· February, 2014

Stories about Music from February, 2014

GV Face: Beyond Gangnam Style – Censorship and Korean Pop Music

GV Face  28 February 2014

It has been called South Korea's “greatest export.” PSY's K-pop song Gangnam style is the most watched video on YouTube. But behind the glamorous facades and big paychecks, it's not all fun and romance until South Korea's censors have done their work. Our managing editor Solana Larsen talks to our...

27 Brazilian Songs Against Police Violence

  28 February 2014

Brazilian journalist and activist Carlos Carlos posted [pt] a list of the most important “Brazilian songs that denounce the police” on his blog, Bola e Arte. He explains: Now it is trendy to make lists, right? and amid so many useless lists, Bola e Arte blog has prepared a selection of...

Jamaicans Make Do with Fake Verdict in Vybz Kartel Trial

  25 February 2014

The satirical website FakeJamaica shares fictitious breaking news about the Vybz Kartel murder trial: The Jury returned a verdict of not guilty. The…defendant’s lawyer Tom Tavares-Finson…based a significant portion of the defense’s case on the idea that Adijah Palmer cannot be held responsible for anything that his musical persona does.

Jamaica: Breakespeare & Bob Marley

  20 February 2014

Inspired by Cindy Breakspeare's recent lecture on Bob Marley, Annie Paul republishes a 2007 interview she did with her, in which Breakspeare discusses her youth, her Jamaican-ness and of course, meeting Bob.

INFOGRAPHIC: Pursuit of Happiness in Africa

  10 February 2014

The Afrographique blog mapped the happiness index for the African continent. Topping the ranking are Angola and Mauritius who hold the same happiness index as Albania and Russia, respectively. In related news, the Pharell’ single “Happy” has been used by dancers around the world to celebrate the new year 2014....

Caribbean: Discrimination is Discrimination

  7 February 2014

Groundation Grenada has partnered with Trinidad-based artist Joshua Lu “to create a visual campaign to draw analogies between sexual orientation/gender identity discrimination and other forms of discrimination.” Check out the first few installations in the campaign, here.

Talking with the Director of Calle 13's Video Filmed in Palestine

  4 February 2014

The blog “Diseñado en Puerto Rico” (Designed in Puerto Rico) interviews [es] film director Kacho López Mari. Among many other musical videos, López Mari directed the most recent video of the Puerto Rican hip hop duo Calle 13, “Multi_Viral,” shot in Palestine. The lyrics are the product of a collaboration with...

Exploring Puerto Rican Music

  4 February 2014

Musician Luis Amed Irizarry [es] explores various Puerto Rican musical genres in this column [es] for the digital publication 80 Grados.