Rhymesayers Entertainment has dropped Prof and deM atlaS from its roster as accounts of abuse and manipulation involving members of the Minnesota music community have filled social media in recent days. In a statement, the hip-hop label wrote that “we were complicit in promoting and marketing music that perpetuates misogyny. Effective immediately we have decided…

Dayna Frank, owner of First Avenue, has long been a leader in the Minnesota music community. Now, with First Avenue and all independent music venues in crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, Frank is stepping into a national leadership role by spearheading the founding of a new association advocating for suddenly vulnerable clubs and theaters…

Over the past two days, Prince fans have been abuzz with news that leaked via an inadvertent Amazon posting and has now been officially confirmed: the artist’s seminal 1987 album Sign O’ the Times is getting the expanded reissue treatment, with a new release featuring over 60 newly available audio tracks and two complete concert recordings…

Morning Show host Jill Riley checked in with Jackson Buck, the booking director of the Hook & Ladder Theater and Lounge, to talk about the status of the building after the uprising in its neighborhood, as well as their new virtual streaming series, Hook Stream. Jill Riley: Jackson, how are you doing? Jackson Buck: I’m…

If you have a music video you want to be featured, send it my way at fridayfive [at] mpr.org! Ashley DuBose – “Love Tingz” The latest track from former Voice contestant Ashley Dubose is a summer-ready jam with percussion made for dancing. The video for “Love Tingz” features tender romance and dance sequences in tandem…

Juneteenth (June 19) commemorates Black freedom and is recognized as a “time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future.” It is often celebrated with picnics, celebrations, guest speakers, and family gatherings. The origins of Juneteenth date back to June 19th, 1865, acknowledged as the day that the remaining African-American slaves in the Confederacy were…

On the Morning Show this week, host Jill Riley had a conversation with Michele Norris, a columnist for the Washington Post, founding director of the Race Card Project, author of The Grace of Silence, and former host of All Things Considered. They discussed Norris’s experience growing up in Minneapolis, the significance of Juneteenth, and whether or not…

Click on any one of Alec Wigdahl’s videos posted to YouTube, and a majority of the comments are forecasts.  “Your [sic] gonna blow up soon I’m calling it 2020,” writes one user. “This man is gonna blow up i swear,” predicts another. “Whos here before he blows up??? He’s (original) [sic] in some way.” The…

Throughout the events that have unfolded since the killing of George Floyd, Morning Show host Jill Riley has been sharing her platform with numerous musicians and community members to share their perspectives about what has been going on. She connected with local neo-soul musician Lady Lark to talk about what she has witnessed in the…

After the police killing of George Floyd, Morning Show host Jill Riley has been inviting community members onto her show in order to share their perspectives on the events that have since unfolded. On Wednesday morning she connected with Melvin Carter, the current mayor of St. Paul and also the first African American mayor of…