The Top 20 NYC Rap Albums of All Time: 10 - 1

Categories: Lists

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Any list of the Greatest New York Rap Albums of All Time is, essentially, a list of simply the Greatest Rap Albums of All Time. The genre was invented here, after all, and over the years -- from early days to Golden Age and onward-- the city's hip-hop history has been an embarrassment of riches. Fashioning this list, then, was no easy task, and though some of the albums on it are of the "DUH" variety, a couple may surprise you. Here now, our list of the Top 20 NYC Rap Albums of All Time, 10 - 1.

See also: The Top 20 NYC Rap Albums of All Time: 20 - 11

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The Top 20 NYC Rap Albums of All Time: 20 - 11

Categories: Lists

beastieboyscropped.jpg
Any list of the Greatest New York Rap Albums of All Time is, essentially, a list of simply the Greatest Rap Albums of All Time. The genre was invented here, after all, and over the years -- from early days to Golden Age and onward-- the city's hip-hop history has been an embarrassment of riches. Fashioning this list, then, was no easy task, and though some of the albums on it are of the "DUH" variety, a couple may surprise you. Here now, our list of the Top 20 NYC Rap Albums of All Time, 20 - 11.

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Ultra 2013: Top Seven Fashion Statements, From Bras as Shirts to Sexist Tees

Categories: Lists

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Photo by George Martinez

With the rise of the ubiquitous Internet, street fashion trends rolled in, heavy and dark like a storm cloud, over the style world. Instead of dressing sorta like supermodels on the catwalk, we had to start wearing exactly whatever some fashion editor in Italy was sporting.

There's something so liberating about going to an event like Ultra Music Festival. Certainly, each year, some looks are more "in" and some are more "out," but there is a lax unity, an agreement, that you can get away with wearing whatever you want. You don't have to fake looking like Alexa Chung, you can kandi or bro, or you can just you.

Even so, there are things that uniformly trended this year at Ultra. And we took note of the top seven fashion statements of 2013.

See also: Top 13 Hardcore Ravers at Ultra 2013 in Animated GIF!


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The 20 Best Arena Rock Songs of All Time

Categories: Lists

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Ex-Foreigner singer Lou Gramm has survived a lot -- a rare brain tumor, all the usual rock 'n' roll excesses, a feud with ex-bandmate Mick Jones, his old band continuing to tour with a karaoke singer that's replaced him -- and lives to play another day. And that day is today, when the 62-year-old drops by City Winery [8 p.m./$55-$65] with his band to play solo tunes and a healthy batch of Foreigner hits. To mark the occasion, here's a list of the 20 all-time best arena-rock songs: A slippery genre term, sure, but we're talking the big, anthemic classic rock that always worked best in a hockey rink with giant speakers, Jumbotrons and 20,000 drunk, stoned fans, and like pornography, you know it when you see, er, hear it (hint: Foreigner's on the list).

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The 10 Douchiest Drummers of All Time

Categories: Lists

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By Nate Jackson

What would music be without a beat, a rhythm or a backbone? Though they qualify as the first instruments ever created, the drums are probably the last thing most music fans can live without. And while we worship plenty of drummers in modern music, there are some Gods of Thunder who might actually deserve to be struck by lightning. It's only natural that having the biggest instrument in the band will lead to some smug attitudes, inflated egos and dumbass behavior. But when it comes to narrowing down the douchiest drummers of all time, there's a handful of them that definitely stick out. Here is our list of the 10 Douchiest Drummers of All Time.

See also: Top 10 Douchiest Guitarists of All Time

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How To Do SXSW Like A Grizzled Old Man

Categories: Lists, SXSW

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SXSW is in full-swing this week down in Austin, and that means a constant blast of updates in your news feed from your friends and colleagues maxing out their annual diarrhea expense accounts. Many publications are eager to tell you the best ways to enjoy your time at the festival. All of those people are lying to you. Here's some advice on how to do SXSW like a grizzled old man.

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Ten Unlikely Musicians Whose Best Songs Are Slow Jams

Categories: Dan Weiss, Lists

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James Murphy: Open Your Heart To Him
Over time, rock and roll lost touch with its "Love Me Tender" and "Peggy Sue" beginnings and became kind of a closet Quiet Storm listener sometime around the time Ozzy Osbourne entered the collective consciousness. Except even hair metal was dominated by lighter-wavers. Basically, no one can resist ballads, no matter how hard they try, and here are ten acts few would've predicted made their best work when succumbing to the call of the slow jam.

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The Six Coolest Members of Otherwise Uncool Bands

Categories: Lists

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Scott Russell
Obviously, the dude in the middle, wearing the sleeveless leopard print shirt, is too cool for this band.
By Ryan Wasoba

Bands are collections of people. In any such group, some people will be cooler than others. Even in an uncool rock band, there will be cool people. Here are the six coolest members of uncool bands. Cool? Cool.

See also: Top 10 Douchiest Guitarists of All Time

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The Top 15 Things That Annoy the Crap Out of Your Local Sound Guy

Categories: Lists

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Doug Siebum
By Nate Jackson

Imagine for a moment that your job's sole requirement was to make live bands sound great every night. Pretty awesome right? Late nights, live music, and an endless supply of nightlife encapsulate a typical day at the office. Then after actually doing it for a few minutes you start to realize something: being a sound guy, even a good one, is typically the most thankless job in the entertainment industry. Just ask Doug Siebum. Honing his craft since 2001, the aural engineer has done sound for some pretty big names, including Katy Perry and Coachella, but he still makes his bread and butter at local clubs. And for every night when things run like a dream, there's a night when he probably wishes he could strangle a band with their own ill-functioning guitar cables.

See also: Top 10 Douchiest Guitarists of All Time

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Five Rappers Fans Love That Critics Can't Stand

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Mac Miller

By Marcus Arman

Not all rappers need critical adoration to achieve commercial success. Some use negative reviews as motivation, others dismiss them as hate, and a few of them probably don't know what constitutes a review. But it's commendable anytime an artist reaches some level of success. In fact, some of the most popular artists of past and current generations have been critical dwarves. Consider this an ode to the artists who are often the butt of rap-snob jokes. Here's our list of the top five critic-proof rappers.

See also: Action Bronson on Mac Miller, Oxtail, and Why You Won't Ever See Him Wearing A Skirt


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