• Queen Elizabeth and Concerts: The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, One Direction and More

    Fifty years ago on this date, The Beatles debuted its new film, Help!, in London and there was a very big name in the crowd at the debut: Queen Elizabeth II. This constituted arguably the greatest gathering of famous British-folk in the last century, while also demonstrating that the monarch was more than happy to take in popular entertainment along with her constituents (a fan site for the Royal Family notes that she has considerably more "lowbrow" taste than her husband, Prince Philip). If you need more proof of the Queen's enjoyment of popular music, here are some more instances from recent (and not so recent) years.

  • Jay Z/Nas, Tupac / Notorious B.I.G.: The Best Hip-Hop Diss Tracks Ever

    The hottest story in hip-hop for the last week has been Meek Mill's allegations that Drake uses a ghostwriter, and the Toronto rapper turned up the heat by releasing "Charged Up," a perceived diss track aimed at his accuser. Responses to Drake's release have been fairly positive, at least from fans (Mill himself hasn't responded to the track yet) but Drizzy has a while to go in terms of both attitude and wordplay if he wants to land on the list of the greatest diss tracks ever. Here are five examples, from the Nas/Jay Z beef to the Tupac Shakur/Notorious B.I.G. beef that set a high bar for vitriol.

  • 6 Hip-Hop Song Sans Verses for AC: Tupac, Eminem, Kanye West and More

    Has your mother ever commented how much she enjoys the chorus to "See You Again" or "Monster," but that she really wishes Wiz Khalifa and Eminem (respectively) hadn't "ruined" the song with their raps? She's not the first. This week we found out that a revised version of the former song, featuring only Charlie Puth's hook, as well as new melodic verses in place of Khalifa's bars, has been on the rise at Adult Contemporary radio...occasionally known as "Adult Conservative." The only thing less likely to end up on AC than hip-hop is heavy metal, but as rappers frequently find themselves invited to guest on pop singles (such as Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" featuring Kendrick Lamar), labels sometimes edit the "offending" portion out, resulting in a safer, frequently less exciting product.

  • 5 Best Twitter Beefs of 2015: One Direction, Iggy Azalea, Taylor Swift and More

    Twitter hasn't been short on beefs for 2015, but this week has blown up the social media service as Meek Mill has called out Drake for allegedly using a ghostwriter, and Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift have gone back and forth about VMA nominations and body shape. They weren't the first musicians to stir things up with 140 characters (or several salvos of 140 characters) this year. Here are five other digital battles that have gone down during 2015 thus far, including One Direction, Iggy Azalea and...believe it or not... not Azealia Banks (we take her tweets for granted anymore).

  • 60 Years of Mouseketeers: Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Miley and More

    Today marks an important anniversary for the most epic day in Disney history: Walt opened the gates of Disneyland to the world, and introduced the Mouseketeers to the world. The preteen performers might seem like a gimmick now, but the lengths at which the Disney company went to recruit talented youngsters has paid off over the years. Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake (and of course Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff and other stars who would go on to fame with other Disney programs and outside careers) are among the biggest names, but some other big names have had their Mouseketeer career forgotten in light of their other achievements. Here are five of the other stars you may not have realized were in Mickey's minor league system.

  • 8 Songs More Popular Live: Bruce Springsteen, U2, Bob Marley and More

    Bob Marley and The Wailers played a concert at Lyceum Theater on this date 40 years ago, which included the iconic version of the song "No Woman No Cry" that more fans are now familiar with, thanks to its inclusion on 'Legend.' The song had appeared on the equally iconic album 'Natty Dread' during 1974, but its inclusion ten years later on the posthumous compilation propelled it to new heights, earning a ranking as the no. 37 song of all time by Rolling Stone. It's not the only song that has gathered even more fame as a live cut. Here are seven other iconic numbers that still receive more play in their live forms, from Bruce Springsteen, U2, Eric Clapton and more.

  • 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 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.
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