System of a Down is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian ; Daron Malakian ; Shavo Odadjian ; and John Dolmayan (drums), who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian.
Rage Against the Machine was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk. The band was known for melding heavy metal and rap music with punk rock and funk influences, as well as their left-wing views. As of 2010, they have sold over 16 million records worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
...I Care Because You Do is the third studio album by electronic musician Richard D. James under the alias Aphex Twin, released on 24 April 1995 by Warp. Containing material recorded between 1990 and 1994, the album marked James's return to a percussive sound following the largely beatless Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), and pairs abrasive rhythms with symphonic and ambient elements. The cover artwork is a self-portrait by James.
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014.
Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. Christgau spent 37 years as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music, and was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world – when he talks, people listen."
Everything but the Girl are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group's early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single "Missing", remixed by Todd Terry.
Ursula Desire Rucker is an American spoken word recording artist. Rucker is known for a diverse repertoire, and for using techniques that catch her listeners' attention.
Undercover is a studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 7 November 1983 by Rolling Stones Records. The band would move the label to Columbia Records for its follow-up, 1986's Dirty Work.
Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on August 23, 1994, by Def Jam Recordings. The title is a reverse mondegreen of the phrase "music in our message". Alternatively, it could be interpreted as "music and our message." The album debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week.
Voodoo Lounge is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 11 July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989. Voodoo Lounge is also the band's first album without their original bassist Bill Wyman; he left the band in early 1991, though the Stones did not announce the departure until 1993. In 2009, the album was remastered and reissued by Universal Music. This album was released as a double vinyl and as a single CD and cassette.
"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul featuring the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra. It is an alternate version of a song that appears on their secondary debut album, Club Classics Vol. One (1989) (titled Keep On Movin' in the United States), and was released as its second single on 29 May 1989 by Virgin. "Back to Life" is one of two songs on the album featuring British singer Caron Wheeler and gained success in both North America and Europe, topping the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and peaking at number four in the United States. Its music video, directed by Monty Whitebloom & Andy Delaney, of Big TV!, sees the group performing in a forest. Soul II Soul won their first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with the song in 1990. It was later included on a tenth-anniversary edition of the album.
The Bells is the ninth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in May 1979 by Arista Records. It was recorded in binaural sound at Delta Studios in Wilster, West Germany. Production was handled by Reed with Michael Fonfara serving as executive producer. Three out of nine songs on the album are the product of a short-lived writing partnership between Reed and Nils Lofgren. More of the team's work appeared on Nils' solo studio album Nils, released the same year. Lofgren released his version of "Stupid Man" as "Driftin' Man" on Break Away Angel (2001). Lofgren resurrected five songs he wrote with Reed in the late 70s on Blue with Lou (2019).
Do You Want More?!!!??! is the second studio album by American hip hop band the Roots, released January 17, 1995, on DGC Records. The band's major label-debut, it was released two years after their independent debut album, Organix (1993). Do You Want More?!!!??! has been considered by critics as a classic of jazz rap. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. On November 2, 2015, twenty years after its release, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 500,000 units in the United States. The master tapes for the album, including some unreleased tracks, were destroyed in the 2008 Universal Studios fire.
Roots is Curtis Mayfield’s second studio album, released in October 1971. Having received critical praise from a variety of publications, the album is regarded as not just one of Mayfield's best works but also as a classic release of the '70s soul era, with Allmusic critic Bruce Eder stating that "the album soars on some of the sweetest and most eloquent... soul sounds heard up to that time". The album became a commercial success as well, hitting the #6 slot on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.
Thunderbird is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. The record was released on the Blue Note label on April 4, 2006. The album was produced by T Bone Burnett and Keefus Ciancia, both of whom also substantially contributed to the release. Among other contributors are Grégoire Maret, Jim Keltner, and Marc Ribot. In the Billboard 200 chart, the album peaked at #184; in the chart of the Best Jazz Albums of the same magazine, Thunderbird peaked at #2.
Box Car Racer was an American punk band formed in San Diego, California, in 2001. The band was a side-project of Blink-182 members Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, with David Kennedy of Hazen Street completing the band's studio lineup. A bassist and friend of Barker, Anthony Celestino later joined the band as a bassist. DeLonge created the project to pursue darker ideas he felt unsuited to his work with Blink-182.
Life's Not out to Get You is the second studio album by Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep. Following the success of their debut album, Wishful Thinking (2014), the majority of the band members quit their day jobs and vocalist Ben Barlow dropped out of university. Working with Jeremy McKinnon, Andrew Wade and Tom Denney, the band recorded their second album between December 2014 and January 2015. Following recording the band immediately went on tour.
Come Together is a studio album by Ike & Tina Turner and their backing vocalists the Ikettes, released on Liberty Records in April 1970.
Pray 4 Love is the second studio album by American rapper and singer Rod Wave. It was released on April 3, 2020, through Alamo Records. The album contains one collaboration featuring American rapper ATR Son Son on the track "Rags2Riches". A deluxe edition was released on August 7, 2020 and contains guest appearances from Yo Gotti and Lil Baby—the latter appears on the remix of "Rags2Riches". 12 of the album's tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Rags2Riches" becoming Rod Wave's highest-charting song at the time, peaking at number 12. Each of the album's singles were accompanied with a music video.
The End of an Era is the third studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released independently on 13 August 2021 through Azalea's label Bad Dreams Records and Empire Distribution, with the deluxe edition following on 17 September 2021. Taking inspiration from the end of her 20s for the title, Azalea stated that she wanted the album to be a "time capsule" of that decade of her life. The End of an Era includes guest appearances from Bia, Sophia Scott and Ellise on the standard edition, while Alice Chater and Tyga are featured on the deluxe edition. Production was handled by Azalea's frequent collaborator J. White Did It and several others. It was preceded by three singles: "Sip It", "Brazil" and "Iam the Stripclub".
