Music, wrestling and whatever else. But mostly music and wrestling.
Created in March, 2013, Rags Music was started as a place where I could write freely about music I enjoy, regardless of genre or popularity. I love music and want people to know about the music I love, it was really that simple. In over 10 years, I’ve been brought closer to my local music community, met and talked to a variety of artists from all walks of life.
If you are a musician/artist/wrestler and would like to be featured on Rags Music, know some music/art/wrestling I should be checking out or have an event you’d like listed on the RagsList email me or find me and let’s talk.
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Twitter: @MusicRags
Ghana's only, Ghana's finest, Blitz the Ambassador is set to release his highly-anticipated Afropolitan Dreams and with that in mind I take a look back at what this Afro-Hip-Hop titan has meant to me in the short time I've known about him, in hopes that the ears and hearts of others will take notice. The world would be a better place if everyone rocked out with Blitz.
Read More"No one really does packaging like this anymore because no one even buys records anymore. Well, maybe if the records were packaged a little better, people would buy them. When I was a kid, buying records, it was as much about the album cover. I didn't hear Led Zeppelin on the radio, I just thought the album covers looked really cool and I just wanted to know what it sounded like. And it turned out to be Led Zeppelin." -Patterson Hood
I've seen some amazing pieces of art. I've seen Michaelangelo's Creation of Adam. I've seen Picasso's Guernica. I've even seen Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. I can't say I felt anything worth mentioning when I gazed upon any of them.
Read MoreFor years Krafty Kuts represented the great divide between one of my greatest friends and I. He had stolen my friend from the comfortable groove of the classic hip-hop and reggae that formed much of the basis for our friendship and dragged him into (What I perceived to be) the cold, ruthless clutches of electronic music. All I heard about was how great Krafty Kuts was. He stood at the gates of my aural Mordor, along with Stanton Warriors, as the guards to some terrifying hellscape, waiting to pierce me in the ears and take away my great love in life if I dared to venture too close. Also, the guy goes by Krafty Kuts. Read that three times. Think about it and realize what an easy target that is to make fun of. It's nearly impossible to discuss something you're afraid of with such a ridiculous name and not bring attention to it.
(Mixes, tracks and photos abound within.)
Read MoreTwo nights before Barrack Obama's second Presidential election in Nov. 2012, I tracked down political activist, songwriter, public speaker, Coup frontman and all around bad muthafucka Boots Riley to talk about the latest Coup record, the instant classic Sorry To Bother You, the live Coup experience vs. the records and the impact of social media on political activism. It was the second time I've interviewed Riley and he remains one of the best, most open interviews I've ever done. If you're not fucking with the Coup you're fucking up. Mad respect to Boots, one of the most important brothers working in the game today. Great talk. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed having it.
Read MoreCanadian hip-hop is in the middle of a revolution. The sound coming out of the Great White North is literate, fluid and thumping. It is the sound of a generation that grew up on the pure, uncut goods from down South and decided to tread a path all its own but laden with respect for the tradition of not just hip-hop music but hip-hop culture as a whole. Few acts out there are going as strong as Grand Analog. It was awhile between records, but Modern Thunder was worth the wait. A few months ago I got ahold of Odario while he was doing some recording in Toronto to talk about what makes Canadian hip-hop unique, the greatness of Saukrates and how Catalyst makes him laugh. Much respect to one of the protectors of Canadian Hip-Hop culture, Odario Williams.
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