LGBTQ
Dave Chappelle Releases ‘The Closer’ & Twitter Shares Cheers & Jeers
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Stacy Revere / Getty Dave Chappelle signed one of the most lucrative deals with Netflix and has released a handful of comedy specials that have been both praised and blasted for their edgy and controversial content. The Washington, D.C. native released his sixth special, The Closer, to the streamer and fans have showered the standup performance with both cheers and jeers. The Closer was filmed in Detroit, Mich. and, according to Chappelle’s words, it will be his last standup special for an indefinite amount of time. As usual, Chappelle walked the edge as only he can and there was one particular segment that caught the eyes and ears of viewers on Twitter. Related Stories In a joke that referenced DaBaby’s homophobic rant at Rolling Loud in Miami over...
Song of the Week: Kali Uchis and SZA Sizzle with “Fue Mejor”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Kali Uchis turns up the heat with SZA’s Spanish-language debut. Steamy and dreamy: two words that have long applied to SZA’s discography, and that certainly apply to her latest collaboration with Grammy-winning Latin artist Kali Uchis. “Fue Mejor” is sad and sultry, grooving over a throbbing beat that wouldn’t sound out of place in any of SZA’s albums. The airy, whistle-toned background vocals are offset by the sound of a revving engine, grounding the fantastical atmosphere. Notably, SZA sings in Spanish alongside Kali Uchis while...
Song of the Week: King Princess Offers a Faithful Velvet Underground Tribute With “There She Goes Again”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, King Princess provides a standout track off the new tribute album for The Velvet Underground and Nico. King Princess goes vintage this week with a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “There She Goes Again,” part of a new tribute album out today (September 24th). The collection includes quite a few beloved names offering their own homages to the seminal band — Sharon Van Etten, Courtney Barnett, and Iggy Pop are among them — and King Princess’ moment truly stuck the landing. Effectively capturing the 1960s spirit of the origina...
Song of the Week: MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers Keep it Easy and Breezy with “Silk Chiffon”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers paint a pop portrait of September bliss. After over a year, MUNA has returned with a bright, addictive pop anthem. “Silk Chiffon” employs the help of beloved and perpetually-in-her-feelings Phoebe Bridgers, for whom the band will opening on tour this fall. Bridgers, for her part, arrives with perhaps the most Phoebe Bridgers line imaginable: “I’m high and I’m feeling anxious inside of a CVS.” (It’s called having a brand — look it up!) The members of MUNA have always embraced their identity as a “quee...
DaBaby “Apologized” to GLAAD For Homophobic Remarks: Report
Noted homophobe DaBaby has reportedly issued his fourth — fifth? — apology for anti-gay and sexist remarks he made during his Rolling Loud Miami set last month. According to a press release issued by GLAAD Tuesday, the rapper attended a virtual meeting with leaders from several H.I.V. organizations last week, during which he apologized for his atrocious comments. “Our goal was to ‘call [DaBaby] in instead of calling him out,’” the statement reads. “We believed that if he connected with Black leaders living with HIV that a space for community building and healing could be created. We are encouraged he swiftly answered our call and joined us in a meaningful dialogue and a thoughtful, educational meeting.” Furthermore, the statement describes DaBaby as having been “genuinely engaged” in...
With If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, Halsey Crafts Her Own Mythology
When Halsey shared the artwork for her fourth studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, the inspiration was clear: seated on a throne, confidently exposed with a child in her arms, she is the regal image of the Madonna. Halsey (who goes by the pronouns “she/they”) has always seemed fascinated by the stories that make up humanity, from the mythic to the biblical and fantastical. If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is the next chapter in her own tale. This marks the fourth studio album for Halsey, who is on the cusp of turning 27 — her debut LP, Badlands, shot the singer into the spotlight when she was just 20 years old. Her bracing honesty and electronic production helped her cultivate a dedicated following of young adults, many of whom have grown with her in the years since that deb...
Up Yours! The Black, Queer, and Feminist Artists That Revolutionized Punk
Consequence’s Punk Week continues with an essay on the “outsider” artists who have succeeded in and revolutionized the genre, despite the odds being stacked against them. Keep checking back throughout the week for interviews, lists, editorials and videos — it’s all things punk, all the time. Flip through the annals of punk history, and consider the bands often cited as icons: The Clash, Sex Pistols, X, Black Flag, Fugazi, Ramones, Green Day, Rancid, blink-182. These artists certainly deserve their lofty status and every plaudit thrown their way, although you might notice that these acts (largely) feature lineups dominated by straight, white, cisgender men. On the surface, this seems counterintuitive. Punk is often positioned as a reaction against the mainstream, a way to include marginaliz...
DaBaby Retracts Apology for Homophobic Rant
DaBaby has retracted his apology to the LGBTQ+ community which he made in response to the growing controversy over his homophobic rant at last month’s Rolling Loud Festival. Amidst public outcry, the rapper posted the apology to Instagram on August 2nd. “Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes,” DaBaby wrote. “As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me– knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance– has been challenging. I appreciate the many people who came to me with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That’s what I needed and it was...
Miley Cyrus Offers To Counsel DaBaby After Homophobic Rant
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty DaBaby is currently a target of intense criticism after delivering a homophobic rant at Rolling Loud Miami and then doubling down on his ill-advised stances before finally apologizing. While the cancellation is still going strong, Miley Cyrus is offering to counsel the rapper from a kind place instead of one fueled by vitriol. Cyrus, 28, posted a lengthy message as a screenshot to her Instagram post offering to lend an ear and guidance to DaBaby, adding that she’s aware that he’s on everyone’s cancel list at the moment. From Instagram: As a proud and loyal member of the LGBTQIA+ community, much of my life has been dedicated to encouraging love, acceptance, and open mindedness,” she wrote. “The internet can fuel a lot of hate & ange...
A Nonprofit Has Planned a Rave in Ukraine for LGBTQ Rights—Outside the President’s Office
July 30th will be an interesting day for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the Kyiv Post, a nonprofit called UkrainePride plans to host a rave event outside of the president’s office called Rave Pride. Serving as a protest for the country’s LGBTQ+ community in a similar vein as Kyiv Pride’s annual Equality March—and hosted by some of the Kyiv Pride members who split from the group—the event hopes to grab the attention of the country’s authorities and make Ukraine a safer place for the country’s queer community. As it currently stands, the only anti-discrimination measures in Ukraine’s Criminal Code contain no terminology relating to sexual orientation, and therefore don’t address attacks on LGBTQ+ people. Con...
Song of the Week: Lil Nas X Proves He Can’t Be Locked in With “Industry Baby”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Lil Nas X proves once again that in spite of controversy or haters, he will always break free. Lil Nas X is very good at his job. He’s one of the most fearlessly fun pop stars in recent years, remarkably adept at wielding social media to his advantage, and creates on an unrestrained wavelength as young, Black member of the queer community. While his extremely online persona is often what catches attention, he manages to back it all up by dropping bops along the way, and his latest effort with Jack Harlow is no different. “Industry...
The xx’s Romy Combines Two Covers with “You’re Not Alone in the Rhythm of the Night”: Stream
The xx broke out with indie rock so sparse it sounded black and white, but their last album I See You (2017) introduced bright neon techniques cribbed from hip-hop and EDM. Now, co-founder Romy has combined the approaches with “You’re Not Alone in the Rhythm of the Night,” a simple acoustic performance that remixes two songs together. Built from parts of Olive’s “You’re Not Alone” and Corona’s “The Rhythm of the Night,” Romy’s new cover is a stirring statement to those feeling lost and afraid. She recorded the track for Apple Music’s Home Session for Pride, and in a press release she said she chose these tunes because they remind her of “when I was about 17 and started going to Gay bars in London.” She explained, “I’ve combined two songs into this cover, Olive – ‘You’re Not Alone...
