Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Hey Ho, Let's Go!: The CBGB Festival

Blame It on Magritte

The artist's entertaining perversity veils his broad influence

UPDATED: Banksy Unveils New Work in New York, Promising Month-Long "Residency"

Update: We found it! Location and photo at the end of the post. About two weeks ago, the elusive graffiti artist Banksy got the Internet whirring when he tore down his multipage website and left just a single black-and-white image of a previously unseen stenciled work and an apparent announcement o ... More >>

Jenny Hval's Songs About Sex Are Embarrassing, and That's the Point

"Some people are cool and collected. I'm cool and embarrassed," says Norwegian singer/songwriter Jenny Hval, referring to her notoriously explicit lyrics. "The key is to write something that will never stop being embarrassing." Cases in point: The opening line of her 2011 full-length debut, Viscera, ... More >>

New York City Opera To Declare Bankruptcy If It Can't Raise $7 Million By The End Of Day

Calling all deep-pocketed arts patrons--now is your moment to swoop in and save City Opera from certain death. With just 15 hours left to go, New York City Opera's Kickstarter campaign has raised just $285,590--about a quarter of the $1 million needed to finish out its current season. City Opera ... More >>

Ad-Rock Hated "Faggots" and Other Beastie Boys Revelations Gleaned From Our Archives

Since October of 1955, when Norman Mailer and co. founded The Village Voice as a weekly paper for bros of the leftist pinko persuasion, we've done our dutiful best to preserve every word ever printed in our pages, tucking them away in our vast archival editorial library (pictured above). This summer ... More >>

Rapt.fm: Like Chatroulette Fueled by Hip-Hop, With Significantly Fewer Dicks

Souls Of Mischief Reminisce as From '93 to Infinity Turns 20

It's been 20 years since Tajai introduced his counterparts Phesto, A Plus, and Opio (aka The Souls Of Mischief) one by one over the intro to "From 93 Till Infinity." Obviously, a lot of has changed since the days when Opio had dreads and Phesto was sporting that crisp Athletics' Starter jersey. But ... More >>

Metallica - Apollo Theater - 9/21/13

Better Than: Megadeth. It was anything but amateur night at the Apollo Theater Saturday night as Metallica, unarguably the world's preeminent metal band, raged through a two hour-plus private concert on the hallowed Harlem stage. About 1,500 SiriusXM listeners were the fortunate audience members, ... More >>

New York City Ballet Releases Tribute Performance to 9/11 on YouTube [VIDEO]

On the morning of September 12, the New York City Ballet released a gorgeous video of two of its dancers performing on the 57th floor of Four World Trade Center, against the backdrop of the nearly complete Freedom Tower. Performing an excerpt of Christopher Wheeldon's "After the Rain" pas de deux, M ... More >>

Record Labels Aren't Dying, They're Thriving

Back in 2006, Jeremy Earl was pretty much an average Brooklyn 20-something. He'd moved here straight for college, and was spending his time sharing a house with four other people, working at records stores, cafes, and sometimes places that were both (like Cake Shop on Ludlow Street). He was in band, ... More >>

I Pissed Off Megadeth, My (Former) Favorite Band

When I began interviewing bands eight years ago, my ultimate goal was to interview one person: Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, my favorite band since I was thirteen years old. Sitting in front of my parents' computer and ruining my ears through a pair of oversize headphones, I listened and loved Mustai ... More >>

FLAG'S Chuck Dukowski Pretty Much Confirms Greg Ginn Is a Total Douchebag

A total fucking godhead of bass guitar shred, Black Flag's Chuck Dukowski annihilated the four-string on massively iconic records like Damaged while penning a chunk of BF's most iconic tunes ("My War," "I Love You"). Dukowski, along with guitarist Greg Ginn, Joe Carducci and his BF mates at the helm ... More >>

RaptFM: Like Chatroulette, But Fueled by Hip-Hop and with Significantly Fewer Dicks

You enter the room and they're already there. Some of the names you recognize: Randa the Rhyma (45 wins), Gig@ntic (48 wins), and Novice Raps (53 wins). You've checked the boards obsessively, but you've only ever been here before anonymously, as a guest. This is your first appearance in competition. ... More >>

Why Big Sean's Song "MILF" Isn't Funny

Big Sean casually throws a skit in the middle of his sophomore album, Hall of Fame. It's called "Freaky" and borrows a portion of "The Sensuous Black Woman Meets the Sensuous Black Man"--an 18 minute audio Kama Sutra of sorts. Following the skit, Big Sean gives us a track called "MILF." We all know ... More >>

I Won an Evangelical Christian Rap Battle

These days I enjoy making a living writing and teaching music, but at one point not too long ago my primary source of income was battle rapping. Yes, entering tournaments and spontaneously rhyming insulting someone over a beat was how I earned a living for a number of years. Tonight, September 16th, ... More >>

Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes: "I'm Not Familiar with Anybody Else Doing a Record Like This"

It began during Grammy Week. The members of Gov't Mule had convened in L.A. to see one of their own, frontman Warren Haynes, accept a Lifetime Achievement Award for his other band, the Allman Brothers. And while everyone was in town, they decided to jam out some new helpings of their signature brand ... More >>

Bill de Blasio Responds to Jon Stewart's Adoption Plea: "We'd Be Honored"

When the election night broadcast cut to Bill de Blasio's victory party late Tuesday, some watching from home had the chance to see what could very well be the next first family of New York City in action for the first time. Daily Show host Jon Stewart, for one, was smitten.

Dissecting the Religiously Charged Subtext of Eminem's "Berzerk" Video

The thin veil between life and death was ripped apart earlier this week with the release of Eminem's music video for "Berzerk." The highly anticipated visual debut for the first single from Marshall Mathers LP 2 (to be released November 5th) features old-school graphics, Detroit, and a pixilated "So ... More >>

With Black Panties R. Kelly's on Some Da Vinci Code/Beautiful Mind Type Shit

In spite of the massive contributions he has made to video art, children's entertainment, and inventing the modern remix, "R. Kelly" is still a soiled name. Ever since his erratic behavior and outsized personality pushed his raw talent to the side, he has been regarded by many as more of a caricatur ... More >>

Blink-182 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - 9/11/13

Better Than: Everything. It started like a movie. The lights dim and rise up again. Excited cheers stifled by a few excited gasps. Half a second goes by and... "I'VE GOT NO REGRET RIGHT NOW." The nasal boom comes from deep within guitarist Tom DeLonge's throat, and with a ferocity that's unmatch ... More >>

Lens Crafted: MOMA Focuses on Walker Evans

ALL APOLOGIES

Deer Tick does Nirvana

Willie Nelson

The 10 Best Concerts in New York This Week, 9/9/13

For more shows throughout the week, check out our New York Concert Calendar, which is updated daily.

Cos and Effect: The Bill Cosby Hip-Hop Samples

This Saturday, September 7th at the Westchester County Center, comedy legend Bill Cosby will be performing his time-tested classic brand of stand-up. From the stage to the television to on record, The Cos has touched several generations with his many comedic gifts. His impact is clear even on the hi ... More >>

David Thorpe Is Not Kid Rock's Personal Bartender, and That Is a Travesty

Some time ago Voice writer David Thorpe learned Jim Beam was putting on a contest which would give fans of Kid Rock the opportunity to be Rock's personal bartender during his slow moving STD delivery system across the states Rebel Soul tour. Thorpe, a GIANT Kid Rock fan if there ever was one, entere ... More >>

Exclusive Premiere: YC The Cynic Drops a Video For "The Heaviest Cross"

YC The Cynic released his excellent GNK album last week, and now we're proud to premiere the video to the storming "The Heaviest Cross." It's a track the Bronx-based rapper calls "one of the more introspective records on the album," and he describes visuals as "kinda like different rooms in this wei ... More >>

Blink-182

Theater Fall Picks 2013

Brian D'Arcy James

Kendrick Lamar

Feeling Nostalgic For Madden NFL's Delightfully Clunky Hip-Hop Moments

Madden 25 comes out today, and you'd think it would have everything a dork who likes playing pretend football could want. The game's received positive reviews. There are new bells and whistles to try out. (Okay, basically, it has updated rosters.) And there's the opportunity to play online and lose ... More >>

In Defense of the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards

This Sunday is the 30th MTV Video Music Awards. The show's come a long way from the days of Bette Midler and basic-cable bedlam--it's one of the most influential award shows on television. Youth driven channel that it is, MTV itself seldom looks back at yesterday in favor of focusing on the future, ... More >>

Afropunk Started With a Documentary. Ten Years, Two Websites, and Eight Festivals Later...

It's only Monday, but shit has already hit the fan at Afropunk HQ. A second wave of performers was supposed to be announced on the festival's website on Wednesday, but this morning one miscommunication led to another, and now they've accidentally been posted two days early. Twin Shadow is one of the ... More >>

Why Macklemore's "Same Love" Isn't Very Helpful

Macklemore has good intentions in his hit song "Same Love." They are intentions I won't bother rehashing or defending because you've heard the song blasted in every store, car, bus, boutique, and street-corner you've stood on for the past couple months--but they are also intentions that do not trans ... More >>

Leo Genovese

The Sword's John Cronise: Metal Fans Deserve Better Than the New Black Sabbath Album

By Darryl Smyers Formed in Austin nearly a decade ago, The Sword is one of the heaviest bands to emerge from that scene. Full of monstrous guitar riffs and typically bombastic sci-fi themes, the four Sword albums are intense, thought-provoking and filled with good humor. The band's most recent effo ... More >>

Travi$ Scott and A$AP Ferg Rap on Top of Mike Dean's Piano for 'Boiler Room Live'

Better Than: Watching rappers perform at ground level. Hip-hop doesn't usually do small, intimate "living room performances," but maybe that's because rappers haven't found the right living room. Last night, Travi$ Scott and A$AP Ferg took over producer Mike Dean's SoHo penthouse loft for the late ... More >>

Uncommon NASA Is the Rod Sterling of Underground Hip-Hop

Uncommon NASA is an MC, Label President, producer, engineer, and has worn pretty much every hat there is to wear in underground hip-hop over the past 15 years. In that time he's also been a pretty important part of some of the genre's classics including mixing Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein and El-P's ... More >>

The 10 Best Conerts in New York This Weekend, 8/9/13

For more shows throughout the weekend, check out our New York Concert Calendar, which is updated daily.

Stalley's DJ Quik Produced Honest Cowboy Hits the Internet

Cameron Giles is not the only rapper who used to get it in Ohio. Stalley, the Blue Collar Gang founder and Maybach Music Group member still puts on for the Double O despite having lived in New York for years now. Well, that's not entirely true. A more accurate way of putting it would be that he sti ... More >>

Jimmy Eat World - Central Park Summerstage - 8/7/13

Better Than: Only screaming along to tracks from Bleed American in the comfort of your parents' car. Andrew McMahon once sang "it's to Jimmy Eat World and those nights in my car" in the eight minute epic titled "Konstantine" that would become his band Something Corporate's most important and defin ... More >>

The Graying of Hip-Hop

What happens to the youth-obsessed genre when its greats reach retirement?

Megadeth

Meg Myers

Maroon 5+Kelly Clarkson

Daughn Gibson

The Top 10 Beyonce Collaborations

In the sports entertainment universe, wrestler Rob Van Dam is "the whole damn show." In the fictional sphere of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, ascending to international tennis is "making the show"; in the real world, that's what aspiring baseballers think of as earning a spot on a MLB team. ... More >>

THE OUTSIDERS

Solaris gets a 
marathon reading