Inside Taylor Swift’s Surprise Album Release
On July 23 Taylor Swift shocked the world by revealing that at midnight shwe would be releasing a new surprise album. She explained, “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore.” On midnight of July 24 the 16 track Alternative/Indie album was released. It has been an instant success and begs the question; Taylor has done country, pop, and now Indie, what can’t she do?
This year has been difficult for so many people amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. Plans have changed, events cancelled, and schools closed. Among the numerous concerts that have been cancelled is Taylor Swift’s Lover Fest, in which she had planned to perform songs from the album she released in August of 2019.
On July 23 Taylor shocked the world revealing that at midnight she would be releasing a new surprise album. On social media she shared, “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore.” On midnight of July 24 the 16 track album was released, much to the excitement of fans all across the globe.
This alternative Indie album has been an instant success and begs the question; what can’t Taylor Swift do? She has released hugely successful country and pop albums over the years and now has an impressive Indie title to add to her versatility. Although the album itself was recorded in isolation, Taylor collaborated with some amazing artists including: Aaron Dessner who helped co-write and produce numerous songs, and Bon Iver who helped write and sung with her on the song, Exile.
The album boasts emotional tracks including Exile, which is about a toxic or struggling relationship and the guy is simply wondering where everything went wrong. Epiphany is an emotional piece as well, which some have speculated to be about the doctors and nurses during this pandemic. One of the lighter hearted tracks is, The Last Great American Dynasty, which tells the story of how American composer Rebekah Harkness apparently dyed her neighbor's dog green after an argument.
Report: Rebecca Vanderkooi
Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon is the first posthumous album to reach No. 1 since 2018. Pop Smoke and XXXTentacion are two of the four hip-hop artists with posthumous No. 1s. They follow The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, who each have three posthumous leaders. R.I.P to the Woo.
Pop Smoke’s (real name: Bashar Barakah Jackson), posthumous album titled, “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon” has taken over social media. The Brooklyn, New York artist recently was tragically killed in his home in Hollywood Hills, California, back in February. Pop Smoke was an upcoming artist with a whole new sound. His drilling beats that have mostly been produced by Axel, have made many all over the world, mostly New Yorkers, fall in love with his artistry. He was only 20 years old when he passed away and he had so much talent.
Pop Smoke’s rise to fame started with the New York anthems, “Welcome to the Party” as well as “Dior.” His two mixtapes “Meet the Woo” as well as “Meet the Woo 2” had all the fans heavily anticipating his debut album. According to his management, the plan was to release 3 mixtapes and then release the debut album.
Unfortunately, his life was cut short and it was not able to happen this way. Soon after the announcement of the release of the album, it was said that Pop Smoke wanted a famous designer named Virgil to design the cover of his album. When the cover was released, all of New York protested the artwork due to it not being up to par and did not meet the fans expectations. 50 Cent, as the executive producer, gave the fans an opportunity to submit artwork to be featured as the cover of the album. In the end, the fans were satisfied.
Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, giving the rapper his first chart-topping effort. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption. News of Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon’s rise to No. 1, comes shortly after five people were arrested on July 9 in connection with Pop Smoke’s murder on Feb. 19.
Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon is the first posthumous album to reach No. 1 since 2018. Pop Smoke and XXXTentacion are two of the four hip-hop artists with posthumous No. 1s. They follow The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, who each have three posthumous leaders. R.I.P to the Woo.
Photo Credits:
Album cover: @50cent
Red shirt: @realpopsmoke
Report: Soila Douce (@soila.xx)
Dark Lane Demo Tapes Review
“some leaks and some old joints from SoundCloud and some new vibes”- @champagnepapi
No one was expecting Drake to release a mixtape. Dark Lane Demo Tapes released on May 1. Dark Lane Demo Tapes is a combination of “some leaks and some old joints from SoundCloud and some new vibes”, says Drake. On top of this out of the blue release, Drake also announced that he plans to release his 6th studio album in the summer of 2020. Drake announcing the mixtape and the album together implies that Dark Lane Demo Tapes is supposed to hold fans over until the summer and keep his name in the media.
Somewhere along the way Drake’s music has changed. His old music gave off the idea that he had something to prove, it showed his hunger to be at the top of hip-hop. On the other hand, the new music sounds like he has absolutely nothing to prove. After listening to the mixtape, it was clear that the intention was to highlight the diversity of Drake’s sound. The mixtape did a good job of showcasing the best of both worlds, as far as Drake before and after he went mainstream. The further down the tracklist you go, the more mainstream the music becomes. Depending on what type of Drake fan you are, you will either love the project or hate it.
Drake fans stand behind him regardless of what he puts out. For some fans, it has become harder to enjoy his music because of how mainstream it has become. Personally, Dark Lane Demo Tapes was mediocre. Every artist is not meant to go mainstream. A common misconception is the idea that you have to go mainstream in order to be at the top. Throughout his career, Drake has reshaped the mold of what hip-hop music sounds like, which is what made people fall in love with his music. But lately his music has not reflected his artistic ability which Dark Lane Demo Tapes proves. This project was disappointing, however there is still hope that the “old Drake” will make an appearance on the new album come summer 2020.
Photo credits: @champagnepapi
Report: Brionna Thompson
Lady Gaga's Sixth Studio Album, Chromatica Is Coming Soon!
Lady Gaga Announces New Album, Chromatica Will.
Lady Gaga’s anticipated upcoming new album finally has a release date and title. Her sixth studio album Chromatica is set to be released April 10 by Interscope Records. She has also launched a selection of new merchandise and an exclusive vinyl color at her website, ladygaga.com. Led by the dance bop "Stupid Love," the album will feature 16 tracks on the standard edition with two or three additional bonus tracks on the deluxe version. It will serve as the pop star’s first solo release since 2016's Joanne.
She discussed the record in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1. When she discussed the album’s concept with Zane Lowe, Gaga said, “The symbol for Chromatica has a sine wave in it, which is the mathematical symbol for sound, and it’s from what all sound is made from, and, for me, sound is what healed me in my life period, and it healed me again making this record, and that is really what Chromatica is all about. It’s about healing and it’s about bravery as well and it’s really like, when we talk about love I think it’s so important to include the fact that it requires a ton of bravery to love someone.”
You can pre-order Lady Gaga's album Chromatica now
Words by Amanda Lou.
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.