Harmony can never go out of style. The harmony, to me, it is more like a togetherness; people come together as a unit, to have a sound, where it brings peace into the ears, you know? One man can sound good, but harmony [has] more melody, more substance to it. Open in browser Thursday March 31, 2022 Mighty Diamonds lead singer Donald "Tabby" Shaw at the Hackney Empire, London, Aug. 18, 1988. (David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) quote of the day “Harmony can never go out of style. The harmony, to me, it is more like a togetherness; people come together as a unit, to have a sound, where it brings peace into the ears, you know? One man can sound good, but harmony [has] more melody, more substance to it.” - Donald "Tabby" Shaw, 1955 – 2022 rantnrave:// Rock, Not With You One of the producers who shared in the ACADEMY AWARD for QUESTLOVE's documentary SUMMER OF SOUL returned home to New York two days later, "saw the ceremony on my DVR and didn't have the stomach to watch it. I probably never will. Thank you, CHRIS—you absolute f***ing dick." That's the collateral damage of not one but two Hollywood stars being unable to act like grownups in front of an international audience on live TV. Producer JOSEPH PATEL, who's a friend, posted his thoughts about Chris Rock, WILL SMITH and the OSCARS Wednesday on Twitter and quickly deleted them because Twitter is Twitter and the comments became almost as hard to stomach as those few minutes of chaos on his DVR. "I said what I needed to say and feel at peace with it," Patel tweeted afterward. But in short, the producer, who made clear he was speaking only for himself, unloaded on "selfish" Will Smith for robbing a major life moment from the crews of all the nominated documentaries, whose category Chris Rock was there to present. "It robbed 'Summer of Soul' and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film.” Hear, hear. Questlove, as Patel noted, gathered himself and made a powerful, emotional acceptance speech. But that doesn't absolve this year's Best Actor, who's also a rapper, of doing his best to take the moment away from the director of this year's Best Documentary, who's also the drummer in a hip-hop band, and his crew. And then, after the slapicuffs, there was Rock's unrelated quip, upon opening the envelope, that the winners were Questlove "and four white guys." It wasn't a spontaneous quip. Rock had tried out the same joke at the ROOTS' pre-Oscars jam session at the EL REY THEATRE the night before. Patel isn't white. "The reason that makes me SO SO VERY ANGRY," he tweeted, "is because I was so proud to be one of a handful of South Asians to have ever won an Oscar." Two other South Asians, RIZ AHMED and ANEIL KARIA, won earlier Sunday night for Best Live Action Short. "It's meaningful! It’s history!," Patel wrote. I'm sharing this because there's another major awards show this Sunday night, to be hosted by a comedian who's recently feuded with a musician (the comedian, I should note, has been a mature adult through all this), and there will be other people in the room with baggage, and there will be jokes, and there will be 86 categories of nominees—including "Summer of Soul" producers Questlove, Joseph Patel, DAVID DINERSTEIN and ROBERT FYVOLENT (category no. 86: Best Music Film)—who deserve a night that’s about them and not about somebody else's baggage. I assume category 86 will be awarded quietly before the telecast starts, as most Grammys are, but that doesn't change the importance of the moment for the creatives who made those films or any of the other art that will be celebrated that night. So, please, tell your jokes, laugh a little, enjoy the performances and try your hardest not to ruin anyone else's night. How hard can that be? Rest in Peace DONALD "TABBY" SHAW, who spent more than 50 years as lead singer of roots reggae harmony greats the Mighty Diamonds, beloved for songs like "Pass the Kouchie," "Stand Up to Your Judgement" and "Right Time." He was killed in a drive-by shooting Tuesday in St. Andrew, Jamaica... Singer TOM PARKER of British/Irish boy band the Wanted. He had second careers on reality TV and as a dance music producer. He succumbed to brain cancer at 33... Longtime rock and jazz critic JOHN SWENSON, who wrote for Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy and several other magazines starting in the 1960s (and never stopping). He also wrote several biographies and co-edited the crucial first edition of "The Rolling Stone Record Guide," the first serious roadmap I ever owned to the wonderful, wild and mysterious world of popular (and not so popular) music. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator no pocky for kitty The New Yorker Growing Old with Superchunk By Craig Morgan Teicher A tribute to the band that has illuminated my life. Complex The Reckless Rise of Rap’s Internet Detectives By Andre Gee When tragedy strikes in the rap world, internet detectives recklessly track down clues and attempt to solve crimes online. But the consequences can be dangerous. The New York Times This Rap Song Helped Sentence a 17-Year-Old to Prison for Life By Jaeah Lee Rap songs are increasingly showing up as evidence in criminal trials. Vulture Is Billboard’s Afrobeats Chart Good for Afrobeats? By Shamira Ibrahim The rising crop of African artists deserve more than a marketing gimmick. The Daily Beast After That Oscars Slap, Prepare for the Nightmare Grammys By Laura Bradley Between Kanye’s canceled performance, nominations for Louis C.K. and Marilyn Manson, and The Weeknd’s boycott, this year’s music awards feel like a powder keg waiting to explode. Billboard 2022 Grammys Team Talks Taylor Hawkins, Tony Bennett & What They Learned From Last Year’s Intimate Show By Paul Grein This is Raj Kapoor’s first Grammys as showrunner, Trevor Noah’s second show as host, and Jack Sussman’s 24th show as a top CBS executive. Complex Pusha-T Is Outdoing Himself By Jessica McKinney Don't let his aggressive delivery, vicious lyrics, and unwavering dedication to tales of drug-peddling fool you. Stereogum Latto’s Weaponized Pop-Rap By Tom Breihan It’s a real statement for a relatively new rapper like Latto to have Lil Wayne and Donald Glover on the same song, especially when that song isn’t even a single. It’s a clear sign that the music industry believes in Latto. Someone hears money in her. Someone might not be wrong. Music Business Worldwide An MBW reader just blew open the Spotify fake artists story. Here’s what they have to say By Murray Stassen This is an email you're gonna want to read. Variety Red Hot Chili Peppers on John Frusciante’s Return for New Album -- and Their 40-Year Journey From ‘Hollywood Street Kids’ to a Walk of Fame Star By Ethan Shanfeld and Chris Willman Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Chad Smith have reunited with off-again, on-again guitarist John Frusciante for a new Rick Rubin-produced album, “Unlimited Love,” set for release April 1. This summer, the band will pull off its first U.S. stadium tour as a headliner. foolish Billboard SXSW Attendees Report COVID-19 Spread: Is This The New Normal? By Steve Knopper With the Grammys and Coachella coming next, artists, executives and music fans face a continued risk - albeit less severe - of contracting the coronavirus. The New York Times Anna Netrebko Seeks Distance From Putin After Losing Work By Javier C. Hernández The superstar soprano, whose past support of the Russian president cost her many engagements after the invasion of Ukraine, said in a statement that she was not “allied with any leader of Russia.” Fifteen Questions Proper. about going from Black Suffering to Black Genius There’s no reason a simple tale about a black American can’t be told." Okayplayer How Sample Drill Is Leading One Of Rap’s Most Bizarre Sampling Eras By Abe Beame New York City's most notable drill producers have defined themselves by the songs they sample, so much so that critics and fans alike have phrased the trend as "sample drill."  The Verge Steve Aoki on Why He's a 'Crypto Believer' By Nilay Patel and Steve Aoki Steve Aoki just launched the Aokiverse and wants to make a song with Elon Musk. KQED Meet Women Drummers Keeping the Japanese Art of Taiko Strong By Lauren Kawana While men once dominated taiko, Sacramento’s Tiffany Tamaribuchi is among today’s master practitioners. HipHopDX Former 'Source' Editor-In-Chief Kim Osorio Applauds Women In Hip Hop But Says There's A 'Long Way To Go' By Kyle Eustice As the first female Editor-In-Chief at The Source, Kim Osorio had to fight tooth and nail to gain the respect of her male contemporaries. But it was always a battle. These days, she notices she rarely receives a call to talk about Hip Hop in general — unless it’s involving women. Miami New Times Bad Bunny Taught Me Spanish and How to Be a Miamian By Emmalyse Brownstein Bad Bunny has inspired me to embrace a language and culture that isn't my own. Los Angeles Times From Olivia to Bruno to H.E.R., Filipino American artists enjoy a breakout year at Grammys By August Brown With 22 Grammy nominations between them, Filipino American artists with West Coast roots like H.E.R. are 'becoming the people we wanted to see growing up.' Atwood Magazine Essay: Christina Wheeler on Intersectionality the Music Industry and Beyond By Christina Wheeler Composer, musician, and multimedia artist Christina Wheeler shares her essay on how Women's History Month must continue to address intersectionality, both in the music industry and within the world at large, in order to create the change we need now. Variety John Swenson, Rock Journalist and Biographer for More Than Five Decades, Dies at 71 By Chris Willman John Swenson, a veteran of rock journalism's early years at Rolling Stone and Crawdaddy and later a chronicler of jazz, died Monday at 71 at his home in Brooklyn. He was reported to have been battling cancer. what we're into Music of the day “Have Mercy” Mighty Diamonds From their classic 1976 debut album, "Right Time." Video of the day “Rockers” Theodoros Bafaloukos Greek photographer and filmmaker Theodoros Bafaloukos set out to make a documentary about the reggae scene in Kingston, Jamaica, in the late 1970s and wound up instead with this classic feature film starring Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace. Music | Media SUBSCRIBE Suggest a link “REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’” Jason Hirschhorn CEO & Chief Curator HOME | ABOUT | SETS | PRESS Redef Group Inc. LA - NY - Everywhere Copyright ©2021 UNSUBSCRIBE or MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION