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Noah John '21

Noah John '21 is a staff writer for the Arts and Living section of the Amherst Student.

With Vaccination Rates Rising, Music Festivals Cash In

With Covid-19 vaccines becoming increasingly available to all Americans and national infection rates on the decline, several large outdoor music festivals are scheduled to return this summer and fall. Most notably, Rolling Loud (Miami), Governors Ball (New York), Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival (Houston) and the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash

"Slime Language 2" Leaves Emerging Rappers in the Lurch

Throughout the late 2010s, Young Thug proved himself as one of this era’s most significant rappers, shaping the genre both sonically and stylistically. While his eccentric delivery and untamed vocal inflections have inspired countless imitators, Thug has also directly promoted several relatively unknown artists by signing them to his

In 2021, The Grammys Remain Woefully Out of Touch with Newer Styles of Rap

The 2014 Grammys featured perhaps the most stacked list of nominees for “Best Rap Album” imaginable. Between Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s instant classics “Take Care” and “good kid m.A.A.d City,” Kanye West’s then polarizing but now widely acclaimed “Yeezus,” and Jay-Z’s impressive “Magna Carta

“The United States vs. Billie Holiday” is a Misguided Portrayal of the Jazz Singer’s Life Story

Before her 25th birthday, jazz singer Billie Holiday had already earned a career’s worth of artistic accomplishments. After overcoming a shockingly turbulent childhood, she broke through with a number of hit recordings alongside legendary artists Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton, toured with the nationally acclaimed Count Basie Orchestra and

Revaluing Cinema in the Age of Streaming Services

In a recent essay for Harper’s Magazine, Martin Scorsese delivered a scathing critique [https://harpers.org/archive/2021/03/il-maestro-federico-fellini-martin-scorsese/] of the movie streaming industry, charging that the rise of streaming has “devalued, sidelined, [and] demeaned” the “art of cinema.” While Scorsese readily admits that he has personally benefited

Spotify to Allow Artists' Enhanced Algorithm Placement in Exchange for Royalties

On Nov. 2, Spotify launched its new “Discovery Mode” program, which will allow artists to receive algorithmic boosts in exchange for reduced royalty payments. The program will affect Spotify’s personalized autoplay and radio feeds, which account for a large portion of new artist discovery on the platform. The program

The Rise of TikTok During the Covid-19 Pandemic

It’s no secret that Covid-19 has had devastating economic consequences for businesses and individuals. However some companies, like Amazon, Zoom, Netflix and several social media platforms, have profited greatly from government imposed quarantines. Yet, in my mind, no business has reaped the benefits of isolation more than TikTok. With