Hope and Tim Walz, courtesy Twitter. When Kamala Harris was choosing a running mate, a running joke was that it had to be a white guy to appeal to the nation’s white guys. I, as a progressive East Bay guy who’s actively supported women for a variety of offices…

The Clash, “London Calling.” I regret to inform you the End of Days is upon us. Yes, yes, I’ve declared many things to be the apocalypse. Climate change, COVID, an intentional proliferation of guns, one major party going full fascist and the other being so committed to neutrality that…

The best albums of 2021 include Marina Diamandis, The Marias, The Fratellis, Maximo Park, Morgan Wallen, Wardruna, Prince, At the Gates, Hayley Williams, Andrew W.K., Miranda Lambert, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Liz Phair. RIFF’s writers reviewed hundreds of albums in 2021, and although the year isn’t over,…

In 2010, when funk legend Prince began work on what would become Welcome 2 America, there was no particular gravity to the proposition. The staggeringly prolific artist had released two albums only the year before. He then followed up with his 35th full-length, 20Ten, ultimately shelving the Welcome 2 America…

Shock G (Gregory E. Jacobs) aka Humpty Hump of Digital Underground mugs for a photo at a party in the 1990s in New York City. Photo: Catherine McGann/Getty Images. On April 22 we lost one of the most underrated rappers in the history of hip-hop, Oakland’s own Shock G.…

“Mooooortal Kommmmmbattttt!” Ahem. “Mortal Kombat” 1995. This weekend is the movie event of the year (until next weekend, or until the new Matrix movie comes out), is the remake of “Mortal Kombat.” You may rightfully point out that the original 1995 “Mortal Kombat” movie is not exactly a classic.…

Wham! The cuts in this top five songs of 1984 were tough. The Cars’ “You Might Think” and Sheila E’s “The Glamorous Life” are favorites of mine, and I’m sure I’m going to get backlash about leaving out Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the Talking Heads and Tina Turner. But who…

The year 1982 was very good, and not just because it’s when a certain columnist who writes a weekly list of a year’s best songs was born. It’s the year Prince released 1999 and Michael Jackson released Thriller. Now, I’m not going to get into the whole Prince vs. Michael debate. I can…

Photos: Johan Doornenbal SAN FRANCISCO — While Tuesday’s sold-out Fillmore show by the Revolution, the first of two, was a tribute to the Purple One, an outlet for Prince fans to dance, sing and cry, the show itself didn’t feel tribute, as much as it was a rejuvenation. The Revolution 8…

L to R: Buckwheat Zydeco, Prince Buster, Phife Dawg, Jean Shepard, Don Buchla. Art: Roman Gokhman It’s safe to say that 2016 has been something of an all-around dumpster fire, especially when it comes to the sheer volume of iconic artists we’ve lost. The list of familiar and life-changing…