alyson lewis

Reality television has been a cornerstone of American entertainment for the past few decades. Most millennials remember turning on MTV to watch what happened when people were chosen at random to live life isolated from their family and friends while their trials and tribulations were broadcast for the world to see. However humiliating it may be to watch, every time a new reality show crops up, the world tunes in with eyes peeled and mouth agape to see what happens. People are pushed to their ...

Kendrick Lamar has always told stories through his music, creating a bridge between spoken-word and visual narratives. With DAMN., however, the rapper challenged his audiences to glean understanding through disciplined listening.
Released on 14 April 2017, DAMN. emerged from a tense political climate in which simmering tension gave way to a cathartic and masterful release. Throughout the album, Lamar instils the need for restraint, self-reflection and the preservation of ideals that enable pe...

Beastie Boys were well into their career when they released The In Sound From Way Out!, an instrumental album featuring jazz-funk instrumental cuts from Check Your Head and Ill Communication. The departure from their usual sound wasn’t a surprise to anyone who recognised the group’s genre-fluid approach to music – they had, after all, thrown instrumental tracks into their last two albums – so an eclectic, all-instrumental concept album of soulful funk cuts with undulating basslines and simmer...

On the first Friday of every month, we put the spotlight on one up-and-coming artist. For this month’s First Look Friday we talk with Riverside-raised rapper Hook, who rambles when she raps.
As a teenager, Hook and her sister were part of an R&B girls group based in Riverside, California called 2backwardz. Hook sang but she also wrote hooks. Lots of hooks. So many, in fact, she gave herself the name Hook.
The group eventually disbanded. Hook moved on and went to college. During this time, her...

Lil Baby has quickly become one of the most successful figures at the forefront of Atlanta’s rap scene, a city that’s been largely responsible for hip-hop’s biggest hits over the last few decades. Atlanta has not only birthed countless skilled MCs, but spawned the entire trap genre that has permeated mainstream pop music for the past five years. But who is Lil Baby, and how does he fit in?
Lil Baby’s six steps to fame
Atlanta is the hub of hip-hop innovation, populated by artists like Gucci M...

With innate charism and a natural talent for rapping, it’s hard to believe that Lil Baby was a reluctant hip-hop star. As the latest heavy-hitter out of Quality Control’s hip-hop stable, his rapid ascension looked easy, but was plotted with precision. After first arriving on Atlanta’s rap scene in 2017, he dropped four projects in 11 months; the following year, three projects landed in the space of seven months, setting the scene for many of the best Lil Baby songs to date.
Lil Baby has lived...

You can drive, vote and get a job at 18, but turning 21 marks the true transition into adulthood. In the US, you can drink legally (and responsibly, of course) and enter the mysterious world of nightlife and sometimes questionable decision-making. Whether you’re imbibing or not, however, here are the best 21st birthday songs to let loose to.
Think we’ve missed one of yours? Let us know in the comments section, below.
Best 21st Birthday Songs: 25 Songs To Raise Your Glass To
25: Madonna: ‘B-Da...

Like his ambiguous alias, The Weeknd’s music revels in vivid tales of late-night debauchery before facing up to their sobering aftermaths. In the past decade, the man born Abel Tesfaye has risen from underground R&B artist to pop outsider. After dropping a string of mixtapes and joining a new class of R&B renegades, he entered the pop fray, teaming up with its main architect, Swedish super producer Max Martin, and becoming the global superstar we know today. With every incarnation, however, T...

Growing up, I dreaded Sundays — chore day. Lately, I’m starting to pick up what my mom was teaching me.

In our series Hidden Gems, writers share their favorite Bandcamp discoveries.
This 2019 LP by Portland R&B artist Blossom feels like it exists in between the dream world and waking life. As the album’s title suggests, its songs hover thematically between possibility and reservation.
Over ambient, heavily textured R&B, Blossom’s deep, sultry voice asks the kind of questions that don’t have easy answers. “Have you ever wondered if the moon would cry / Have you ever wondered if the pain would fa...

Since 1981, Refugee Action has advocated for the rights of refugees, migrants, and those seeking asylum in the UK. British law surrounding asylum seekers are convoluted, discriminatory and only serve to make the process more stressful and difficult. Currently, asylum seekers cannot secure work in the UK and are only entitled to limited asylum support; it’s an incredibly complex system which offers asylum seekers around £35 a week. If asylum seekers are granted refugee status, they have less t...

Every year, articles crop up asking the same question: “Can Women Have It All?”. The author lays out what “all” encompasses: a thriving career, healthy happy family and a passionate marriage to someone of equal or greater financial status. There’s hemming and hawing over “choosing the correct career path” or perfecting a work and home-life balance that rivals our notions of disheveled mothers missing their kids’ soccer games in favour of staying late for work. The burden is continuously place...

Amazon Prime is known for much more than their fast delivery. The platform has thousands of titles to explore, rivaling streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. And with film titles like Training Day and The Boondock Saints, to TV shows including Downton Abbey, Amazon Prime Video has proven itself worthy of investment. But, if non-fiction films and TV shows aren't up your alley, Amazon has plenty of documentaries that will leave you satisfied. From true-crime documentaries, to Osca...

Though Netflix and Hulu tend to get more buzz when it comes to streaming TV shows, Amazon Prime certainly gives the platforms a run for their money. Amazon Prime is home to not only a solid amount of original comedy, drama, and other TV shows, but there are also popular series from other networks streaming on the site. There are even add-ons available from networks like HBO, so you don't have to miss another episode of your favorite prestige drama ever again.
Amazon Prime has an incredible se...

Erykah Badu first burst into the scene in 1997, with the release of her paradigm-shifting debut album, Baduizm. Showcasing an impressive range of vocals that prompted listeners to liken her to Billie Holiday, the album also saw Badu receive credit for birthing neo-soul. In truth, however, she created an atmosphere all her own. No two of her songs are the same, but a Badu track is undeniable: a sensual, brooding sound with vocals that glide up and down. Markedly hopeful and authentic, her musi...