fact or fiction
Is it a fact or is it merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the lesser known truths in the music universe.
Notes from the Mind Palace
Karaoke isn’t just singing for me — it’s a personality test, a confession booth, a therapy session, and a threat all rolled into one. My lineup is chaotic on purpose. It’s designed to confuse people, amuse people, scare people, and remind myself that I’m still alive. I also do it alone. So there is that.
By Syl De'Vil3 days ago in Beat
Massive Attack: Totally Wack
“[T]here are many here among us for whom the life force is best represented by the livid twitching of one tortured nerve, or even a full-scale anxiety attack. I do not subscribe to this point of view 100%, but I understand it, have lived it. Thus the shriek, the caterwaul, the chainsaw gnarlgnashing, the yowl and the whizz that decapitates may be reheard by the adventurous or emotionally damaged as mellifluous bursts of unarguable affirmation. And one could, if so inclined, take it even further than that…”
By Kendall Defoe 2 months ago in Beat
Oasis Is Genius!
Let's take a look at the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, and just why they are the best that BritPop had to offer. Maybe someone of you are celebrating England's advance in the World Cup to the Group of 16. Maybe some of you are fans and have taken the time to either go to the games, or watch the videos I've seen of Brits singing along to Oasis' ''Wonderwall''. It is always a joy to see how one song can unite so many people, even if you don't feel like anybody feels the way you do...today...
By Kendall Defoe 3 months ago in Beat
I Asked 50 Americans How Much They Make – The Answers Broke My Brain
I spent last week in a rabbit hole I didn’t expect: asking strangers on the internet how much money they actually make. Not CEOs. Not influencers. Just 50 regular Americans. Teachers, nurses, baristas, truck drivers, software engineers. Ages 22 to 58. I pulled data from Reddit’s r/salary, ran a quick anonymous poll on X, and slid into a few I thought I knew what the answers would look like. I was wrong. The numbers broke my brain. 1. The $75k “middle class” myth is dead 12 of the 50 people I talked to made between $70k and $80k. That used to be the dream salary. The “you’ve made it” number. Here’s what they told me: - Mark, 34, project manager in Texas: $78k. “After taxes, rent, car payment, and groceries, I have $200 left. I can’t afford a house. I’m middle class on paper and broke in real life.” - Jasmine, 29, nurse in Florida: $74k. “I work night shifts. I picked up a second job at Target. I still live with a roommate.” $75k in 2026 isn’t “comfortable.” In most US cities, it’s survival mode with a 401k. 2. Six figures doesn’t mean what you think I found 9 people making over $100k. I expected them to be chill. They weren’t. - Dev, 28, software engineer in Austin: $135k. “My rent is $2,800. Student loans are $900. Daycare is $1,700. I’m paycheck to paycheck.” - Rachel, 41, HR director in Chicago: $112k. “We make $190k combined. We still can’t buy a house. Our 1-bedroom apartment is $3,100.” The surprise wasn’t the salaries. It was the expenses. Childcare, housing, and debt ate six figures alive. Three of them used the phrase “I feel poor” unprompted. 3. The lowest earners were the most generous The people making under $35k had the wildest budgeting hacks. And they gave the most detailed answers. - Luis, 24, barista in Phoenix: $27k. “I meal prep rice, beans, and chicken every Sunday. $40 for the week. I donate plasma twice a month for gas money.” - Tara, 52, school cafeteria worker in Ohio: $31k. “I haven’t been to a dentist in 8 years. But I send my grandson $50 every birthday. Non-negotiable.” They weren’t angry. They were just tired. One person told me: “You get used to saying no to everything.” 4. Nobody knows what their coworkers makes I asked all 50 people: “Do you know what your coworkers earn?” 47 said no. The other 3 found out by accident and said it “ruined work.” - Kevin, 36, warehouse lead: “I trained a new guy. He makes $3 more than me. I’ve been here 6 years. I stopped volunteering for overtime.” - Alicia, 27, marketing: “We all assume we’re underpaid. But we don’t talk about it. HR made us sign something.” The secrecy is intentional. It keeps people from asking for raises. And it works. 5. The most shocking salary wasn’t the highest It was Brittany, 31, teacher in South Dakota: $44k. She has a master’s degree. She buys pencils for 28 kids. She works summer school to afford her mortgage. “I love my students. But I’m on Medicaid. I teach kids who qualify for free lunch, and I qualify too.” That one sat with me for days. So what broke my brain? Three things: First: The numbers don’t match the cost of living anymore. $100k is the new $60k. $60k is the new $35k. And $35k is poverty with a job title. Second: Almost everyone feels behind. The barista feels behind. The engineer feels behind. The only people who didn’t were two retirees I included as bonuses. Everyone else is running a race where the finish line keeps moving. Third: We’re all lying to each other. On Instagram, everyone’s on vacation. In my DMs, everyone’s stressed about groceries. The gap between “public salary” and “real life salary” is a canyon. What I learned I started this asking “how much do you make?” I ended up learning how much it _costs_ to be American in 2026. The answer: More than most people have. And the scariest part? 41 of the 50 people told me they expect to make more next year. Only 6 said they expect expenses to go down. We’re not in a money crisis. We’re in a math crisis. The math doesn’t work anymore. So yeah. My brain is still broken. Because after 50 conversations, I’m not sure “middle class” exists. Just “temporarily not drowning” and “drowning.”
By Michael Skylas 3 months ago in Beat
Don't Miss a Beat
Most people who know me know that the word "beat" has two meanings for me. I, Natasha Brown, "walk the beat" as a consultant for the Detroit Police Department by day. On weekend nights, I sing at a lounge called, Northern Lights, so I "keep the beat."
By Julie Lacksonen4 months ago in Beat
Pusha T Hit With Ghostwriting Allegations Regarding Quentin Miller
Pusha T made it his business to point out that Drake’s rhymes had been rife with ghostwriting. He put it in his rhymes to say “you don’t even write your songs.” The alleged ghost behind the written rhymes is Quentin Miller.
By Skyler Saunders6 months ago in Beat
The Shot That Changed Everything
On the evening of May 25, 2020, a routine police call in the city of Minneapolis unexpectedly turned into a tragic event that would soon dominate global headlines and ignite one of the largest waves of social protest in modern history. A 46-year-old man named George Floyd had been detained by officers from the Minneapolis Police Department after a local store employee reported that a customer had allegedly used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. What initially appeared to be a minor investigation rapidly escalated into a deadly confrontation that was captured on video by bystanders standing nearby on the street.
By The Curious Writer7 months ago in Beat
