Mainstage

Kendrick Lamar’s Microphone was Shut Down at Austin City Limits for Exceeding Time Limit

Recently, Kendrick Lamar discovered that even headline performers are not exempt from festival curfews. He was the last performer on a Friday night at Austin City Limits and was told about a curfew set for 10pm. A video shared by a fan at 10:02pm displayed Lamar continuing his performance, informing the audience, “They’re going to have to turn off my microphone because we’re not finished.” At 10:18pm, the festival officials did exactly that. Lamar responded with grace, bowing and sending the audience kisses before he left the stage a few minutes later.

Austin City Limits is one of Texas’s largest music festivals, featuring an impressive lineup of musical talent. The second day of the show includes performances from Rina Sawayama, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, and the Foo Fighters. Sunday’s lineup includes Hozier, GloRilla, and Mumford & Sons. Lamar is set to return for the second weekend of the festival. Other hip-hop artists performing at the festival include Lil (Friday) and Coi Leray (Saturday).

In other news, Lamar’s song “HUMBLE” received an unexpected cover by Italian rock band Måneskin, winners of Eurovision 2021. The band performed the cover during a show at Madison Square Garden in late September. Lead singer Damiano David told the crowd, “We cannot be the last rock band. But maybe we can be the first rap band,” before launching into their rendition of “HUMBLE”.

Nonetheless, not all accolades to Lamar have been met with approval. A televised karaoke contest in Poland stirred up controversy when a participant sang “HUMBLE” in blackface. The participant, Kuba Szmajkowski, was the winner of that episode of Your Face Sounds Familiar, which resulted in considerable online backlash.

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Artist Spotlight

Jeff Hodges delivers a reflection of life and meaning with “I Believe”

Jeff Hodges’ latest release, “I Believe,” is a tender Americana and country-leaning ballad that embraces the simplicity, honesty, and emotional clarity of a warm and reflective space. The song feels timeless with a grounded authenticity built on influences that sound like Zach Bryan, Chris Stapleton, and Leon Bridges.

The first notes of “I Believe” are soft and calm. The performance is purposeful as a slow-burning arrangement that feels like open roads, quiet mornings, and moments of pause in an otherwise fast-moving world, with a soundscape of soft acoustic textures and subtle country instrumentation. Jeff Hodges speaks in a natural, authentic voice. His tone is warm, measured, and full of feeling.

The song is about peace, gratitude, and finding meaning in the ordinary. It’s searching for little intimate truths, such as the gift of presence, the significance of relationships, and the beauty of the everyday. “I Believe” is a testament to Jeff Hodges as an artist dedicated to honest, emotion-driven storytelling. It’s a song that just asks us to slow down, breathe, and remember what’s important.

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Artist Spotlight

With “CLAIM IT ALL,” X-ANONYMOUS takes us on a dark journey through control, chaos, and rebirth

X-ANONYMOUS is back with a blistering new release, “CLAIM IT ALL,“ a hard rock and metalcore smackdown that takes intensity, emotion, and aggression and blasts them into a tightly controlled tempest of sound. It is a combination of guitar riffs, industrial textures, and unrelenting rhythmic drive.

It explodes, launching you into a fractured psychological space where the self is always challenged and reinvented. “CLAIM IT ALL” is about the struggle between self-control and external control. The song encapsulates the crushing burden of manipulation and coercion, creating a terrain in which the mind is a battleground. Every change appears to have a reason, mirroring a spiral into internal chaos and the attempt to slowly regain individual strength.

There’s an emotional undercurrent that suggests awakening, and it tempers the aggression of the instrumentation. It is as though a constant tug and pull exists between collapse and control, as if the track itself were trying to get away from its own limitations. X-ANONYMOUS’s powerful statement is bold, unfiltered, and unafraid to face the darkness to rise above it. “CLAIM IT ALL“ It’s a reminder of how identity always fights back when it’s repressed.