McKinley Dixon released his fourth full-length record "Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?" in June of 2023. The album is named after the (unofficial) Beloved-trilogy by US-American author Toni Morrison and, similarly to the themes of the novels, explores feelings of love, loss, and pain found in the Black experience. NBHAP editor Felicia had the chance to sit down with the New York-based rapper to talk about family, the Harlem Renaissance, and remembrance.
It is not hard to imagine French indie pop darlings Phoenix sitting in a room together. Ideas bubbling. Song sketches effortlessly turning into a bigger picture and the four longtime friends and (soul) brothers spending hours getting lost in the joy of playing music together. All while their music is doing the talking and a subconscious understanding kicks in. With their seventh album to date, Phoenix have returned with a refined and charming sound on "Alpha Zulu". A conversation about the value and stimulating effect of art, the privilege of recording inside a museum and the most rewarding moments of making music together after over two decades.
