Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 10

RZA And DJ Scratch's New Album Is Revolutionary In Its Traditionalism

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Wu-Tang Clan frontman Robert “RZA” Diggs possesses famously eclectic tastes, ranging from hip-hop and film to chess and martial arts. He also turns out to be a baseball guy, as I learn on a recent call with him and fellow producer DJ Scratch.

With America’s pastime on an indefinite lockout, we fire up the hot stove with a conversation about our all-time favorite Yankees. I offer Bernie Williams and Wade Boggs, while Scra...

Hip-Hop's Highest-Paid Artists Of 2021

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When Jay-Z and Kanye West launched their classic album Watch the Throne back in 2011, they racked up earnings that look almost quaint in hindsight. Jay-Z banked $37 million, topping the Forbes “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list (compiled by yours truly), while Kanye tallied $16 million. Fast forward a decade, and both artists’ earnings have increased more than tenfold.

Hov is this year’s king of hip-hop cash, accumulating a caree...

Meet Silicon Valley’s Favorite Magician [WAAMN Chapter 4.3]

This is your weekly installment of my new book,  We Are All Musicians Now . To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 4: The Accidental Musicians (Part 3). Enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER TABLE OF CONTENTS || >> NEXT CHAPTER >>

Whether he’s conjuring playing cards, teleporting coins, or unlocking the iPhones of strangers, Dan Chan knows a thing or two about magic. But his biggest trick may have been making $5 million disappear.

As a turn-of-the-Millennium em...

Meet Silicon Valley’s Favorite Magician

This is your weekly installment of my new book,  We Are All Musicians Now . To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 4: The Accidental Musicians (Part 3). Enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER TABLE OF CONTENTS || >> NEXT CHAPTER >>

Whether he’s conjuring playing cards, teleporting coins, or unlocking the iPhones of strangers, Dan Chan knows a thing or two about magic. But his biggest trick may have been making $5 million disappear.

As a turn-of-the-Millennium em...

Making Stems Stick

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Over the weekend, Kanye West grabbed headlines yet again by announcing new album Donda 2 would be available only through his Stem Player, a $200 contraption that would allow users to break a song down into component parts like vocals and drums.

Ye (now his legal name) declared the effort generated revenues of $2.2 million its first day—the financial equivalent, he explained, of the album being streamed half a billion tim...

Skeleton Racers Are Musicians Now [WAAMN Chapter 4.2]

This is your weekly installment of my new book,  We Are All Musicians Now . To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 4: The Accidental Musicians (Part 2). Enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER TABLE OF CONTENTS || >> NEXT CHAPTER >>

On a snowy New Year’s Eve in 2013, after narrowly missing a chance to qualify for the Sochi Winter Olympics as a bobsledder, Akwasi Frimpong found his next gig—as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. 

By early 2014, the Utah Valley...

Skeleton Racers Are Musicians Now

This is your weekly installment of my new book,  We Are All Musicians Now . To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 4: The Accidental Musicians (Part 2). Enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER TABLE OF CONTENTS || >> NEXT CHAPTER >>

On a snowy New Year’s Eve in 2013, after narrowly missing a chance to qualify for the Sochi Winter Olympics as a bobsledder, Akwasi Frimpong found his next gig—as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. 

By early 2014, the Utah Valley...

Fab 5 Freddy And The Accidental Musicians [WAAMN Chapter 4.1]

This is your weekly installment of my new book,  We Are All Musicians Now . To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 4: The Accidental Musicians (Part 1). Enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER TABLE OF CONTENTS || >> NEXT CHAPTER >>

In 1981, the video for Blondie’s “Rapture” became the first to feature rap vocals on MTV. But the shoot almost went haywire—that is, until hip-hop trailblazer Fab 5 Freddy saved the day.

Legendary turntablist Grandmaster Flash had bee...

Fab 5 Freddy And The Accidental Musicians

This is your weekly installment of my new book,  We Are All Musicians Now . To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 4: The Accidental Musicians (Part 1). Enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER TABLE OF CONTENTS || >> NEXT CHAPTER >>

In 1981, the video for Blondie’s “Rapture” became the first to feature rap vocals on MTV. But the shoot almost went haywire—that is, until hip-hop trailblazer Fab 5 Freddy saved the day.

Legendary turntablist Grandmaster Flash had bee...

Why Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem And Kendrick Lamar Won't Be Paid For Their Super Bowl Gig

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What do Beyoncé, Shakira, Coldplay, Madonna and Bruno Mars have in common? They all played the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and none of them got paid a performance fee. The same holds true for this year’s performers—Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar—who’ll grace the stage at this year’s big game in Los Angeles for free. 

They do get plenty of value in exchange for their effort, however. In additi...