September 2017 - Chris Molanphy

Growing up in the Bronx, a young Jennifer Lopez would dabble in anything that might one day make her famous: acting, dancing, choreography, even gymnastics and track. Oh, and singing—but it was Lopez’s least-pursued talent prior to her mid-twenties. As she rose to prominence during the 1990s, Lopez was, variously, a regional theater actress and [...] Read more

Hit Parade: The Great War Against the Single Edition

29 September 20177 September 2023

The story of how the recording industry made you shell out $18 for one good song in the ’90s. Listen to Hit Parade No. 5 with the audio player below. Ever since the ’60s, the recording industry emphasized the album over the single. By the ’80s, they were milking as many hits as possible from [...] Read more

Vulture

Here’s How Cardi B Could Beat Taylor Swift on the Charts

21 September 20174 January 2019

Cardi B, Taylor Swift. Photo: Getty Images David-vs.-Goliath chart stories don’t come much more biblical than the one in the top two of the current Billboard Hot 100. In the penthouse: elite musical one-percenter Taylor Swift, with her hegemonic, already-on-top-the-instant-you-heard-it single “Look What You Made Me Do.” Buzzing the penthouse from one floor below: [...] Read more

Slate Why Is This Song No. 1?

Why Taylor Swift’s New No. 1 Is Her “Ballad of John and Yoko”

8 September 20174 January 2019

Two weeks ago, when America’s inevitable next No. 1 song dropped like a meteor in the Great Lakes, a college friend posted on my Facebook wall begging for help. “How do we feel about the new Swifty single?” she implored. “Tell me how to feel!” I don’t blame my pal for being confused. So is [...] Read more