If you ask someone what music they like, they might easily answer “anything but country.”

In recent years, music has almost experienced a paradigm shift. From the 50s to 2016, rock was the zeitgeist of music, from the Beatles to rock infused pop music (ie. Elton John and others). It was in 2016 that it was officially announced that tastes have shifted from rock to hip hop, a departure that was, while a necessary one, a surprise all the same. Kurt Cobain himself said in a 90s interview that he believed besides punk rock, the most important genre of music was hip hop and rap. This was the first time in music we had seen a genre born of a racial minority gain a status such as this. Radio waves became saturated with rap music, especially with artists such as Drake infusing pop and rap, exploding to super stardom, idolized in the same way the rockers of the 70s were. This departure is a cultural marvel, as well as a musical one.

Robert Massimi.

Vic Mensa’s name has been in headlines for lots of reasons: some good, some bad. I’ve known about Vic Mensa and his presence in music for the better part of five or six years, but I’ve never felt inclined to listen to his music, for whatever reason. However, I think his latest release and comments on CNN are not being talked about nearly enough in the music commentary sphere.

"Hey, you're being really aggressive right now. Is it possible for you to just relax?"

As a fanfic writer, I try to keep up with what the fandoms like, dislike but mostly get horny for. By doing that, I have realized that a lot of their main fetishes have already been shown in one of the groups’ songs or music videos and that it’s probably why they were attracted to them in the first place. No worries, this is kink-shaming free.

I am not sure how to start this because I know the word "clout" has been thrown around lately for lots of people that write about the boys. I have been a fan of the South Korean group BTS since 2013. They were a big part of my world back then, and they continue to be till this day. For six years, BTS was by my side helping me.

"California" is about living in a small town that you dream of escaping. I wrote this song when I was in a time in my life where certain friends had completely changed and became people I did not want to associate with anymore. The line “they try to lie, they try to tie, their sh*t right back to me” really captures exactly how I was feeling at the time.

"This is for the best, my reputation has never been worse..." Taylor Swift croons on her hit single "Delicate." This is not a true statement, much like Mickey Mouse, Swift seems immune to any kind of scandal or bad press. In fact, the entire Reputation album seems to be a way for her to convince people that she isn't the master manipulator behind these scandals, as she has been accused of, rather once again she is the victim. Even as she embraced the bad girl persona. And while the CD is not best selling in Swift's arsenal and had fewer hit singles than say her 1989 album, it did decent enough and the accompanying tour proved she is a superstar to be reckoned with. So then why are so many outlets calling her new single "ME!" a comeback? Mostly because that word is overused at this point and no one seems to know what it actually means anymore.

On March 1, 2019, Solange released When I Get Home, her fourth studio album. In 2016, Solange surprised the world with her album A Seat at the Table, that had neo-soul, funk, and RnB touches. The album was more political than Solange’s previous work, and had collaborations with artists like BJ the Chicago Kid, Andre 3000, The Dream, Common, and many others. Layered with the accompanying visuals and mystifying performances, the album was an instant classic with great replay value.

Brockhampton is the the hip-hop boy band taking the music industry by storm. With most of the members originating from a quiet and conservative suburb in Texas, every fan can relate to at least one of the members. Their loud and rowdy music hyping fans up all around the world and the influence they have is huge—with over 3,000,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. But what makes them stand out and appeal to their fans?

Whether you are a Michael Jackson fan or not, saying you should never be able to listen to his music is a bit too far, don't you think?