For years, Jay-Z has been fairly discreet when it came to his detractors. He kept his mouth largely shut as fellow rapper Nicki Minaj, former business partner Damon Dash or Kanye West tarnished his name in very public ways. Until a few days ago…

From the rise of streaming and the changes it brings to the polarization of listeners between niche work and the ultra-mainstream, things are happening in music that would have been inconceivable in the old era. Two such moments happened simultaneously in recent weeks…

I’ve been meaning to do this for years: a list of my music-related favorites. What are yours?