SAMPLED is a recurring column that examines the skeletal production of a contemporary Rap/R&B/Hip-Hop or Pop song. From what song did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone for a new interpretation originate? This week, the sample in question is from MC Ini Kamoze’s #1 crossover hit “Here Comes The Hotstepper.”

Based on recent social media posts, Kid Cudi has some kind of affiliation with the Ninja Turtles reboot. So here’s the real question: is Cudi playing the pizza-loving, wise-cracking Michelangelo, or is he the sai-yielding aggressively rebellious Raphael? Or, possibly more likely, is he writing the soundtrack? Let’s have a little fun with this. If the TMNT reboot cast was made up entirely of rappers and pop stars, who would we cast for the upcoming Michael Bay produced live-action interpretation?

Today, literally thousands of metalcore bands with flat-ironed hair and career-banishing neck tattoos vie for the attention of a primarily teen-aged audience via social media. Many of these bands rise to the top by putting together metal, hardcore, and screamo-influenced pop covers. If you like your Katy Perry with a side of breakdowns, guitar chugging, and pig-squeal death metal vocals, this column is for you.

SAMPLED is a recurring column that examines the skeletal production of a contemporary Rap/R&B/Hip-Hop or Pop song. From what song did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone for a new interpretation originate? This week, the sample in question is from Kendrick Lamar’s “The Recipe” feat. Dr.Dre

I don’t remember exactly what triggered my love for pop music exactly, but it probably happened around grade 6 or 7. When I noticed that my younger brother Kale (he’s 12, I’m 26) had become riveted in the same way, I was curious as to what his thoughts were about pop music today.

It’s April 3rd, and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was just released in North America. For former theatre school graduate and office manager Onika Maraj, the 23 track, 90 minute concept record is the next calculated move towards convincing an increasingly skeptical critical base that two very different aspects of her split personality belong and subsist under the larger umbrella of the Nicki Minaj brand.

It was recently revealed that Michael K. Williams, who you may remember as The Wire’s Omar, is set to star in a biopic of Wu-Tang Clan mainstay Ol’ Dirty Bastard as Big Baby Jesus himself, which just seems to make a tremendous amount of sense. This got Pop Hunter thinking: which other celebrities could effortlessly [...]

How does the top earner in professional music stay as humble as Taylor Swift does? She’s been nominated for 162 major music awards, winning 102 of them, and yet every time she walks up to the podium to give her acceptance speech, she looks like the very last thing she expected to do that evening was to actually take an award home.

At the end of each month, Pop Hunter highlights the best songs that were released. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists. This week, we feature Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled, The Wanted, Taylor Swift, and Rita Ora.

At the end of each week, #Top40Tweets lists a cross-section of artists on the current pop charts and puts their tweets on display (along with their current chart number) for your enjoyment/scrutiny. This week, we look at 5 artists on the Billboard Music Charts.