Music

John Legend Calls Out Rappers Who Support Trump During His Joe Biden Rally Performance

Getty Image In recent days, Lil Wayne and Lil Pump have associated themselves with the president. …

While the majority of pop culture figures appear to have thrown their weight behind Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, there are a handful of famous folks who have decided to attach themselves to Donald Trump. Lil Wayne and Lil Pump both associated with the president in recent days, for example, as did 50 Cent, although he quickly had a change of heart. Meanwhile, John Legend performed at a Joe Biden rally yesterday, and although he didn’t name names, he did criticize Trump-supporting rappers.

.@JohnLegend: We'll choose "a country where The President encourages police brutality and cannot bring himself to condemn white supremacists or neo-Nazis, or one where we hold our police accountable and begin to root out the systemic racism in our society." pic.twitter.com/yKfpfSUDCm
— The Hill (@thehill) November 3, 2020

Legend said during a speech:

“Some people see the meanness, the bullying, the selfishness of Donald Trump and they mistake it for strength, a kind of twisted masculinity. Some see his greed and they mistake it for being good at business. Some of your former favorite rappers have been taken in by these lies. I think they even founded a new supergroup, it’s called ‘The Sunken Place.’”

He went on to address Trump’s “Platinum Plan,” and his review wasn’t glowing: “But Trump’s Platinum Plan for Black folks is nothing but fool’s gold, because you can’t bank on a word he says. Ask the students of Trump University. Ask all of the contractors he stiffed. Ask the people his charity was supposed to help before it was shut down for being a fraud. Ask all the Black and brown Americans who are dying from this virus and losing their jobs under his watch. The president isn’t strong: He’s a coward, and his career in business and in government has been failure after failure after failure.”

Check out the full speech above.

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Album Review

Paul Terry, Aptøsrs & Cellarscape unite on bold new album “Alternative Piano Club”

Combining his three artistic alter egos, Paul Terry presents an awe-inspiring new 12-track album, “Alternative Piano Club,” written in collaboration with Aptøsrs and Cellarscape. This is an album-length voyage of music that blends acoustic, rock, and piano-driven cinematic sounds.

Torn between this complex emotional spectrum, all the while the piano remains at its core throughout. Paul Terry opens his “Memento Mori (Chromogenic Phase)” contemplatively, creating a solemn, reflective mood. Cellarscape’s “Three Years Of Roses“ is warmer, whereas Aptøsrs’ “Questionnaires“ is much more textured as a large, sculptural post-rock.

“Dave’s Theme,” written by Paul Terry, musically expands the narrative with a touch of cinematic elevation that aligns well. “We Shape The Clouds” by Cellarscape is fluffy and heart-warming, “Writers Behind The Curtain” is somber, more narrative. We are all together in “A Place We Made,” an honest, intimate, emotionally grounded space.

The project contains vocal warmth and cultural depth in the song “This Is My Home“ by Silas Miami & Lana Crowster. Proceeding in a totally different direction is the stronger emotional clarity of Paul Terry’s acoustic storytelling on “Any Time You Want To Fly” and “No Sleep Has Come.” Cellarscape presents a wide, spacious atmospheric moment in “Cygnus,” while Aptøsrs ends with “Rust Mountain (Monochrome Piano Version),” a simple gem that brings the project full circle.

The mixing of Sam Okell and Adam Noble, the mastering of Alex Wharton and Robin Schmidt have, in many ways, brought their polish to it while still making it feel human. “Alternative Piano Club” is a work entity, where three musical personalities met and talk mind in the same emotional language.

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Artist Spotlight

LAST ALEX! balances precision and pulse on the electrifying track “Plus 1”

LAST ALEX!, a Chicago-based artist and producer, comes out with “Plus 1,” a high-energy release that combines technical prowess with an undeniable melodic instinct.

LAST ALEX! puts both craftsmanship and creativity on display here. The song’s strength lies in its balance, in detailed execution without sacrificing feeling, and in complexity without losing momentum.

LAST ALEX! doesn’t fully lean into the cold technique or loose emotion, but finds the sweet spot where skill and soul meet. This yields a polished, vibrant, and musically confident track.

Connect with LAST ALEX! on Spotify