Beyoncé, ‘Renaissance’ The problem Beyoncé created for herself when she released Lemonade back in 2016 was it was instantly regarded as her best project. It was lauded by critics, showered with awards and consistently ranked as one of the best albums of the year, decade and—sometimes—of all time. How…

Megan Thee Stallion performs during the 2021 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. Courtesy. While the main pre-show distraction centered on snubs and the lack of diversity at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, the tone changed with a plethora of memorable and historic moments from this…

63rd Grammy Awards, courtesy: Recording Academy. Welcome to the Olympics of music! The 63rd Grammy Awards are not the be-all, end-all of music achievement, or even an accurate representation of the most adventurous, unique music being made today, but they’re the standard barometer of commercial success. The two awards…

Megan Thee Stallion, “Good News.” Megan Thee Stallion comes bearing Good News amid her chaotic year. Between legal issues with her record label, being shot and dropping the monumentally viral “WAP” with Cardi B, she seems to be burning the candle at both ends. Her artistic vision with this album was…

There will be entire chapters in future history books about 2016. Look, it was just a just a couple years ago. You lived through 2016. It was revealed on Monday that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent his beard hair to Azalea Banks to make an amulet to protect him…

Lil Wayne, learning about writing in triplets at a young age. Good news, everyone! Metallica is back on the list. I know, I know. You were worried they’d be stuck at a mere seven appearances in the top five. But fortunately after the regrettable detour that was St. Anger, they turned it…

The White Stripes trying to remember if they are spouses or siblings. Regular readers of this column may have noticed that I’ve included a song off every single Metallica studio album in the top five, and a song from every non-studio Metallica album in the Honorable Mentions. You may…

Original art: Vivian Shih Chelsea’s 33rd birthday was going to be one she’d never forget. U2, her favorite band, was performing for two nights in Toronto, Canada, and the California native would be there to see both performances. “That is my happy place. That’s my church,” she said. “I go…

“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” Every relationship goes through phases. After the intense infatuation, it can lead to either a happy marriage, or a trek back to the starting line. Every phase also has a perfect song for the occasion. Here are my picks for every moment in a relationship. Love at…

  Illustration: Vivian Shih It’s “love and hate” week at RIFF. We’ve taken on the theme of Valentine’s Day to talk about both sides of love. We’re starting off with my favorite love songs, but there are some caveats: These are only since 1980. There’s a whole bunch of really…