Kacey Musgraves steals country's crown with progressive songs on tour

<img alt="Kacey-musgraves-concert" height="358" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA5LzEzL2U5L2thY2V5bXVzZ3JhLjkwYTdmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/813221e2/a49/kacey-musgraves-concert.jpg" width="640" /><br /> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> LOS ANGELES — "Every single thing in this song is fucking true," Kacey Musgraves stressed, as if the sold-out audience at The Wiltern needed reminding, before performing the autobiographical "Dime Store Cowgirl," a banjo-laden crowdpleaser.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Not one to conform to what's popular on country radio, the progressive singer loaded her set with traditional country vibes — twangy vocals, acoustic strings and small-town tropes — fused with modern themes about same-sex makeouts, marijuana and misogyny.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Leading into "Dime Store Cowgirl," the 27-year-old recounted a pre-teen moment when someone's mother said she looked like a "dime store cowgirl" at a Texas talent show. "I was like, 'I'm 12; what the fuck does that mean?'" Musgraves remembered.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Like many of her songs, it's about her roots but fashioned in a deeply relatable way for the masses — similar to her career-launching "Merry Go 'Round."</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZfj2Ir3GgQ" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Merry Go 'Round</a>," which earned her the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2014, was a bold debut in 2012 because it wasn't the typical cheery first single in a genre overflowing with party anthems. On this night, under a distracting disco ball, Musgraves' band left the stage to let her deliver the track alone with just a guitar in hand and boots on feet.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <br /></div> <div class="twitter-video twitter-video-rendered" data-tweet-id="642583816540852224" id="twitter-widget-2" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin: 10px 0px; max-width: 500px; min-width: 320px; position: relative;"> <div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 500px; position: relative;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" frameborder="0" height="500" id="undefined" scrolling="no" style="border-style: none; bottom: 0px; display: block; height: 500px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; visibility: visible; width: 500px;" title="Embedded Tweet" width="500"></iframe></div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The "Merry Go 'Round" solo demonstrated how compelling Musgraves is, even without the flashy bells and whistles often added to fellow female artists' concerts. No half-naked dancers. No annoying confetti. No random fire blasts. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="musgraves-did-more-guitar" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <blockquote class="microcontent-wrapper pullquote" style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px !important; clear: left; color: #777777; float: left; height: auto; margin: 15px 15px 35px -125px; max-width: 45%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 475px;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="Musgraves did more guitar exchanges than outfit changes, setting the focus on her musicality and songwriting." data-fragment="musgraves-did-more-guitar" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Musgraves did more guitar exchanges than outfit changes, setting the focus on her musicality and songwriting.</span><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> </blockquote> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> This isn't to say her backup band, The Runner-Ups, lacked a bonus flair. Their pink suits adorned with mini light bulbs — like a cotton candy-colored Christmas tree — resembled characters from <em>Tron</em> whenever the house lights dimmed or faded to black. Their skills and personalities shined as bright as their outfits throughout the 22-song set.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Vocally, Musgraves sounded as pure as she does on studio tracks from <em>Same Trailer Different Park</em> and <em>Pageant Material</em>, yet her longest and strongest note came while transforming TLC's 1999 hit "No Scrubs" into a hand-clapping country jam.</div> <div class=" fb_reset" id="fb-root" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; cursor: auto; direction: ltr; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; text-shadow: none; visibility: visible;"> <div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -10000px; width: 0px;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" aria-hidden="true" frameborder="0" height="NaN" id="fb_xdm_frame_http" name="fb_xdm_frame_http" scrolling="no" src="http://static.ak.facebook.com/connect/xd_arbiter/44OwK74u0Ie.js?version=41#channel=f2b67f3bb&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com" style="border-style: none; height: 0px; width: 0px;" tabindex="-1" title="Facebook Cross Domain Communication Frame" width="0"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" aria-hidden="true" frameborder="0" height="NaN" id="fb_xdm_frame_https" name="fb_xdm_frame_https" scrolling="no" src="https://s-static.ak.facebook.com/connect/xd_arbiter/44OwK74u0Ie.js?version=41#channel=f2b67f3bb&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com" style="border-style: none; height: 0px; width: 0px;" tabindex="-1" title="Facebook Cross Domain Communication Frame" width="0"></iframe></div> <div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -10000px; width: 0px;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="fb-video fb_iframe_widget fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop" data-allowfullscreen="1" data-href="/brian.anthony.hernandez/videos/vb.17203324/10102101623965693/?type=1" fb-iframe-plugin-query="allowfullscreen=true&app_id=&container_width=625&href=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fbrian.anthony.hernandez%2Fvideos%2Fvb.17203324%2F10102101623965693%2F%3Ftype%3D1&locale=en_US&sdk=joey" fb-xfbml-state="rendered" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: 625px;"> <span style="display: inline-block; height: 351px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; text-align: justify; vertical-align: bottom; width: 625px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" frameborder="0" height="351" name="f36e47f288" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/video.php?allowfullscreen=true&app_id=&channel=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.ak.facebook.com%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F44OwK74u0Ie.js%3Fversion%3D41%23cb%3Dffad2a05c%26domain%3Dmashable.com%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmashable.com%252Ff2b67f3bb%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=625&href=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fbrian.anthony.hernandez%2Fvideos%2Fvb.17203324%2F10102101623965693%2F%3Ftype%3D1&locale=en_US&sdk=joey" style="border-style: none; height: 351px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 625px;" title="fb:video Facebook Social Plugin" width="625"></iframe></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> As for originals, "Die Fun" stood out with her delicate, breathy delivery of reflective lyrics ("What if I'm just gonna stay drunk on all the years that I just wish would slow up?") and one hell of an instrumental crescendo. Other tracks from <em>Pageant Material</em>, which debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 3 in June, also emerged as highlights.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Musgraves alluded to misogyny in "Pageant Material" and "Good Ol' Boys Club" with such lines as <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="it-aint-that-i" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div> <blockquote class="microcontent-wrapper pullquote" style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px !important; clear: left; color: #777777; float: left; height: auto; margin: 15px 15px 35px -125px; max-width: 45%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 475px;"> <div class="microcontent-shares" data-description=""It ain't that I don't care about world peace, but I don't see how I can fix it in a swimsuit on a stage."" data-fragment="it-aint-that-i" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;"> <a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/09/13/kacey-musgraves-concert-review/#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div> </blockquote> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <span class="microcontent" data-description=""It ain't that I don't care about world peace, but I don't see how I can fix it in a swimsuit on a stage."" data-fragment="it-aint-that-i" data-micro="1">"It ain't that I don't care about world peace, but I don't see how I can fix it in a swimsuit on a stage."</span> Nosey neighbors got the cold shoulder on singalong hit "Biscuits," while "Family Is Family" drew laughter when she sang, "Yeah, family is funny, they'll ask you for money, even though they know you ain't got no money."</div> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em; text-align: left;"> The girl-on-girl kissing reference in "Follow Your Arrow" — "So, make lots of noise, kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls if that's something you're into" — is reminiscent of Katy Perry's early hit "I Kissed a Girl" but tailor-made for the less LGBT-friendly genre of country. Perry notably took notice of Musgraves, and in 2014 they performed "Follow Your Arrow" (below) and <a href="http://www.cmt.com/shows/cmt_crossroads/teenage-dream-from-cmt-crossroads/1048864/video/#id=1728229" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">their other hits together on <em>CMT Crossroads</em></a>.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <iframe frameborder="0" height="351.5625" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:uma:video:cmt.com:1048867/cp~vid%3D1048867%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Acmt.com%3A1048867" style="height: 351.5625px; width: 625px;" width="625"></iframe></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Under the venue's sunburst art deco ceiling, she also covered Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart" (a single Musgraves co-wrote) and closed with a two-song encore of Nancy Sinatra's 1966 classic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and Roy Rogers' 1940s tune "Happy Trails" (done a cappella alongside The Runner-Ups).</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> For "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," Musgraves stepped into her light-up boots, like she did for Yahoo's Artist Spotlight series in August (below).</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="351.5625" mozallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="https://music.yahoo.com/video/kacey-musgraves-struts-her-stuff-120000207.html?format=embed" style="height: 351.5625px; width: 625px;" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="625"></iframe></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> The band, tamed for the majority of the concert, ratcheted up for "Stupid," winding it into full gear like a stadium anthem as Musgraves hopped around as though she were on an invisible pogo stick. On "Blowin' Smoke," they were at their loudest, with Musgraves' tambourine replacing her guitar and smoke machines adding urgency to the rebellious banger.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> Still, Musgraves was at her best on her all-too-real ballads "Die Fun," "Merry Go 'Round" and the self-described depressing "It Is What It Is," weaving personal experiences and every day reflections into intricate phrases, during Friday's "Western Rhinestone Revue" tour stop.</div> <h3 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> BONUS: Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson's 'Are You Sure'</h3> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> </div> <div class="popout" style="margin-left: -125px; max-width: 120%;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="423.00000000000006" id="managed-yt-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDCFjYVKAkY?enablejsapi=1&" style="height: 423px; width: 751px;" width="751"></iframe></div> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;"> <em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>

Kacey Musgraves steals country's crown with progressive songs on tour

LOS ANGELES — "Every single thing in this song is fucking true," Kacey Musgraves stressed, as if the sold-out audience at The W...

Read more »

Pharrell and One Direction are headlining Apple's rebranded Music Festival

<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.556; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <img src="https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/apple.jpg" /></div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.556; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> To promote the launch of <a href="http://www.imore.com/apple-music" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #cb2c00; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Apple Music</a>, the Cupertino giant is rebranding the iTunes Music Festival as Apple Music Festival. This year's music extravaganza lasts ten days, unlike the usual month-long affair we're used to, and will take place at London's Roundhouse from September 19th, with Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Florence + The Machine and Disclosure headlining the event.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.556; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Fans from around the world will be able to watch the performances live and on-demand for free on Apple Music. Apple is also planning cross-promotional activities for the festival, with Eddy Cue stating:</div> <blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #888888; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: -0.3px; line-height: 1.389; margin: 30px 0px; padding: 0px 30px 0px 50px; position: relative; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="border: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.556; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> The Apple Music Festival is a greatest hits set of ten unbelievable nights featuring some of the best performers on the planet appearing live and interacting directly with their fans on Connect and Beats 1.</div> </blockquote> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.556; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> UK residents will be able to win tickets for the event from Apple Music and its media partners.</div> <div class="netshelter-ad gpt inline-text" id="InArticle_BTF3-wrap" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="netshelter-ad-inner" style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: camptonlight, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.556; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a class="cta" href="http://www.applemusicfestival.com/" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #cb2c00; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="">Apple Music Festival</a></div>

Pharrell and One Direction are headlining Apple's rebranded Music Festival

To promote the launch of  Apple Music , the Cupertino giant is rebranding the iTunes Music Festival as Apple Music Festival. This year...

Read more »

Can You Compete With This Guy’s Eminem Sneaker Collection?

<img height="359" src="http://imagesmtv-a.akamaihd.net/uri/mgid:uma:image:mtv.com:10490139?quality=0.8&format=jpg&width=980&height=551" width="640" /><br /> <br /> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1em;"> Sneakerheads are intensely passionate about their footwear collections, and<a href="http://www.mtv.com/artists/eminem/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.298039); box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff3b00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Eminem</a> fans are intensely passionate about his music — so, what happens when you combine the two? You get sneakerhead Eminem fans like JD Beltran, which is the best of both worlds.</div> <div id="mediavoice-native-ad-placeholder" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px;"> </div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Beltran gave <a href="http://www.nicekicks.com/2015/08/13/a-sneak-peek-inside-jd-beltrans-sneaker-closet/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.298039); box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff3b00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nice Kicks</a> a pretty comprehensive rundown of his collection, and a good chunk of them were <a href="http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2013/11/a-complete-history-of-eminems-nike-collaborations/nike-air-max-90-charity-eminem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.298039); box-sizing: border-box; color: #ff3b00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Eminem’s collaborations with Nike.</a> “I try to get as many doubles of everything as I can, just because I want them all,” he said.</div> <div class="video-container" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; height: 0px; line-height: 28px; margin: auto; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 326.984375px; padding-top: 30px; position: relative;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CxwQbUbc7bw?start=1067&feature=oembed" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 356.984375px; left: 0px; margin: auto !important; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 581.328125px;" width="500"></iframe></div> <br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px;" /><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px;">“As an artist, I think lyrically he is a much better rapper than pretty much anybody. The words he uses and the way he puts them into a sentence are a lot more complicated than what most rhyme schemes involve.”</span><br /> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The kicks he showed off included Em’s first Nike collaboration, the Nike Air Max Burst A.K.A. “Air Slim Shady,” the Nike Air Force 1 Low “Shady Records” (which he purchased directly from a Shady Records employee), the Eminem Air Max 90 and Air Max 1 “Charity Series,” which was dedicated to late D12 rapper, Proof.</div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> “This was right after Proof died, so he signed ‘Big Proof for life,’” Beltran explained. “But if you look closely, Eminem wrote ’Big Poof For Life,’ so you misspelled his name buddy.”</div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: AkzidenzGrotesk, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Check out his sneaker collection in the video above.</div>

Can You Compete With This Guy’s Eminem Sneaker Collection?

Sneakerheads are intensely passionate about their footwear collections, and Eminem  fans are intensely passionate about his music — so, w...

Read more »

Iggy Azalea Gives New Album Update: Six Songs Completed, Single to Come in 2016

<figure class="post-thumbnail" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #7e7e7e; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><img alt="INGLEWOOD, CA - MARCH 28: Singer Iggy Azalea arrives at Nickelodeon's 28th Annual Kids' Choice Awards at The Forum on March 28, 2015 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)" class="attachment-larg wp-post-image disappear appear" height="430" src="http://goldenzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/iggy-azalea-kids-choice-awards-arrival-2015-billboard-650.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="650" /></figure><div class="entry-content-data " style="background-color: white; color: #7e7e7e; float: left; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-right: 20px; position: relative; width: 164px; z-index: 10;"> </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #7e7e7e; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px;"> <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/5694588/iggy-azalea/chart" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #d8bc31; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;">Iggy Azalea</a> dropped several new details about her next <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">album</span> in a series of <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">tweets</span>sent out to her fans on Saturday, Aug. 8.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #7e7e7e; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px;"> First, the “Pretty Girls” singer <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">checked</span> in from the studio to provide a positive status update about the upcoming release, confirming that she’s already done recording six new songs:</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #7e7e7e; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px;"> She then replied to various questions about the new music that <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD7" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">eager</span> fans threw her way, as seen in the tweets embedded below.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #7e7e7e; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px;"> In summary: She plans to drop a new <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">single</span> in 2016, her new album will <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD5" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">be released</span>with less than 12 songs (possibly only 10) and will not be accompanied by a deluxe edition, a vinyl bundle may or may not be available, and a documentary about the making of the album is in the works. When asked if this is “more of a personalalbum,” Azalea admitted, “i think all my shit is personal all the time so i might not be a good judge on that. lol.”</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #7e7e7e; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px;"> In June, <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6597845/iggy-azalea-scrapped-music-coffee-table-book" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #d8bc31; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;">Azalea revealed</a> that she’d <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD11" style="background-attachment: scroll !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat !important; background-size: initial !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;">scrapped</span> “an entire six months of work and started totally new,” so fans should be pleased to learn that things have been progressing steadily since then.</div>

Iggy Azalea Gives New Album Update: Six Songs Completed, Single to Come in 2016

Iggy Azalea  dropped several new details about her next  album  in a series of  tweets sent out to her fans on Saturday, Aug. 8. First,...

Read more »

Taylor Swift reveals how her letter to Apple came about

Taylor Swift has revealed a little more about how her <a href="http://www.imore.com/taylor-swift-explains-why-1989-wont-be-streaming-apple-music">letter to Apple</a> came about, and the company's reaction to it. In the September cover story for<em>Vanity Fair,</em> Swift talks about how nervous writing the letter made her, how she wrote it in the middle of the night, and what how she shared it with only one person before publishing: her mother.<br/><br/>Swift said she was surprised by Apple's reaction, almost immediately <a href="http://www.imore.com/eddy-cue-says-apple-music-will-pay-artists-streaming-even-during-free-trial">changing course</a> on its terms for compensation during <a href="http://www.imore.com/apple-music">Apple Music's</a> free trial:<br/><br/>From <em><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2015/08/taylor-swift-cover-mario-testino-apple-music">Vanity Fair</a>:</em><br/><blockquote>Apple surprised Swift by almost immediately changing its plan not to compensate artists during the trial period of its new streaming service. Says Swift, "Apple treated me like I was a voice of a creative community that they actually cared about," she says. "And I found it really ironic that the multi-billion-dollar company reacted to criticism with humility, and the start-up with no cash flow reacted to criticism like a corporate machine."</blockquote><br/>The now-famous letter was written in regards to Apple's original plan not to compensate artists for their music during the free trial of Apple Music. Following the company's reversal of that policy, Swift announced that her entire catalog, including her latest album, 1989, would <a href="http://www.imore.com/taylor-swifts-1989-will-come-apple-music-after-all">stream on Apple Music</a>.<br/><br/>You can read the full interview with Swift at the link below.

Taylor Swift reveals how her letter to Apple came about

Taylor Swift has revealed a little more about how her letter to Apple came about, and the company's reaction to it. In the September co...

Read more »