Give My Regards: Jordan Poitras, Pt. 1
“Give my regards…” An utterance of appreciation. A grand gesture. A thank-you very much. CruxCrusader is pleased to début a new series paying respect to the music, movies, books and art that have shaped our writers. Each contributor was asked to pick six within a class of their choice, to be released over in time. After … Read more
Give My Regards: Kellen Barrett, Pt. 1
(Part One of Three) Kellen Barrett waxes poetic on two albums that changed his life.
John Legend & The Roots’ ‘Hard Times’
The following video does not require much explanation. The Roots — one of the last hip-hop conglomerates with a hand close to Native Tongue, soul and funk pulses. John Legend — one of the most charismatic male vocalists of the 21st century. With every preview offered, the September 21st release date of their collaborative outing, … Read more
The Medium Is The Message: Art & Music
Feature contribution from Jasmin Charters Music and art have had a solid, long-standing relationship since 1938, when at the tender age of 23, Alex Steinweiss — the so-called ‘Creator of the Album Cover’ — decided record sales might skyrocket if one ousted brown paper covers in exchange for intriguing visuals. Well, he was right. Artists … Read more
Love Never Dies: A Sequel to the Musical Most of Us Are Sick Of
The pounding opening chords of the title song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera, resound with many ears around the world. Regardless of how you feel about the musical theatre genre, they are highly recognizable. The show’s stellar plot — which draws on Gaston Leroux’s early 1900s serial novel, … Read more
The ‘Repercussions’ of Hiding Out For 10 Years
It’s hard to tell whether or not this is new, but an unreleased track from Lauryn Hill, titled ‘Repercussions’, was released to the world wide web yesterday. Stylistically, it sounds like it could be a leftover from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill era. Regardless of the actual date this song was recorded, Hill fans will … Read more
Zola Jesus’ ‘Sea Talk’
For those unacquainted, Zola Jesus is the stage name of classically trained opera singer Nika Roza Danilova. Trading her training to tread a darker musical path of laptop microphones and no-wave, she arrives on the other side as one of the most experienced and talented vocalists in music. Much like on her recent Stridulum EP, … Read more
I’m In the Hood Like I’m James Evans: Rick Ross’ Teflon Don.
Officer Ross. A title that has to sting. The pundits who fueled Nas and Jay-Z’s ‘Dead Presidents‘ beef split credit to each MC’s factual attack, agreeing only that nothing hurt quite like the truth. The same applied when photos surfaced in 2008 exposing gangster-rapper Rick Ross’ past as a correctional officer. In a genre where … Read more
In Which We Approach the Crux of the Matter…
“The first step – especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money – the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the … Read more
