An undergraduate student at Howard University at the time, Charlotte-born rapper MAVI released his 2019 album Let the Sun Talk just a week after his twentieth birthday. He is considered by many to make abstract hip-hop. It’s a hard-to-define sub-genre but some shared qualities amongst its artists, songs, and projects are pushing sonic boundaries, emphasizing…
Show Review: Earthday Everyday 2023
On April 22, Afterglo held its second annual Earthday Everyday music festival at Live Wire Athens. It was a busy day in Athens, coinciding with Normaltown Music Festival, Highlight Athens, and Athens Twilight Criterium. Starting at 2 p.m., a multi-genre lineup of artists took to the outside stages, with attention turning to the inside stage…
The Women of Rap
In recent years, women have been climbing their way to the top in an industry that has long been male-dominated. Rap’s newest princess Ice Spice and industry G.O.A.T. Nicki Minaj continue to dominate the charts, outselling the competition with their latest collaboration “Princess Diana”. They outsold the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 being…
Show Review: Spring Fling Fashion Thing 2
Artist BVY Trubb and organizer Basher Media recently hosted the second annual fashion show at Paloma Park, highlighting Athens performers and designers. Picture Show, MizzPrettyPink, Highness, Hollowbody and Shakti Sound took to the stage as models walked, showing off clothing from fourteen different designers, and it all came together beautifully. Picture Show Picture Show was…
Show Review: Highlight Athens
Every spring, students in the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia complete a Microcosm of the Music Industry Project, which is a semester long project of their own design based on a sector of the music industry that they are interested in. For their project, students Daniel Crowe, Charlie Enter, Marissa Jones,…
Why Are Artists Selling Musical Catalogs?
In recent years, there has been a rise in artists cashing in on their musical catalogs. So, what exactly is the driving force behind this? Some speculate that COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for this sudden increase. In 2020, when everyone was stuck at home, musicians, like many, found themselves losing a key stream of…
Review: UGA MBUS Students: 2023 Spring Releases
As a part of the University of Georgia’s Music Business Certificate Program, I am lucky enough to be classmates with a host of musicians and performers. So here, I want to highlight a few recent releases from my talented classmates. Bea Porges is a singer-songwriter with a penchant for layered, relatable lyrics. Backed by fellow…
Show Review: Wim Tapley and The Cannons at 40 Watt
On Tuesday, I spent a lovely night at the 40 Watt with Athens-bred Wim Tapley and the Cannons, alongside Nashville band Jive Talk. The pre-show was almost as entertaining as the show itself. They invited me to hang out backstage and I was greeted with laughs and good energy. You can tell they really love…
Review: Common: “Be”
Be. It’s a simple message, a direct command. And, it also happens to be the title of Chicago rapper Common‘s 2005 album: Be. Common explained the title of his album in a 2005 interview, stating: The album is entitled BE because the hardest thing to do is to be yourself, although many think it’s the easiest it’s…
Review: 6LACK: “Since I Have a Lover”
Hailing from East Atlanta, 6LACK (pronounced ‘Black’) has finally returned to music with the release of his third studio album Since I Have a Lover following a six year hiatus. The album boasts three features, including a surprising Wale feature. Previously, 6LACK has established common themes in his music like break-ups and being a rolling…