In the mid-2000s, Prince had returned to the mainstream spotlight in a way he hadn’t since the 1980s. His battle with his longtime label, Warner Bros., was over. He had reclaimed his birth name, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was living out in Los Angeles, throwing star-studded purple parties…

Taylor J, “Five Times” Taylor J takes over the Uptown Five Guys with rich videography by @13TwentyThree. The polished track is one of 12 on Who Would’ve Thought, the rapper’s debut album, out since June. C.M.J. feat. Cappie, “Wilted Hopes” Andre Mariette sounds like he’s nodding to Mura Masa on this steel-drum-saturated beat, which C.M.J. scooped up for…

You know the music that you don’t understand but you think might understand you? The lyrics that hit your brain in a Rorschach-test splatter? If not, listen to emerging artist Dua, and you will. Dua (who uses they/them pronouns) is a poet, actor, and artist who never thought they could sing. But through practice and…

Tomorrow is July 4 — Independence Day — and although it may be on a Tuesday this year, there are still plenty of fun festivities planned. As is tradition, many of these celebrations involve the ritual of lighting fireworks, but fireworks are not the only way you can celebrate America tomorrow. There are countless other events…

The Church of St. Joseph’s annual Fourth of July party will be remembering Minnesota and North Dakota music legend Bobby Vee this year. Joetown Rocks is an annual musical celebration which Vee and his wife Karen helped start in 2006; this will be the event’s first year without the Midwestern music icon. The July 3 concert will feature…

“We all see a reflection of ourselves in at least one of Grant’s songs,” said Mary Jane Mansfield — a friend of Grant Hart and a fellow musician — as she introduced an evening full of music and friends gathered to pay tribute to Hart at the Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge on Saturday…

Two years after his first Red House album Stumpjumper, Charlie Parr is back with a new record, due out Sept. 8 on the St. Paul label. Packed with Parr’s signature, detailed observations and musings, the album’s title track “Dog” is out today. Listeners can expect the themes in “Dog” to appear throughout the album, as Parr tackles “emotional issues,…

JAY-Z’s new album 4:44 is out today. On one song, “Caught Their Eyes,” the rap icon and entrepreneur bitterly addresses his battle with Prince’s estate. “I sat down with Prince, eye to eye,” raps JAY-Z (who’s newly reclaimed the hyphen in his name, and upgraded himself to all-caps). “He told me his wishes before he died/…

EL.i.BE, “Balance (feat. O-Lay)” “I might get lit up if I swerve,” rapper EL.i.BE acknowledges, dreading a “sequel of Philando” at an impending traffic stop. While he and O-Lay share their rhymes, dancers Peace and Nteranya perform intense moves in this film by Benji Cooper. Nick Jordan, “Petty” Soul/R&B artist Nick Jordan brings viewers to paradise in the video for…

Today marks the 101st birthday of Prince’s father John L. Nelson — a professional musician whose stage name, Prince Rogers, became his son’s given name. To mark the occasion, Prince’s half-sister Sharon Nelson has released a new recording of one of her father’s songs. She says that “Heart of Mine” is the first track from…