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Music Features

Tuesday March 25, 2014

A Rational Conversation: Lil Jon's History Of Turning Up

Lil' Jon performing in Hollywood in March. Chelsea Lauren/WireImage hide caption

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Chelsea Lauren/WireImage

A Rational Conversation: Lil Jon's History Of Turning Up

March 25, 2014 • Lil Jon may be best known as the king of crunk, but "Turn Down for What" isn't his first time working with a dance music producer.

Monday March 24, 2014

Dave Brockie, GWAR's Oderus Urungus, Dies At 50

Oderus Urungus and GWAR perform at the Download Festival in Castle Donington, England, in 2011. Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage hide caption

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Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage

Dave Brockie, GWAR's Oderus Urungus, Dies At 50

March 24, 2014 • The mastermind behind metal's most cartoonishly grotesque band brought a sense of levity to the genre when it was in danger of being overwhelmed by negativity and self-importance.

Monday March 17, 2014

Scott Asheton, Drummer For The Stooges, Dies At 64

The Stooges (L-R Dave Alexander, Iggy Pop in front, Scott Asheton in back and Ron Asheton) in the studio in 1970, during the making of their second album, Fun House. Ed Caraeff/Getty Images hide caption

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Ed Caraeff/Getty Images

The Record

Scott Asheton, Drummer For The Stooges, Dies At 64

March 17, 2014 • Asheton was a founding member of the Michigan-based band, led by Iggy Pop, that helped to write the rules of punk almost a decade before the genre became a threat to households everywhere.

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You: The BeyHive

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood Entertainment

The Record

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You: The BeyHive

March 17, 2014 • You don't have to be a Beyoncé fan to be impressed by her success. But the depth of devotion shown by her most ardent supporters is just as stunning and intriguing as the singer's own flawless image.

Saturday March 15, 2014

Lady Gaga At SXSW: 'Don't Sell Out. Sell In.'

Lady Gaga donned luxurious plastic bags for her SXSW Keynote on Friday. Michael Buckner/Getty hide caption

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Michael Buckner/Getty

The Record

Lady Gaga At SXSW: 'Don't Sell Out. Sell In.'

March 15, 2014 • In a keynote event at SXSW, the queen of pop transgression offered support for anyone struggling with self-definition and illustrated how hard it is to steer clear of the constraints of corporate pop.

Monday March 10, 2014

The Guide To Making SXSW Fun (For Everybody)

Anything can happen in Austin. Be prepared. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

The Record

The Guide To Making SXSW Fun (For Everybody)

March 10, 2014 • SXSW can be so overwhelming, so here are six recommendations for keeping keep cool at the Austin music festival — for first-timers, veterans and those following along at home.

Thursday March 6, 2014

Gazelle Amber Valentine: 'Gender Is Not A Genre'

Gazelle Amber Valentine (left) and Edgar Livengood of Jucifer. F. Mullin/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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F. Mullin/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Gazelle Amber Valentine: 'Gender Is Not A Genre'

March 6, 2014 • The righteously outspoken guitarist from doom metal duo Jucifer speaks about women in hard rock, her almost-acoustic side project and her never-ending life on the road.

Tuesday March 4, 2014

Sitting around what looks like a conference table with a small group of musicians, guitarist Moacyr Luz (center) leads his samba group. Courtesy of QK hide caption

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Courtesy of QK

The Record

In Rio, A Universe Of Samba

March 4, 2014 • In Brazil, samba isn't just the music of Carnival. With throngs headed to the country for this summer's World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, samba de rota has become an act of cultural resistance.

In Rio, A Universe Of Samba

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Saturday March 1, 2014

Listening In Reel Life: The Pop Music Inside The Oscar Nominees

Beautiful Music Together: Joaquin Phoenix takes a walk on the beach with his girlfriend the Operating System in the Oscar-nominated film Her. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Record

Listening In Reel Life: The Pop Music Inside The Oscar Nominees

March 1, 2014 • Original songs and scores aren't the only music worth paying attention to on Oscar night. Pop music is woven deeply into the performances and plots of many of the year's best movies.

Thursday February 27, 2014

What's With All The Drummers Leading Late-Night Bands?

Arsenio Hall with his band. Robin DiMaggio stands to the right of Arsenio. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The Record

What's With All The Drummers Leading Late-Night Bands?

February 27, 2014 • Robin DiMaggio, who leads The Arsenio Hall Show band, says drummers, who have to be ambidextrous to play their instrument, can drive the music and multitask like champions.

Friday February 21, 2014

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons performs onstage at the Amnesty International Concert presented by the CBGB Festival at Barclays Center on February 5, 2014 in New York City. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images hide caption

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Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The Record

Hearing Devotion In Pop's Details

February 21, 2014 • "Radioactive," by Imagine Dragons, just set a chart record for the longest run on Billboard's Hot 100. It's just one of a few songs on the charts showing the influence of religious themes.

Hearing Devotion In Pop's Details

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Thursday February 20, 2014

A Phony Article Epitomizes Hip-Hop's Struggling Underclass

The rapper Shirt created a counterfeit article designed to look like it was written by the New York Times critic Jon Caramanica and published on the Times' website. NPR hide caption

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NPR

The Record

A Phony Article Epitomizes Hip-Hop's Struggling Underclass

February 20, 2014 • When even the biggest stars in the world are relying on extramusical gimmicks to hype new albums, what's an unknown rapper supposed to do to get noticed? Maybe fake a profile in the paper of record?

Wednesday February 19, 2014

Beats Music

The Record

Computer Love: Beats Music Wants To Be Your Everything

February 19, 2014 • Ann Powers says that for the music lover searching for an immersive streaming service, newcomer Beats Music comes close to offering the complete package.

Tuesday February 18, 2014

Skrillex, King Of The Dance Club Hit-And-Run

Skrillex on stage at HARD Day Of The Dead on November 2, 2013. Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic/Getty Images hide caption

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Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The Record

Skrillex, King Of The Dance Club Hit-And-Run

February 18, 2014 • The super-sized leading light of the new dance mainstream thrives at throwing the kind of one-off party that even a well-dressed, friendly audience in a regular-sized club can enjoy.

Thursday February 13, 2014

In The Digital Era, Hit Songs Aren't Everything

American Idol winner Phillip Phillips, whose song, "Gone, Gone, Gone," went to No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Each time it's played in public, the song's writers get a royalty, which is tracked and collected by ASCAP. Bigger hits usually translate into bigger checks. Buda Mendes/Getty Images hide caption

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Buda Mendes/Getty Images

The Record

In The Digital Era, Hit Songs Aren't Everything

February 13, 2014 • The Internet is the new frontier for song royalties. If ASCAP has its way, law will prevail, but some songwriters and publishers see the organization as a relic.

In The Digital Era, Hit Songs Aren't Everything

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