Marty Callner Passes Away: He Will be Missed
The music industry just took an unexpected hit of bad news when Music Video Director Marty Callner passed away at the age of 78. His loss this week has led to the urge to reflect on all his work and properly understand how important his role was to so many artists and fans. Marty began […]
Musicians are Making Songs to Clearly Suit TikTok, Changing the Scope of The Music Industry
TikTok started as a dance app that allowed any sound to be used as background for users’videos. Overtime, the app has grown to feature much more than dances, although they remain ahuge part of the posts on the app. Nowadays, any soundbites from movies, tv and radio shows, podcasts and more can be used inany […]
Hannah Berner’s Interview with Megan thee Stallion Shows Why Journalist Jobs Should Go to Journalists
Influencer Hanna Berner was given the opportunity of a lifetime to interview celebrities on the red carpet at Vanity Fair’s Oscar party, which seems to be happening more and more as influencers grow in popularity. These micro-celebrities are given journalist jobs without any training in journalism, PR or media literacy. With proper training in these […]
Op-Ed: Why We Need Better Musicals
We’ve had many great modern musicals, such as “Hamilton,” written by the excellent Lin-Manuel Miranda, and “Dear Evan Hansen”, by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, but we’re still missing something. It’s as if the quality of our musicals has gone down. Don’t even get me started on the movie adaptation of “Cats” from 2019 or […]
TikTok is Changing How We View Celebrities
A few days after the Grammys, a seemingly random man filmed himself in his Amazon delivery truck after completing a delivery. He flexes in the camera, exclaiming that he won a Grammy. The man’s name is Joey Hamhock, and whether you recognize that name or not, the reality is that even award-winning producers have everyday […]
East Coast Hip Hop Needs to Be Unified
The West Coast Hip Hop scene has showcased a great number of unities, the East Coast however, is truly lacking. A reality that many hip hop connoisseurs are not ready to admit. Watching Kendrick Lamar’s run from Spring ’24 to the aftermath of Super Bowl LIX, has left me in wonderment. The fact that he […]
Has Social Media Caused The Grammys to Lose Popularity?
Before social media, only two communities were a part of the conversation: those who liked something and those who didn’t. Those who wanted something would speak loud and proud about their admiration, and those who didn’t would jump in and counter why something was undeserving of admiration. It was the usual, welcome, expected conversation around […]
Best Musical Sketches From SNL 50
On Sunday, February 16, Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary, with current and past cast members reuniting to recreate some of the show’s most iconic sketches. Of course, this included a variety of musical sketches, from “Lobster Les Mis” to a classic Lonely Island Digital Short. The best of musical comedy was laid out […]
How the 2025 Super Bowl HalfTime Show Was More than Just a Drake Diss
Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the SUper Bowl LIX halftime show confused older generations, amused younger ones, and included deeper messages that go beyond dissing Canadian rapper Drake. While Lamar performed the song that blew up last year, “Not Like Us,” for dissing Drake and the allegations against him, Lama’s performance was a critique of cultural […]
Is the One-Hit Wonder Phenomenon a Blessing or a Curse?
The music industry is already a fast environment, and fame can be forgotten as quickly as it came. The ones who struggle with it most? One-hit wonders. Artists referred to as One-hit wonders are artists who achieve massive success but only on a single track. One-hit wonders struggle to find success within the music industry […]
The Grammys Showcased the Clash Between Culture and Politics
Trad wives and modest fashion may be on the rise in the overall cultural zeitgeist, but Sunday’s Grammy Awards showed that the music industry is still strongly supporting progressive ideologies—even as the global political trend shifts toward far-right movements. The 2025 Grammys highlighted the many-faceted talents of women, LGBTQ+, and people of color through over-the-top […]
Best 2025 Grammy Performances
Last night’s Grammy Awards were not short of talent. With 16 amazing performers, it’s hard to pick the top performances, but we at NYC Tastemakers have decided on five that have stayed with us long after the curtains closed. #1 Doechii Only the third woman to win best rap album, Doechii also deserves the first […]
