August 2011 - Chris Molanphy

Making predictions in the music business is a mug’s game. As they say in the financial world, past performance is no guarantee of future results—and on the Billboard charts, it’s becoming a worse indicator all the time. Who knew that… Read more

100 & Single Village Voice

Nickolas Ashford, R.I.P.

23 August 20112 February 2019

Losing a spouse is always a life-altering tragedy—but it must be particularly acute in the case of Valerie Simpson. The passing yesterday of her spouse and her singing and songwriting partner, Nickolas Ashford, at age 69 ended a five-decade series… Read more

Rolling Stone

Introducing the King of Hip-Hop: We crunch the numbers – but who takes the crown?

15 August 20112 February 2019

Now more than three decades old as a recorded medium, hip-hop is deeply embedded in popular culture – to the point where its stars seem not only larger than life but also, as Rick Ross once put it, “deeper than rap.” But even as they sell out arenas and top the pop charts, rappers still [...] Read more

100 & Single Village Voice

100 & Single: Is It Okay For Katy Perry To Bum-Rush Her Way Into The History Books?

12 August 20112 February 2019

Chart fandom makes strange bedfellows. Six months ago, if you’d asked me what act I’d root for in a head-to-head chart battle between pop princess Katy Perry and electrodance goofballs LMFAO, I’d probably have picked Perry, whose song catalog includes… Read more