Wu-Tang Clan

Parisian's Daul Kim EP, Inspired by the Suicide of a South Korean Model: Listen Now

In this week's print edition, RFT Music writer Evan C. Jones interviewed local electronic artist Ian "Parisian" Jones (no relation), whom some may remember as one half of the now-defunct, locally acclaimed duo Safety Words. Since splitting and pursuing music solo, Parisian has repeatedly turned towa ... More >>

Emotions Run High: Electronic artist Parisian garners international attention through dark themes

Is Killer Mike Is the Best Rapper Alive in 2013?

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis city. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Here's How People Are Trying to Sneak Drugs Into Coachella

Coachella weekend two is this weekend. Here's a report from our sister paper, the LA Weekly. If you're at Coachella, chances are you experienced full throttle security measures attempting to snatch any drugs you might have. As usual, these include three tiers of security checkpoints, at which eventg ... More >>

Here Are Some Ridiculous Coachella Campsites

The Coachella campgrounds are the Wild West of the festival. They are the sort of place you can imagine Hunter S. Thompson running around with his pants around his ankles. Drugs are more plentiful than food and going to bed before 4 a.m. is considered an early night. Campers built incredible structu ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: January 25 to 27

If I had a quarter for every Jell-O shot I've been offered since I started this job, I'd probably have enough change to get a couple beers out of the boozy vending machine downstairs. I've never been much of a lush, but it just seems un-American to turn down a dessert with such high regard from the ... More >>

2012's Best Hip-Hop Artist Nite Owl Signs Deal with Monarchy Records

St. Louis based hip-hop artist Nite Owl, whom we named Best Solo Hip-Hop artist in our music awards last year, has recently signed a deal with Monarchy Records, a division of the Spectra Music Group. The deal places the rapper on a roster that includes Fredro Starr of Onyx and soul singers Tony Terr ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: January 11 to 13

Making an album is a damn fine accomplishment, be it a self-mixed basement recording hand-dubbed to limited tapes, a mass quantitie of printed CDs that might ultimately end up in the bargain bin or even a pricier high-end studio recording committed immortally to vinyl (ok - perhaps records are a tad ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: Jan. 4 to 6

Whoa, it's a new year, and change is weird. I'm still getting used to working at this office. This week, I've been strategically re-adjusting the angle of this side view mirror set up on my soon-to-be desk, which Daniel apparently kicked off of his car one day and brought up here "to prevent people ... More >>

2012: The Year in St. Louis Music

The 15 Most Ridiculous Band Promo Photos

Here at RFT Music HQ we see literally one shitload of press photos every week. Many of them stick to a template: Gather all band members together, shoulder to shoulder. Make sure no one smiles, ever. Have the artists try to look thoughtful, but also like they are not trying to look like anything. Th ... More >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From September 24 to 30

So there's news about the news in the news this week: We here at the RFT have new owners. Some of you may be aware of Backpage.com and the controversy it has caused for many alt-weeklies across the country -- well, we are no longer affiliated, so that's that. And aside from that, it's business as us ... More >>

27 Hip-Hop Videos You Should Know from St. Louis and Beyond

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Childish Gambino

7 p.m. Thursday, June 7. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From April 23 to 29

Did everyone survive Record Store Day weekend? Between the deluge of live music and the generous amounts of free beer -- not to mention the throngs of people -- we can understand how one might be tempted to take it easy this week. Please remember, though, that taking it easy is for square nerd loser ... More >>

New Edition and SWV at the Scottrade Center, 3/29/12: Review, Photos, Setlists

New Edition | SWV Scottrade Center March 29, 2012 Approaching 30 years in the music industry, New Edition has gone through its fair share of changes. Despite the break-ups, lineup changes, and solo and side projects, the Boston-based boy band is back on tour together -- and St. Louis fans packed in ... More >>

Pete Rock

10 p.m. Friday, March 30. Lola, 500 North 14th Street.

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From March 26 to April 1

Still tired from last week? Too bad, March is unrelenting. Time to down some coffee, eat some energy bars and pack in the protein (might we recommend some pink slime?) because this week is jam-packed with shows as well. On Friday, two guys named Pete who happen to be legends in their respective fiel ... More >>

Raekwon Showed up at the Gargoyle at 10:55, Ten Minutes After Wash U Faculty Pulled the Plug on His Show

Last night, the Wu-Tang Clan's legendary Raekwon the Chef was scheduled to play Washington University's on-campus music venue, the Gargoyle, alongside Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs. The small club filled out nicely by 9 p.m., and a packed room waited anxiously to see some of hip-hop's best artists do ... More >>

Listen To Method Man: Sour Patch Kids Are The World's Most Dangerous Candy

Boba Fett meets Han Solo, apparently.​We live in strange times. By which I mean, of course, that if you lose Sour Patch Kids in your couch cushions, they will pin thumbtacks on your fucking cat. Terrifying. Fortunately, we have Method Man here to make sure no one makes the mistake of misplacin ... More >>

The Black Keys at Kanrocksas

Photo by Kiernan Maletsky​Black Keys Stagesaurus Rex The infield is packed with people to tired to stand. There's a throng by the stage, obviously, but the middle third of the place is strictly asses on the ground. We're getting to that point, toward the end of any festival, where the antici ... More >>

St. Louis' Own Thi'sl, a Christian Rapper, Tops iTunes Hip-Hop chart

Image viaThi'sl: The number one rapper on iTunes right now.​It might be a misnomer to call Thi'sl a Christian Rapper. Like many other artists, he just raps about his life. And God happens to play a big part in his life. Well, Thi'sl is one of the hottest rappers coming out of St. Louis. In ... More >>

Billy Brown on Sonic Youth, Record Store Day, and Drunk Reggae Fans

Photo by Jon Scorfina​In early January, Rolling Stone reported that vinyl sales had increased fourteen percent over the previous year with around 2.8 million units sold, making 2010 the best year for vinyl in recent memory. DJ Billy Brown is part of a new generation of music fans choosing rec ... More >>

New Album Releases: Lupe Fiasco, R.E.M., Kurt Vile, Bruce Cockburn and more

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) Bruce Cockburn's Small Source of Comfort​*Bruce Cockburn, Small Source Of Comfort American Noise reviewed Cockburn's latest, saying: "Personally, Bruce Cockb ... More >>

Tef Poe fights against complacency, and defies pigeonholing, with War Machine

Interview: Tef Poe on War Machine, His Fantastic New Album

courtesy of Tef Poe​Tef Poe's War Machine is a nineteen-track tour de force. The Force member's musical versatility has always been his calling card, and so it's not surprise that Machine embraces diversity and defies pigeonholing. Genre-wise, it touches on warm R&B, ominous hip-hop, celebrato ... More >>

New Release Highlights For December 21: Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, Duran Duran and More

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.) Avant's The Letter​*Avant, The Letter The Urban Music Scene review says of Avant's latest album, "The Letter is a solid effort. There may not be anything tha ... More >>

Homespun: Academy Hill

Jewelry
(self-released)

The Best of 2009 in Music

Ten Things to Do Under $10 This Weekend in St. Louis, November 6-8, 2009

You could go out this weekend and spend a wad of cash drinking like a sailor. Or, you might find yourself online or at the mall, and end up charging a ridiculous-looking thermal coat to your Visa. But why put yourself in the poorhouse (or the poky) when all the following events are just $10 or less? ... More >>

Friday Night Lights: F5 Records Hip-Hop anchors Hi-Fidel and Serengeti collaborate on an electroshocked ode to excess

Lil Wayne, St. Lunatics, Nelly at the Chaifetz Arena, Saturday, August 30: Another Look

Indie-An Summer: Two RFT staffers attend the hipster mecca that is the Pitchfork Music Festival

Test My Balls of Fury

Lazy review or lazy movie?

'Naut So Bad

Periodic Fable highlights the Hibernauts' best elements.

Young Emcee

Kids don't listen to what teacher's putting down? Gabe Moskoff, a.k.a. DJ Trackstar, wants to reach them through rap.

Art Attack

Stand clear: A young St. Louis sculptor named Moses has entered the building

Hip-Hop, Year 2 A.J.

Still no Jigga, but Kanye, some loveable Limeys and a great Beyoncé substitute held it down

In-Town Sounds

We're cleaning off our desk for another local CD roundup

A Good Buzz

Jim Jarmusch serves the perfect blend: Coffee and Cigarettes

Raekwon

The Lex Diamond Story (Universal)

Wages of Sin

DMX is gonna give it to ya in this stripped-down crime story from Donald Goines

Gettin' Windy in the City

The Chicago clip crew gleefully gabs on in Barbershop 2

Film Openings

Week of October 22, 2003

Fog Advisory

In our humble opinion, RFT contributor Andrew Broder is headed for rock stardom

Human Traffic

Written and directed by Justin Kerrigan

Black and White

Written and directed by James Toback

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch

Sound Checks

Meet the Beat

Hip-hop's here. Deal with it. Check the local MCs and DJs moving up from the underground.