Culture
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Can Nepotism Bring Us the New Nirvana? I Highly Doubt It.
Nepotism has already squashed some of our 2026 excitement for talented, new bands. It’s time to talk about Villanelle, the grunge world’s latest nepo babies. Villanelle has been making music since 2023. As they have…
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Mikosexual Panic
How Young Miko is Rewriting Urbano’s DNA The rise of Puerto Rican reggaetonera, Young Miko, has triggered a cultural mania so strong and universal that her fans have coined it mikosexual. Effectively, mikosexual was never just…
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The First Annual GrAMPy Awards
Following The Recording Academy’s 2026 televisedGrammys, The Amp staff elected a series of worthy musicians for our very own (very original) award series: the GrAMPys. Nominated are several musicians, bands,…
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Censorship in the 21st Century
Kneecap VS. The U.K. Government In a world where U.K. rap is on the rise, we listeners must not leave Northern Ireland in the dust, specifically Kneecap. Kneecap is an energetic and unapologetic rap trio from…
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When It Was About Music, Not Merchandise
A Guest Opinion Piece With the release of Taylor Swift’s new album this past month, The Life of a Showgirl, Swift seeks to dissociate herself from the lyrical prose of…
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Ain’t In It For My Health: The Zach Top problem
In the two decades (and some change) since Alan Jackson and George Strait cut the now-classic “Murder Down on Music Row”, the world of music discourse has descended into something…
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The Culture Calls Foul
Drake’s Refusal to Play the Game That Made Him Drake steps onto the RAC Arena stage in Perth, Australia, riddled with bullet holes that do not bleed. Here, his wounds…
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Leave Beabadoobee Be
About a month ago, I was stepping out of the Nashville Symphony Schermerhorn when I caught a flicker of a familiar face. Not one I could match to a specific…
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The Rise (But Not Fall) of a Lesbian Summer
Chappell Roan is Redefining Queer Pop. After 18 years of bisexual girlhood, the summer of 2024 has been my gayest yet. In following the internet trends of late, this past…
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Has the Concept Album Died?
Before answering that, you have to know what a concept album is. Essentially, it is an album with tracks that hold greater meaning together than individually, usually revolving around a…
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How Jimmy Buffett Found Authenticity in Escapism
For some time, country music has struggled to balance pageantry and authenticity. Between the rhinestone-clad pop country icons of yesteryear and their jaded outlaw country contemporaries, the struggle between theatrical…
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Hip-Hop’s Dangerous Dance with Death
In the present day rap scene, violence has become a mainstay. However, the community has ended up losing more than what they can gain.. literally. Nipsey Hussle. Takeoff. Pop Smoke.…
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The Genre Problem
When a friend of mine declared they had no interest in rock music, yet couldn’t stop raving about Florence and the Machine, I was taken aback. To me, Florence and…