s Day on abc and next day on Hulu

[sapphicsukeve]

Suki Panesar (23/10)

[nexility-sims]

🎶✨ When you get this, write down 5 songs you actually listen to and post them. Then send this (ask or tag) to 10 of your favorite followers cool ppl✨🎶

tagged by: @royalmedani, @armoricaroyalty, @warwickroyals, @trhor ♥️

i have no clue what the criteria is for picking the FIVE (5) songs, so these are five that i've been listening to a lot recently ??? i think i've mentioned most of them, but what i usually do is recycle the same handful of songs for a month or two :^) recently, the vibe has been ... well. all over the place. mainly, i like songs that i can sing or rap along to while i'm dancing in my kitchen.

i'm every woman — chaka khan

are you that somebody? — aaliyah

carry out — timbaland ft. justin timberlake

right thurr — chingy

i like him — princess nokia

honorable mentions aka songs that i always go back to: do me a favour, arctic monkeys; feels blind, bikini kill; life is but a dream, the harptones; bonfire, childish gambino; wish you were here, incubus; 6 foot 7 foot, lil wayne; the unforgiven iii, metallica; getaway car, audioslave; chateau lobby #4, father john misty; p.i.m.p., 50 cent; living dead girl, rob zombie; thick thighs, willam ft. latrice royale; black magic woman, santana; make this go on forever, snow patrol; no choir, florence + the machine; powerglide, rae sremmurd ft. juicy j; no plan, hozier; bulls on parade, rage against the machine; coming undone, korn; radio, lana del rey; goodies, ciara ft. petey pablo; sneakernight, vanessa hudgens; many more .................

tagging: anyone who hasn't done it yet ! tag me so i can see :^)