• Kurt Cobain, The Beatles and Michael Jackson: Bad Musician Statues

    A humorous petition has suggested that Outkast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi be carved into Georgia's historic Stone Mountain, a monument near Atlanta that's drawn controversy for its homage to the Confederacy in the form of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in Mt. Rushmore-style. Our official stance at Music Times is that the ATLiens riding in a Cadillac on the side of the mountain wouldn't hurt. And, even if it does border on the absurd, it wouldn't be the worst statue of a musician to be erected. Alas, The Beatles, Kurt Cobain and Michael Jackson (especially Michael Jackson) have been subjected to attempted memorials that fall way short of tastefulness.

  • 5 Iranian Music Stars To See Sans-Sanctions: Googoosh, Masoud, Yas and More

    It's a great or terrible day, depending on who you ask, as the United States and a number of nations have come to an agreement with Iran to keep an eye on the latter's nuclear program while lifting sanctions that have been in place since 1979. Granted, this isn't exactly going to make us best-buddies. There are plenty in the Shia superpower who still see America as an evil empire, so we can't say we'll be first in line to go on vacation in Iran. That said, many Americans need to realize that culture in the country isn't as backward as many would have you believe. This isn't al-Qaeda operatives living in caves...Iranian culture is vibrant and quite healthy 'n' wealthy. Accordingly, they've got a pop music scene on par with many non-Western nations. Here are five stars, still residing in Iran, that hopefully you'll be able to see soon enough (should you choose).

  • 7 Musicians in Playboy: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Azealia Banks and More

    Thirty years ago, pop fans-but mostly guys interested in the female form-received the most recent issue of Playboy, which featured superstar Madonna on the cover. Looking back, it doesn't seem all too surprising that perhaps the biggest female performer in history stripped down for the men's magazine...after all, she released a whole book of risqué content with Sex during 1992. But for the most part, Playboy has been an arena more enticing to film and television actresses, as well as other recognizable characters. Musicians have been more rare, but they drop in from time-to-time.

  • Best Songs of 2015 (So Far): Kanye West, Leon Bridges, A$AP Rocky and More

    Six months down and six months to go: Music Times just can't wait until the end of 2015 to release its list of the best songs released this year, so we're giving you a free preview with our midyear favorites. We left no stone unturned, considering music from the East Coast (A$AP Rocky), West Coast (Kendrick Lamar) and the Central Coast (Kanye West)...rock both electric and acoustic...fashions from miniskirts (Braids) to Mexican Lucha Libre masks (The Mountain Goats).

  • Best Albums of 2015 (So Far): Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine and More

    Six months down and six months to go: Music Times just can't wait until the end of 2015 to release its list of the best albums released this year, so we're giving you a free preview with our midyear favorites. From the highly anticipated returns of Kendrick Lamar and Florence + The Machine, to the first album in four years from a beloved band (My Morning Jacket) to the first album in 10 years from a beloved band (Sleater-Kinney), we had a plenty to sift through and sort out.

  • Neil Young Cracks Top 40 for 40th Time: Top 7 Highest-Charting Albums

    This week marked an interesting accomplishment for Neil Young, who debuted an album in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 for the 40th time with The Monsanto Years, which opened at no. 21. Many of the reviews for Monsanto have been mixed—either as a question of its musical content or because of Young's politics, which tackles numerous companies including the titular Monsanto and Starbucks. Regardless of what you think about Young's politics, and even if you dislike his style personally, you've got to hand it to him for having cracked the Top 40 on the albums chart 40 times. Music Times isn't going to run through all 40 of those entries, but we'll give you a quick rundown of the seven highest-charting albums in Young's catalogue. You may be surprised at some that did...and didn't...make the cut.

  • 50 Years of Rolling Stones No. 1s: "Satisfaction," "Paint It Black" and More

    Many a joke has been passed about the age of the Rolling Stones...and maybe this fact confirms it: It's been more than 50 years since the band released its first American no. 1 single, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from July 10, 1965. It wasn't the "big breakthrough" that the band needed in the United States, but it certainly got the ball rolling faster, ensuring the group's status as one of the biggest bands in music history. The Stones released seven other no. 1 singles over the next 50 years, and you can check them out below.

  • Jack White's 6 Best Guitar Tracks: 'Seven Nation Army' and...What Else?

    Yesterday marked the 40th birthday of Jack White, perhaps the most influential individual in the modern rock market. We've been following him since he burst onto the scene with The White Stripes, the self-titled debut album of his most popular band, and he hasn't lost a step in the last 14 years and numerous bands and solo projects. It may be too bold a statement to label him as the greatest symbol of rock music in the 21st Century, but we have no problem labeling him as the most important guitarist of the last 15 years. It's tough to find a song from White's catalogue where his six-string doesn't command attention, but Music Times reached in to choose just six of our favorite guitar cuts.

  • The 6 RIAA Diamond Singles: Eminem, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and More

    "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons joined an elite company today, becoming only the sixth song in history to attain diamond status from the Recording Industry Association of America, meaning that it's moved the equivalent of 10 million units in sales, or 10-times platinum status. Wondering what the other five are? So were we, so we looked up the five hits and ranked them from least sales to most...but when you're talking about diamond status...there's really no such thing as "least sales." You may be surprised at how new most of these songs are.

  • 7 Longest Hip-Hop Streaks At No. 1: Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas, Wiz Khalifa

    Yesterday we learned that Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth had matched hip-hop history by topping the Hot 100 for a 12th week with "See You Again," the pair's smash from the Furious 7 soundtrack. The genre has come a long way since Blondie landed the first rap atop the Hot 100 during 1980 (yeah, Blondie) but still: Only seven hip-hop songs have managed to spend at least 10 weeks on top of arguably the biggest chart in music. Join us as we count up from fewest weeks to most weeks at no. 1, and check back next Wednesday to see if Khalifa and co. manage to take history a step further.
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