Tidal Magazine

by Rob Halford of Judas Priest (Photo: Rovi)/Cover art for Paul Simon’s Graceland Every day at Tidal, we celebrate the albums — and people — that changed our lives. Here are the ones that made the biggest impact this week. Many heavy metal singers have ridden motorcycles — it’s almost a job requirement. But Rob Halford, lead singer of Judas Priest, stands alone as the only heavy metal singer who has ridden one onto the stage during a performance. Every night.

by “From the duo that brought you the platinum sounds of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik — Look for their new encounter ATLiens landing in August!” That’s what the neon-green sticker said on the cassette single I pulled out of a record store bin in Miami in 1996. I was excited for a new proof of life from my newly discovered favorite rap duo, OutKast.

by It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this, but we live in an increasingly fractured society, where people can look at the exact same image and see two completely different things. Every opinion elicits a counter-opinion, and so we end up retreating into our own echo chambers where it’s safe to think or feel a certain way. However, until yesterday, there’s always been one indisputable fact that we could all agree upon, no matter our age, gender, ethnicity or political persuasion.

by Photos: Cover art for Myke Towers and Grumpy One of Tidal’s founding principles is that we do not rank creativity. To each their own, in terms of what constitutes a great song or makes one song “better” than another. However, each week there are a few tunes that really test our belief system, and we can’t help but elevate them above the thousand-plus tracks we’re pitched across genres.

by Photo: Trenton Butler Jr. On the title track off her epic new album, God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops, Rapsody rhymes, “Know it sting to know the truth / know that God look like me.” In short, she isn’t buying the conventional narrative about the Creator’s appearance. It doesn’t reflect her reality. “You have to look in the mirror and see God in yourself,” says the North Carolina-based MC. “And when you look in the mirror, I don’t see a white man or his son, Jesus. I don’t see that in myself.

by Photos: Cover art for Jorja Smith and Denzel Curry/Kenny Beats Are albums still a thing? We think so. How else can you really get inside an artist’s head and figure out how they see the world? Below are five albums we can’t wait to listen to when they’re released this Friday, August 21. Get your headphones ready. Cleo Sol and her producer and husband Inflo make up the inscrutable R&B group Sault. But the British singer is also a solo artist, and her fifth album is out tomorrow (not Friday!).

by Photos: Cover art for Phoebe Bridgers and Becky G One of Tidal’s founding principles is that we do not rank creativity. To each their own, in terms of what constitutes a great song or makes one song “better” than another. However, each week there are a few tunes that really test our belief system, and we can’t help but elevate them above the thousand-plus tracks we’re pitched across genres.

by “Quick mixing” is a DJ technique where you play multiple tracks for short bursts before moving on to the next record. It’s all about building energy, getting the crowd hyped and creating seamless bridges between songs while keeping a musical narrative alive. In our Quick Mix series, we borrow that concept, going deep with DJs through rapid-fire questions. We pick their brains for expertise and fun facts, and move quickly from insight to insight. Same energy, different format.

by After 30 minutes of mysterious, atmospheric art rock interspersed with segments of pop, punk and dancehall, L’Rain’s fourth album, fata morgana, arrives at a true surprise. “birthday,” the penultimate track, is an R&B slow jam for the ages, seemingly beamed in from the nexus of Aaliyah’s One in a Million and D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. But it’s not without idiosyncrasies.

by Photos: Cover art for Phoebe Bridgers and Ayra Starr Are albums still a thing? We think so. How else can you really get inside an artist’s head and figure out how they see the world? Below are five albums we can’t wait to listen to when they’re released this Friday, August 14. Get your headphones ready. Breakthrough moments don’t get much better than Ayra Starr’s.