Ryan Book

Latest from this author

  • BTS Tour NYC Show Cut Short Due to Twitter Threats toward Rap Monster

    K-Pop group BTS (the Bangtan Boys) was forced to cut its New York City debut short as a result of terroristic threats made toward member Kim "Rap Monster" Nanjoon via Twitter. The fan meet-and-greet that was to follow that show at the Best Buy Theater near Times Square was also cancelled as a result. We might normally suggest that fans were "up in arms" over the development, but unfortunately that's exactly what led to this mess: two tweets from containing photos of individuals holding firearms while using the hashtag "#TRBinNYC."

  • Kurt Cobain, The Beatles and Michael Jackson: Bad Musician Statues

    A humorous petition has suggested that Outkast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi be carved into Georgia's historic Stone Mountain, a monument near Atlanta that's drawn controversy for its homage to the Confederacy in the form of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in Mt. Rushmore-style. Our official stance at Music Times is that the ATLiens riding in a Cadillac on the side of the mountain wouldn't hurt. And, even if it does border on the absurd, it wouldn't be the worst statue of a musician to be erected. Alas, The Beatles, Kurt Cobain and Michael Jackson (especially Michael Jackson) have been subjected to attempted memorials that fall way short of tastefulness.

  • Ranking Polaris Prize Shortlist: Drake, New Pornographers and...Ghostface Killah?

    The Polaris Music Prize has announced its annual shortlist of ten albums up for Canada's biggest music prize, and this year's gathering includes new icons Drake, old favorites the New Pornographers and, uh, Ghostface Killah? More on that later. Come with Music Times as we rank each of the albums from "worst" (relative) to first in terms of how much each deserves the vaunted trophy.

  • Marshall Amplification to Announce Android Phone Model This Week

    Neil Young has listed music on cell phones as one of the biggest villains against audio quality today, but he may have to adjust his statements as Marshall Amplification, perhaps the most iconic maker of guitar amps in history, has announced the launch of a new Android phone model. The Marshall London (named, no doubt, for the company's hometown) is aimed specifically at music fans in search of a new phone.

  • Cannibal Ox to Tour Support of 'Blade of The Ronin'; First Since 'The Cold Vein'

    Cannibal Ox released a new album, 'Blade of The Ronin,' earlier this year—marking the first release from the hip-hop duo in 14 years—and now the former Def Jukies will set off on a tour to promote the release. The group disbanded shortly after the release of 2001's critically acclaimed 'The Cold Vein,' featuring production from El-P of Run The Jewels fame, and eventually came back together for a reunion during 2012. Sporadic concerts and eventually a new album later, it seems the pair are finally ready to hit the road and bring out underground fans across the United States.

  • India Passes Gloria Estefan for Most No. 1 Songs in Tropical Chart History

    La India—the salsa performer, not the country—has overtaken Gloria Estefan as the performer with the most no. 1s in the history of the Billboard Tropical Songs chart as "Ahora Que Te Vas" enters the top spot. The track comes from her album Intensamente con Canciones de Juan Gabriel, a collection of the mariachi legend's hits reimagined as salsa numbers.

  • Carve Outkast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi into Stone Mountain, Petition Demands

    A petition has proposed that Outkast members Andre 3000 and Big Boi be added to Georgia's Stone Mountain, a monument that currently displays Confederate icons Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Thom "Stonewall" Jackson. The Atlanta chapter of the NAACP is pushing for the removal of the display, in light of the South's recent realization that the Confederate flag and associated imagery is a bad thing. One hip-hop fan, Mack Williams, has an idea that he thinks will make everyone feel a little better.

  • Neil Young Removes Music from Streaming Services, Cites Awful Audio

    Neil Young has joined performers such as Taylor Swift and Prince in removing his music from the majority of streaming services, however he cites audio quality and not financial elements for the decision. The godfather of grunge has always been an audio-obsessive, but there's a chance that this recent decision was simply to help boost use of his personal service, Pono.

  • 5 Iranian Music Stars To See Sans-Sanctions: Googoosh, Masoud, Yas and More

    It's a great or terrible day, depending on who you ask, as the United States and a number of nations have come to an agreement with Iran to keep an eye on the latter's nuclear program while lifting sanctions that have been in place since 1979. Granted, this isn't exactly going to make us best-buddies. There are plenty in the Shia superpower who still see America as an evil empire, so we can't say we'll be first in line to go on vacation in Iran. That said, many Americans need to realize that culture in the country isn't as backward as many would have you believe. This isn't al-Qaeda operatives living in caves...Iranian culture is vibrant and quite healthy 'n' wealthy. Accordingly, they've got a pop music scene on par with many non-Western nations. Here are five stars, still residing in Iran, that hopefully you'll be able to see soon enough (should you choose).

  • 7 Musicians in Playboy: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Azealia Banks and More

    Thirty years ago, pop fans-but mostly guys interested in the female form-received the most recent issue of Playboy, which featured superstar Madonna on the cover. Looking back, it doesn't seem all too surprising that perhaps the biggest female performer in history stripped down for the men's magazine...after all, she released a whole book of risqué content with Sex during 1992. But for the most part, Playboy has been an arena more enticing to film and television actresses, as well as other recognizable characters. Musicians have been more rare, but they drop in from time-to-time.

  • Miguel Gives Smashing Pumpkins Writing Credit on 'leaves' over '1979' Similarity

    More and more performers are playing it safe when it comes to songwriting, in light of the recent multimillion lawsuit between Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and the Marvin Gaye estate. The most recent example is Miguel, who gave Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins a songwriting credit on his track "leaves" after realizing that the down-tempo ballad's guitar riff was reminiscent of "1979."

  • No Poison in B.B. King Autopsy Report; Manager Cleared of Murder Allegations

    The world was shocked when relatives of B.B. King suggested that his manager had poisoned the blues legend as an attempt to get to his will, and fortunately we can report that the Las Vegas/Clark County coroner has ruled that no poison was found during the icon's autopsy. John Fudenberg reported to Rolling Stone that Alzheimer's was the primary cause of death, but a cocktail of other ailments—including type 2 diabetes, coronary artery atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, hypertension and cerebral vascular disease—couldn't have helped.

  • Wu-Tang Clan, 50 Cent Notorious B.I.G. & More Get Marvel Comic Treatment

    Marvel Comics has been playing up its relationship with hip-hop for some time now. There have been a number of comic books starring rappers, and the label released a pair releases featuring Run The Jewels-tributes on their respective covers. Now the publisher has announced a series of 50 comic book covers featuring tributes to classic hip-hop album covers. The first ten were released online this week.

  • AlunaGeorge Signs with Major, Interscope, Announces American Tour

    AlunaGeorge has raised eyebrows in the alt-music world and thanks to some big name collaborations, has become a go-to in the world of EDM as well. Those developments led to the London duo signing with major label Interscope after the success of its 2013 debut, Body Music. The pair also announced an American tour for 2015, featuring dates with Zedd and Todd Terje.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now
Real Time Analytics