Here, five individuals associated with RAR share their memories of Boston back then, what they gained from having RAR in their lives, and how, in 2019, we can continue to honor the groundwork RAR laid for a better Boston.
MASS ROOTS: A NEW BOOK AND COMPILATION BRILLIANTLY SHOWCASE THE FIRST DECADE OF REGGAE IN BOSTON
“That’s what makes it most uniquely Boston, that great mix of immigrants and students, which is what our city is.”
RUN FOR COVER: FUGAZI VS. RUBBLEBUCKET: “WAITING ROOM”
Run For Cover is a weekly music column comparing cover songs to the original version.
DREAM ON: THE RETURN OF PSYCH-PUNK ROCKERS THE PREFAB MESSIAHS
The Prefab Messiahs want you to keep your stupid dreams alive. After, they’ve been doing that for over 30 years.
REVIEW: A SUNNY DAY IN GLASGOW AT GREAT SCOTT
The ’80s may have been a while ago, but A Sunny Day in Glasgow are giving today’s generation the scope of shoegaze they thought they would never see live.
WHEN THE MOB RAN RAP MUSIC IN BOSTON: TDS MOB WAS THE HUB’S FIRST HUGE HIP-HOP HOPE …
I interviewed Kool Gee the day after he rocked Wally’s. At his request, we met at the place where the TDS Mob story begins—the stoop of the old Tower Records on the corner of Newbury Street and Mass Ave. From there, he took me back to 1989, when TDS ran the calendar with a year of rap perfection.
LAWTOWN’S FINEST: THE LYRICAL RISE AND TRAGIC DEATH OF MASS RAP LEGEND SCIENTIFIK
“He was gone before his time … People didn’t really get to experience his full potential like we did … He was right on the cusp of doing some even bigger stuff musically [that] could have been commercially successful.”
THE UNTOLD STORIES OF HUB HIP-HOP
Like so much history about communities of color, the narrative of Boston hip-hop has been largely buried, ignored, forgotten. Thankfully, there remain innumerable artists, writers, fans, and even academics who, in the storytelling tradition rap music is rooted in, have kept dope alive via marvelous multimedia tributes. This whole package is dedicated to them.
REVIEW + FOTOBOM: GARDENS & VILLA AT THE SINCLAIR
It seems blog hype doesn’t always lead to a rise and fall. If the cards are played right, the only direction you can go is up. Gardens & Villa are talented enough to follow that route.
LAWTOWN’S FINEST: THE LYRICAL RISE AND TRAGIC DEATH OF MASS RAP LEGEND SCIENTIFIK
“He was gone before his time … People didn’t really get to experience his full potential like we did … He was right on the cusp of doing some even bigger stuff musically [that] could have been commercially successful.”
