pop culture
Modern, popular, and iconic pop culture moments in music. From current events, to trending topics and more.
A Win Before the Win: Why This iHeartRadio Nomination Matters for Zeddy Will and Hip Hop Culture by NWO Sparrow
Validation Over Virality Zeddy Will Performing Live December 2024 I've covered hip hop culture long enough to know that the word new rarely means what it used to. In 2026, being labeled a newcomer often means surviving multiple cycles in public before anyone in power takes you seriously. That is why this year’s iHeartRadio nomination for Best New Artist Hip Hop Zeddy Will feels bigger than a single awards moment. It feels like confirmation. When the announcement landed, I did not read it as a breakthrough. I read it as validation for Zeddy. In an era where viral success can burn fast and disappear just as quickly, recognition from a mainstream institution is rarely guaranteed. Plenty of artists dominate feeds, charts, and timelines only to be shut out when award season arrives. That history is what makes his nomination matter.
By NWO SPARROW2 days ago in Beat
Rice Purity Test: How a College Checklist Turned Into an Internet Ritual. AI-Generated.
The Rice Purity Test doesn’t look impressive at first. There’s no design trick. No clever scoring system. No promise to reveal a hidden personality type. Just a long list of statements and a number at the end.
By Enzo Marcelli3 days ago in Beat
MTV and the Lost Feeling of Watching Music Together as One
Before playlists became private and screens became personal, MTV was a shared experience. You did not choose the song. The song chose you. MTV played in living rooms, bedrooms, and small shops, turning ordinary spaces into places of discovery. It shaped how people listened, dressed, spoke, and dreamed. This was not just about music videos. It was about belonging to a moment bigger than yourself. When people talk about MTV today, they are often talking about a feeling that is hard to name. A mix of excitement, waiting, and surprise. This article explores how MTV changed music culture, youth identity, and shared attention, and why its absence still feels strangely personal.
By Muqadas khan9 days ago in Beat
The Quiet That Follows the Applause
I didn’t cry at the end of Better Call Saul. I cried three days later, while washing dishes. The water was hot, the sponge worn thin, and suddenly—without warning—I saw Kim Wexler’s hands again. Not in the courtroom. Not in the finale. But in that tiny Albuquerque office, adjusting the blinds just so, trying to control one small thing in a world spinning out of her grasp.
By KAMRAN AHMAD9 days ago in Beat
The Song That Brought Him Back
After my mother passed, grief settled into our home like winter fog—thick, gray, and impossible to ignore. He stopped whistling while fixing the sink. Stopped tapping his boot to the oldies station. Even his laugh, once so loud it startled the dogs, vanished into a silence so heavy it filled every room. For two years, he moved through life like a man walking in someone else’s shoes. So when he said, voice barely above a whisper, “Let’s go south for New Year’s,” I didn’t ask why. I just booked the tickets.
By KAMRAN AHMAD10 days ago in Beat
Tyla’s Chart-Topping Rise
Introduction When South African singer Tyla released her self-titled debut album in late 2023, few predicted it would ignite a global movement. But by 2025, her name was everywhere: on Billboard charts, Grammy stages, and playlists from Lagos to Los Angeles. Fueled by her breakout hit “Water”—a seductive fusion of amapiano, R&B, and pop—Tyla didn’t just enter the global music scene; she reshaped it.
By KAMRAN AHMAD11 days ago in Beat
Grooves That Never Fade: The Essential Bands of 70s Funk, Soul & R&B
I am a crazy music freak. At the peak of my vinyl obsession, I owned somewhere around 15,000 to 20,000 albums and 10,000 to 13,000 singles (45s). That was a mountain of music. Later came CDs, and I ended up with another mountain — around 12,000 to 14,000.
By Rick Henry Christopher 11 days ago in Beat
Richard Smallwood
Introduction In recent months, false rumors have spread online with alarming speed: searches like “gospel singer Richard Smallwood died”, “Richard Smallwood passed away”, and “Richard Smallwood cause of death” have surged—despite having no basis in truth.
By KAMRAN AHMAD11 days ago in Beat
NewJeans and the Quiet Power of Growing Up in Public Eyes
There is something tender about watching youth unfold in real time. Not the loud kind of youth, but the kind that moves softly and leaves a feeling behind. NewJeans arrived without noise or grand promises, yet they stayed. They felt familiar before they felt famous. Their music did not shout for attention. It lingered, like a memory you were not ready to name.
By Muqadas khan13 days ago in Beat
Perry Bamonte and the Quiet Weight of Being Part of a Legend
Some artists live under bright lights, while others work in softer shadows, shaping moments that last longer than applause. Perry Bamonte belongs to the second kind. His name is closely tied to one of the most emotionally influential bands in modern music, yet his story is rarely told in full. He is not defined by noise, controversy, or constant attention. Instead, his journey speaks through restraint, loyalty, and creative patience. This article explores Perry Bamonte not as a headline, but as a human being shaped by music, timing, and choice. If you have ever felt important work happening quietly in the background of something bigger, his story may feel unexpectedly familiar.
By Muqadas khan15 days ago in Beat
