Feature URB April 2008 Link If music trends in Morocco came up in conversation, many Americans might sheepishly inquire if things are still kicking at Rick’s Café. Outside of select examples like Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” popular culture in the States tunes out this North African nation’s music. But the cultural exchange rate looks different when […]
Feature URB September 2007 Link Hip-hop is a market force like few other genres, one that’s coined more terms for cash than the U.S. Mint. It dominates the charts, and the entrepreneurial enterprises of its stars, from movie roles to merchandise, seem ubiquitous. Jay-Z’s “I’m not a businessman/I’m a business, man” line has never seemed […]
Cover Story URB March 2007 Link When Lily Allen steps onstage at Chicago’s Double Door, one of the year’s most talked about new singers suddenly becomes an enigma. Her face, framed in strands of jet-black hair and a jade headband, is greeted with applause as she strolls past a trio of horn players limply bobbing […]
Feature URB May 2005 Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore remembers endlessly listening to a homemade tape filled with his favorite hardcore songs. He recalls touring the country during the ’80s in a van with a monstrous, sticker-stained boom box blasting tunes. And he still treasures the mix tapes bestowed by older and wiser friends and […]