When I was little, I used to get really starstruck. I would freak out at the sight of an artist I liked on stage, and basically have a meltdown if a singer liked my tweet, or even mentioned my city in their latest post. This “wow” factor has dwindled as I’ve grown older, and I’ve experienced more shows, and more interactions. However, this “starstruck” feeling picked right back up when I was given the opportunity to set up an interview with Lizzy McAlpine, one of my favorite artists to date.
five seconds flat is the newly released album by Lizzy; a 14 song masterpiece on heartbreak, experimenting with new sounds for Lizzy, and collaboration with artists like Finneas, Jacob Collier, and more.
The day of the interview, I got ready while listening to the album, set up my laptop, lit a candle to calm some nerves, and entered the Zoom room ready to chat with the amazing singer-songwriter that is Lizzy. The rest is history…
The Rutgers Lady Knights won the AIAW National Championship 83-77 over Texas at The Palestra in Philadelphia in 1982.
On Monday, March 28, WRSU Sports welcomed back former Lady Knights, their coach, and the WRSU members who covered the team for a special four-hour broadcast from our College Avenue Studios. The was held 40 years to the day that the Rutgers women’s basketball team – led by head coach Theresa Grentz – beat Texas to win the 1982 AIAW National Championship.
First up was WRSU’s “From the Archives” documentary – hosted by recent alum Dominick Savino and aired initially in 2017 – which looked back at the game through the eyes of the players, while airing the original WRSU broadcast in its entirety.
Following that, alums Geoff Sadow and Jon Newman hosted a special “Alumni Knightline.” fellow alum Jim Berman – who called the 1982 AIAW title game – as well as coach Theresa Grentz, and star players Mary and Patty Coyle.
Sadow and Newman’s interest in the original project spurred a video documentary, “Forgotten Champions,” which is set to make its premiere this fall. You can find out more by clicking here.
Click below to listen to the special “Alumni Knightline” from March 28, 2022, marking the 40th anniversary of the Rutgers Lady Knights’ AIAW National Championship:
Shehatesjacob is an artist who has consistently impressed me ever since I found his music at the beginning of last year. His versatility is unlike any other underground artist I’ve heard. The New Zealand artist has tackled every style from emo-rap to hyperpop to guitar ballads—even his own spin on drill music—his approach to music isn’t bound by genre at all.I can always count on Jacob to deliver something catchy and emotive, and his new album artificial flowers doesn’t disappoint.
The title track sees him stepping even further out of his comfort zone, experimenting with an angsty indie rock sound and absolutely killing it. The theme of the record starts to take shape here too. He repeats on the hook, “Her love is artificial flowers, she always knows how to get into my head.” All throughout the record he’s fed up with the shallow connections he seems to make with people, and that’s what the idea of artificial flowers is meant to symbolize.
But he doesn’t spend the whole record sulking over failed relationships like you may expect. Songs like “freaky” and “moshpit” are some of the most energetic tracks I’ve ever heard from him. He forgoes his melodic delivery on “freaky” in exchange for some husky-voiced raps over retro-style brass that immediately catches your ear. Then he expands even further on “moshpit,” rapping over steady drums and a Japanese city-pop sample—there’s almost no sound that Jacob won’t try. I always knew he had a strong ear for melodic songs, but these two songs prove he’s got some untapped potential as a rapper too.
I also have to mention “stuck at home,” Jacob’s collaboration with fellow underground artist Lilbubblegxm. It was the album’s lone single: a slick hyperpop song inspired by life during New Zealand’s recent COVID-19 outbreak this past August. The flows are downtrodden and the lyrics are lonely, but the beat is full of lively, digital sounds that make for a perfect dichotomy. It’s the perfect song to soundtrack the virtual existence we’ve all been subject to ever since we went into lockdown.
Listening to this album made it hard for me to believe that Jacob is just starting out as an artist. This is only his 3rd project, but it’s clear he’s got something special. All of these songs are catchy, and he holds his own with every new sound he tries. Be sure to check out artificial flowers by Shehatesjacob below.
With all of this year’s festival announcements coming out, I can’t help but reminisce on my own festival experiences.
Back in September, 2021, I traveled down to Dover, Delaware’s Firefly Music Festival on behalf of WRSU. Headliners like Billie Eilish, The Killers, Tame Impala, and Lizzo brought fans from near and far for a great concert. Unexpected events such as Thursday’s storm delays, getting to meet some incredible artists in the press tent, and being given the opportunity to photograph sets from the pit made Firefly a hectic yet joyful experience. Without proper preparation, Festivals can be a nightmare for attendees – below is my survival guide, as well as why I think you should head to Dover yourself next year. Here is a list of 6 rules to follow when going to Firefly:
1. EAT
Ensuring you are receiving all your nutrients is essential to make it all 4 days. Firefly has everything from fried chicken to authentic burritos that were out of this world. However, Island Noodles, a festival favorite, stole the show with their chicken and vegetable noodles that quickly became a staple for the WRSU crew. It was the perfect combination of protein, carbs, and delicious veggies such as brussels sprouts (my personal favorite) and carrots. When I come back to any east coast festival in the future, I will be looking forward to this savory dish!
Island Noodles at Firefly Festival
2. MAKE NEW FRIENDS
Going into the festival, I was very nervous to see how the environment would be as I did not know what to expect post-pandemic. Turns out that nothing had changed, except for masks and much more hand sanitizer. The media tent was bustling, and definitely had us all grinding on our work. Ourselves and many others spent our days rushing to sets, conducting interviews, downloading photos and simply trying to get as much coverage completed as possible,.. The WRSU crew made some great friends that quickly took us under their wing, showing us the dos and don’ts of how to survive a festival from a media standpoint. Jones, Jackie, and Butch all made the weekend unforgettable and we cannot wait to see them again in the future.
Butch and the Firefly Team
3. SMALLER STAGES ARE A MUST
Smaller artists turned the heads of many and played their hearts out. Artists like Peach Pit, Remi Wolf, and The Happy Fits brought fans, old and new, earlier in the festival days. The Happy Fits, a local New Brunswick band, shook the audience with their charismatic and lighthearted attitude and new spin on Indie Rock with hits like “Too Late” and “Mary” while also performing one of two new songs, “Another Try.” Peach Pit was hands down one of my favorite sets. They brought the energy fans have been anticipating for the past 18 months through Neil Smith (vocals and guitar) crowd surfing and performing a new song – with an upcoming country twist – from their upcoming album.. Lastly, Remi Wolf brought the “stage” down with first performances of hits like “Photo ID”. Dominic Fike surprised Remi fans with a special appearance during her set, making his way through excited fans singing along.
Peach Pit at Firefly Festival
4. ENJOY YOUR FAVORITE BANDS
a. Seeing favorite artists after the 18-month concert drought was truly a needed boost. Headliners like Glass Animals, girl in red, and Sofi Tukker encapsulated audiences with their amazing set designs and glowing personalities. My favorite set of the festival easily became a tie between Sofi Tukker and Cage the Elephant. Cage literally and metaphorically dazzled festival goers with Matt Shultz’s (vocals) disco ball-inspired bodysuit and hits such as“Come a Little Closer”, “Trouble”, and “Mess Around.” I have been a huge follower of Cage the Elephant since childhood so to see how they energetically interacted with the crowd, was one for the books. Sofi Tukker played during sunset at the Main Stage on Sunday, bringing Brazilian inspired beats to the party. We saw them perform shortly after I interviewed them, and they did not disappoint with their first festival performance since the start of the pandemic. During the festival, my heart skipped a beat as Tucker briefly looked down and recognized me post-interview.
Sofi Tukker at Firefly Festival
5. PREPARE FOR WEATHER
Thursday brought an interesting turn of events for the WRSU crew with a storm hitting Dover Thursday afternoon. This caused a 4 hour delay the fest and much confusion on where we could actually enter. Rest assured, we made friends with some festival staff and were able to check out the grounds before the crowds flocked the fields. We ended up meeting friends of artists, striking up conversation quickly, making both more friends and unforgettable memories.
Phoebe Bridgers at Firefly Festival
6. THE WAIT IS WELL WORTH IT
The pandemic has caused a lot of chaos, confusion, and uncertainty for many, but coming back to a festival like Firefly made the rainbow at the end of the storm worth the wait. All the artists that performed brought the energy and vibe that audiences were expecting and more. Making new friends, enjoying new eats, and overall having an experience that exceeded expectations will definitely bring me back to Firefly in the future. I can’t wait until that day comes!
If you haven’t heard of or downloaded TikTok on your phone then you’re probably living under a rock. TikTok has become a new way to discover pop music and is considered the most successful guerilla radio. People with a particular music taste are generally wary of so-called “TikTok” songs. However, I think it’s time to kill that stigma. Why is it so embarrassing to admit that you found a song from TikTok? I have found songs and artists that were generally not even that popular on TikTok. It is providing a resurgence for indie musicians, soundcloud rappers, and acoustic artists.
Some songs that are providing fresh sound to Top 40 are “Meet Me at Our Spot” by The Anxiety. I had heard of The Anxiety and this song prior to it’s notoriety on TikTok but it certainly deserves the attention it has received. This song is a banger. Willow Smith has finally been able to prove her own sound through indie/punk rock music. Take the “who got you smiling like that” challenge for example. The song that plays in that challenge is called “Loverboy” by A-Wall. This artist was basically a nobody before this song blew up and it is fantastic. Its sound is reminiscent of an 80’s song with lyrics that fit “Kill the lights, Oh, Baby, Close your eyes/The way you’re looking at me/You’ve got me mesmerized.” Feels like it belongs in a Molly Ringwald 80s cult classic.
Another song that blew up on TikTok with a slasher underground rock sound was none other than “Freaks” by Surf Curse. This song came out 5 years prior to it’s popular growth on TikTok and prompted a re-release in 2021. TikTok is creating value for indie artists/bands and expanding users’ taste. This is a beautiful thing. While it does seem very lucky and algorithm based, it has provided opportunities for artists like Pinkpantheress, who essentially makes DIY based music that fits an aesthetic (sort of like Clairo’s ‘Pretty Girl’ which blew up via YouTube). It is mind boggling to see the amount of creativity and uniqueness that some artists are receiving recognition for on TikTok.
However, there are artists like Lael,whom many suspect is an industry plant, who tries to use indie artists’ “came from nothing” aesthetic to implore fans to listen to her music. She claims she has no success when in reality her YouTube channel has around 1 million subscribers. Maybe this is not overnight success but it is success. It’s interesting to see the contrast of indie artists who are using every technique they can to put their music and name out there whereas someone like Dixie D’amelio is spoon fed with opportunities. Dixie is not a naturally talented artist but she has the cards laid out for her to be. I personally think she should try different sounds instead of pop (maybe indie rock or alternative or even R&B). She has all this overnight success and is trying to put it into being an artist with relatively no experience. She is pretty courageous for this because she has to flop in front of millions of people instead of most artists who are just starting out with not such great music that probably have fan bases of 50 people or less.
TikTok has also opened a new world of music journalism from MostleyMusic, Dev Lemons (SongPsych), WillTalksMusic, Ari Elkins, and Axel Tanner. These people have been able to make a career out of sharing new music with people, describing the depth of specific song lyrics, the story behind an artist’s music, etc. Many indie artists rely on music journalists for exposure for their own music, most of which comes from playlists and TikToks.
The Kid LAROI showed a great deal of potential with his debut mixtape, F*** LOVE. Juvenile name and amateur singing aside, this Australian Juice WRLD protigé showcased a great ear for melody and some passionate performances. He quickly outdid himself with a deluxe edition called “SAVAGE,”a re-release with seven new tracks of supremely catchy blends of rap, pop and acoustic ballads. But unfortunately, the well has really dried up for LAROI with this third installment in the F*** LOVE series, “Over You.”
If LAROI has improved on anything this go round, it’s his singing and production. Looking back on his first two installments of the F*** LOVE series, there were some vocals LAROI attempted that sounded strained. But LAROI doesn’t sound like he’s straining to hit his notes anymore. He’s ascended to pop-star status and the quality of his singing rose with him.
These are also some of the poppiest beats LAROI has ever touched. From sobering piano balladry on the title track to driving dance-pop on “Stay” to warm RnB samples on “Still Chose You,” LAROI is pushing himself outside of his comfort zone. There’s not a single guitar-based emo-rap beat on this entire project, which is refreshing considering how comfortable he got with that sound on “SAVAGE.”
I was pleasantly surprised to see such a diverse feature list as well. LAROI having guest spots with Machine Gun Kelly, Marshmello and Miley Cyrus in the past made me think he was going to go full pop and forgo his talents as a rapper. But pop stars like Justin Bieber stand side-by-side on this project with Chicago rap veterans like G Herbo and Lil Durk. I didn’t expect to see LAROI palling around with them, but the track they wind up on is great, and one of the most vulnerable moments on the album. Polo G and Stunna Gambino also shined on “Not Sober.” The two reminisce to when they were broke and struggling which fits right in with LAROI’s chorus about drinking just to get away from it all.
So LAROI stepped out of the emo-rap box he was dangerously close to being trapped in—that’s great, but there’s just one problem. The quality of LAROI’s writing has dropped a great deal. His lyrics aren’t the issue, he always wrote from that “immature teenage boy just trying to find his way” perspective ever since he debuted. It was his melodies that hooked me in, but sadly there’s nothing all that catchy on “Over You.”
Take the title track for example. The passion in this song is electrifying—he wails out during the chorus about how hurt he feels by someone and how he’s finally pushing them away. But during the verses, he sings over this slow moving piano ballad with an awkwardly fast flow. It feels like he’s still rapping over a driving guitar beat from the “SAVAGE” days.
This is a problem for almost all of the album. Too often LAROI finds himself over a new instrumental palette, but approaches these beats in the same ways he did on his last two projects. It makes these songs sound clunky, and it’s why this album has barely any catchy elements or replay value for me. “Stay,” “Not Sober,” and “Same Energy” are the only songs where LAROI sounds focused, and they’re the only songs I’d ever think of going back to.
Hopefully the attempts at new styles, more controlled singing, and even greater passion, are a forecast of nothing but good things for LAROI’s future. But, as of right now, it’s clear he’s got some work to do before he perfects a more polished, pop-centric sound. LAROI is headed in the right direction and “Over You” is just a small glimpse of what might be a path to a great career.
Reviewing a posthumous album is never an easy task. With the release of Pop Smoke’s 2nd posthumous album Faith, objectively looking at this piece of work, much different from his original musical plan, becomes a lot harder to do. His leftover material was mismanaged and it makes for an album that’s well crafted, but not well curated. A handful of highlights are drowned out by baffling production choices and mediocre cuts where Pop barely appears, which makes this album so much more disappointing knowing what could’ve been.
Faith does, at the very least, hit the ground running. A quick spoken word piece by Pop’s mom transitions well into “More Time,” a sorrowful, piano-backed ballad. Pop starts the song with an effortless croon calling for his partners to be freed from jail, then explodes into one of his trademark verses with all the threatening lyrics, booming vocals and catchy flows he was known for. While the beat was changed from what Pop originally rapped over, this new production is actually something I can commend Faith on. Many tracks take Pop into a bunch of new directions which sound amazing and surprisingly natural, most of the time.
While Pop Smoke’s team have drastically changed the production from what he wanted, most of these new beats still hit just as hard as anything else Pop would’ve used. “Tell The Vision” combines driving brass with fast drums and children’s choir interludes—this in addition to Pop’s lyrics about finally succeeding make this one of the most anthemic songs on the project. “Manslaughter,” just from the beat alone, is an experience. Steady drums and grand layers of heavenly pitched-up vocals make this song just as much of a banger as it is a tear-jerker. Pop Smoke’s hook and verse are fine and Rick Ross fits in perfectly, but The-Dream’s performance blew me away. The emotion with which he delivers his lyrics truly elevates the song. He sings with such passion in the outro of the song, openly ranting with his thoughts on life after Pop’s death; it’s magnificent.
“Bout A Million ” pairs a stone cold, guitar-backed drill beat with equally heartless verses from Pop and 21 Savage. Both of their deliveries are menacing in the exact opposite way—Pop stomping through your speakers with his rumbling voice while 21 Savage’s unbothered muttering makes his wicked lyrics only more spine-tingling—which makes 21 the perfect feature.
There’s a couple other highlights like “Brush Em” (a throwback from 2018), “Woo Baby,” a buttery-smooth R&B jam with Chris Brown, “What’s Crackin” with Takeoff from Migos (which is essentially a Migos song done by Pop Smoke which goes over well) and a groovy disco track with Dua Lipa called “Demeanor.”
But outside of these songs, the rest of Faith is filled with forgettable tracks. Most of them have questionable guest features simply because Pop was never able to finish the tracks. The album contains some mind-boggling production choices that would make anyone seriously question who was in charge of curating this album. The biggest offender is “Top Shotta,” a long-anticipated fan favorite turned disappointment. People were hyped to hear this song after a snippet of Pop snapping over a threatening beat came out back in January of this year. Fast forward to release day and this song instead has one of the dinkiest tropical island beats I’ve ever heard and 3 guests which bog this song down. “Woo Baby Interlude” is a 29-second acapella and a waste of a hook that was supposed to go to Pop’s friend Fivio Foreign for his song “Tiger.” Fans were clamoring for that song, so why they removed Pop’s hook to use as an interlude is something I’ll never understand.
My biggest issue with this album is that aside from those two songs, most of it is perfectly fine. It’s not Pop’s best material but I’m not going to fault him for that—he’s dead, he can’t fix it. The new beats are mostly great and none of the features gave a bad performance. But what this album needed was better curation—choosing features Pop knew and worked with and changing the album from 20 tracks to maybe 14 at most would’ve been a great place to start. If this were to have happened, Faith could’ve actually achieved the potential it had. But Pop’s camp took the easy way out, threw the whole cutting room floor on the album, and added features to fill in the empty spaces he no longer could, sometimes with no regard to what he originally wanted. A good album shouldn’t leave me with so many questions: why were Pop’s friends kicked off of “Manslaughter,” “Tell The Vision,” and “Top Shotta”; why was the terrible beat on “Top Shotta” approved; why is Dua Lipa the feature on “Demeanor” when Pop originally asked for Bruno Mars? Little things like this add up and make it clear that the priority here was releasing an album that is just passable, not one that does Pop Smoke justice. It would’ve been entirely possible to make a great 2nd posthumous album with what Pop left over. Not enough care was taken to do that though, and Faith suffers immensely as a result.
Professor Art Berke, Associate Director of the Global Sports Business MS Program at Rutgers University, and former Vice President of Communications at Sports Illustrated recently chatted with Ariel Duncan on “WRSU Crew” about his memorable experiences working in sports media, including the Olympic games.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time Olympic medalist in women’s swimming Nancy Hogshead-Makar, J.D., Oly joined the WRSU Crew this week, to talk about her wide and varied career, from representing Team USA to becoming a professor at the Global Sports Business MS Program at Rutgers University. There, she teaches an array of topics from Title IX compliance, equal pay, sexual abuse and transgender inclusion in sport. Nancy discusses her advocacy work to protect girls and women in sport, and empowering Olympic, Paralympic and amateur athletes through established new laws. IN her conversation with Ariel Duncan, she talks specifically about her efforts to champion Team USA Gymnastics as an expert retained on the Larry Nassar case where she was asked to offer insight for the case to the jury. To learn more about Nancy Hogshead-Makar, J.D., Oly, please visit championwomen.org.
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