nj.com • June 29 2025

Rock The Bells continues to be a living tribute to hip-hop at N.J. stop | Review

LL Cool J is on a mission to ensure the world never forgets the impact of hip-hop. The word “legendary” doesn’t feel like it could describe, let alone quantify, his legacy. In 1984, the man born James Todd Smith was the first artist signed to Def Jam at the age of 17. As a hip-hop pioneer, he was the first rapper to earn the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 2017 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Four decades later, Rock The Bells donning the name of LL Cool J’s third si...

nj.com • June 21 2025

2025 Hot 97 Summer Jam straddles between hip-hop’s past and being a part of it’s future in Prudential Center return

Hot 97’s Summer Jam is the event that marks the beginning of the tri-state area’s long, hot summer ahead. The moniker of being the “Super Bowl of hip-hop” carries weight and expectations. If there’s one thing that has made Summer Jam a mecca for over 20 years, it’s moments - whether it’s using the stage as a launching pad for beef or the spontaneity of collaborations and special guests. But as the festival made its return to the Prudential Center in Newark on Friday after a two-year hiatus, it’s...

nj.com • June 10 2025

Rare backstage access with Japanese rock icons One OK Rock before their epic N.J. concert

Eleven years ago, Japanese rock mainstays One OK Rock performed on Vans Warped Tour, one of dozens of bands soldiering through the sweltering summer day at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. The dynamic group from Tokyo has since outlasted the traveling punk roadshow (which concluded touring in 2019), all the while building toward their mission of international recognition. Their sixth album, “Jinsei×Boku=” (2013), marked their ascension as a worldwide phenomenon, preceded by the success of th...

nj.com • June 8 2025

These N.J. theaters survived the pandemic. Can they survive post-COVID audiences?

Hoboken’s Mile Square Theater was just three weeks away from putting on a student play of “The Addams Family” when Gov. Phil Murphy issued a “stay-at-home order” on March 21, 2020. The night before, the kids decided to put on the play for whoever could attend. “They’re said, ‘Alright, this could be the last night we’re in the theater for a while. Let’s just put on the show,’” general manager David Zimmerman told NJ Advance Media. “And they’re half-rehearsed, half-costumed, half-set.“That was the...

nj.com • June 6 2025

Inside The Weeknd's massive N.J. concert. Don’t call it retirement, call it rebirth. | Review

Can you ever count on a musician to put a definitive end to their career — and stick to it? Mötley Crüe went as far as signing a contract stating they would never tour again, only to destroy the document and get back on the road. The brothers of Oasis, who may not have been in the same room together for years, are reuniting to play two sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium this summer. The list goes on: The Who, KISS, Jay-Z. For The Weeknd, named Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, it’s separating himself from t...

nj.com • June 4 2025

Inside Mk.gee's booming N.J. hometown concert, finding glory in simplicity | Review

Mk.gee, New Jersey’s latest indie artist to break through on the national scene, wants to be known for making the best music with as few frills as possible. From releasing his first EP, “Pronounced McGee,” in 2018, the multi-instrumentalist from Linwood has demonstrated the musical expertise that led him to win the first-ever Somers Point Jazz Society’s jazz scholarship at 14. His penchant for chasing his impulses has earned the artist born Michael Todd Gordon showcases on “Jimmy Kimmel” and ”Sa...

nj.com • May 30 2025

See inside historic Loew’s Jersey Theatre amid massive renovation. When will it reopen?

Amid a $130 million renovation, Jersey City’s historic Loew’s Jersey Theatre is still on track to open in fall 2026, officials said Thursday. The team behind the effort, run by Phelps Construction Group and funded in a unique partnership featuring the city, the state, and a division of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment also serving as operator — which also oversees events at Prudential Center in Newark and White Eagle Hall in Jersey City — provided an update and a tour of the 96-year-old the...

nj.com • May 29 2025

A tiny N.J. school is battling to keep its music program alive. They have a plan.

At the center of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School‘s transformative music class is Jarrod Scott, better known as “Mr. J.”The veteran musician instructs more 180 students at the Asbury Park school, grades K-8, teaching them how to play ukulele, percussion and piano, while also exposing them to global music styles like bachata, merengue, and Jamaican music.But due to funding cuts, his vital service is at risk of being eliminated — a microcosm of arts programs being slashed across the country. U.S. sch...

nj.com • May 12 2025

Musicians we ‘canceled’ are selling out N.J. concerts again. It’s not a good look.

It feels impossible now, but there was a time when Kanye West‘s music was actually a highlight in my life, even speaking directly to certain milestones. My friends and I played his 2007 album, “Graduation,” on repeat as we ourselves approached post-college life, wondering what was in store. A synchronicity existed between us — a group of millennial college kids — and the Grammy-winning superstar as we stared down the barrel of the the great recession of 2008. Songs like “Good Life” and “Can’t Te...

nj.com • May 9 2025

Inside Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s explosive N.J. stadium show, a triumph of shared history | Review

The kickoff to MetLife Stadium’s record-breaking 2025 season Thursday night was a coronation of two artists at the top of their collective games. Rap superstar Kendrick Lamar and pop-R&B chart-topper SZA have joined forces for their Grand National Tour, a showcase of what happens when hard work and authenticity are at the forefront of what you do. The reward was a sold-out stadium (the first of back-to-back nights) full of excited and boisterous fans, a stage with three massive LED screens, anim...

nj.com • April 16 2025

Spiritbox unleashes ‘Tsunami Sea’ of sound and fury at blazing N.J. concert | Review

“‘Tsunami Sea’ is about the fear of being inadequate,” Spiritbox’s lead singer, Courtney LaPlante told her sold-out crowd in Montclair Tuesday night. “But you don’t make us feel inadequate. We never take this for granted.” Those words of gratitude, extended from one of heavy metal’s hottest acts, stems from a long road of a struggle. There was a time when the dynamic Canadian group’s future was uncertain. Before releasing their debut album, 2021’s “Eternal Blue,” COVID-19-related delays stifled...

nj.com • April 10 2025

Deftones unleash 37 years of beauty and brutality in N.J., as rock’s longstanding trailblazers | Review

Don’t label them as metal. Don’t call them shoegaze. It’s futile to try to define them at all. For 37 years, Deftones have avoided all blanket assumptions — especially nu-metal, where they may have been lumped forever if not for a challenging and regularly brilliant discography (shown most recently with 2020’s “Ohms”). While the elder statesmen of rock are either reluctant to give up their mantles or skittish on who may bear their torches next, a lively and raucous sold-out crowd of 15,550 fans...

nj.com • April 10 2025

‘Long Live The King.’ Kingda Ka has a ‘funeral’ full of laughs and recollections

If you asked a random group of people the No. 1 event they’d love to skip, it would be a funeral. But funerals serve a key purpose, as a ritual of honor and acknowledgment that someone (or something) you care about is not returning. And they aren’t just reserved for people and pets; they can also be for the memory of a 456-foot-tall green rollercoaster that stood tall at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson for 20 years. Kingda Ka’s death date was on Feb 28, when the structure went to the big th...

nj.com • April 7 2025

Mary J. Blige’s emotional N.J. concert was a powerful night fit for a queen: Review

Mary J. Blige’s stop in Newark Sunday was a shared night of gratitude between a prolific performer and her fans. The R&B icon’s “For My Fans” tour comprised four costume changes, an extensive stage with huge LED panels, a massive crown adorned with the initials M.J.B. on the front, dancers, and a six-piece band to accentuate Blige’s 30-year catalog of hits. That’s all to be expected. We are talking about the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” who has sold 100 million records, performed during the Super Bo...

nj.com • March 28 2025

Is ‘Dopamine Land’ the cure for the common scroll? We checked it out.

In the late ‘90s, there were five Discovery Zone locations in New Jersey where rambunctious and energetic kids could go, celebrate birthdays, and play in the enormous ball pit.The tagline was “Where I can cut loose and be on my own.” Flash forward to 2025 and its lack of third spaces — places outside the home and work, like parks and playgrounds — where kids can visit for hours and just have fun. In many ways, that physical aspect has been replaced by screens. Where does anybody play these days?...

nj.com • March 22 2025

At the Prudential Center, Katt Williams spilts time between jokes and viral aftermath

Katt Williams wanted to leave the aftershocks of his 2024 three-hour “Club Shay Shay” podcast with former NFL superstar Shannon Sharpe behind in 2024. At least, at first he did. “In 2025, I’m only talking about me,” said the comedian, 53, to the nearly sold-out crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, holding for a brief pause. “But I already wrote this.”The 50-minute set during a Newark stop on Williams’s ‘Heaven Or Earth" tour included comedic greats such as Tommy Davidson, Marc Curry, and Me...

nj.com • March 21 2025

10 years of ‘Emo Night’: How millennial nostalgia bled into Gen-Z one mosh pit at a time

For music lovers, there’s an existential fear when the songs they have clung to through various life markers become “old.” “Could what I love ever be deemed ‘classic,’” we wonder to ourselves. You never think it will happen to you, but then a couple of tracks end up on a “nostalgic era” playlist on Spotify. Soon enough, you’re reminiscing about the days of MTV, VH1, and music video premieres — and the younger generation has no clue what you’re talking about. The day we thought was reserved for m...

nj.com • March 19 2025

How Nina Simone’s grandson brought Black music back to Asbury Park

For Alexander Simone, legacy is walking down the road created by two iconic Black women while paving his own. As the grandson of jazz and soul legend Nina Simone and the son of singer and actress Lisa Simone, the artist has left no stone unturned in exploring his gifts. He is a singer, songwriter, composer, activist and teacher. He’s also the leader of the Whodat? Live Crew, a musical collective and mainstay of Asbury Park’s vibrant music scene for more than a decade. They have shared the stage...

nj.com • February 28 2025

Ada’s Gojjo boasts the perfect mix of heart and cultures coming together

Ada’s Gojjo is a product of hard work, determination and the importance of family customs.An expertly prepared (if not unlikely) menu of Ethiopian and Dominican cuisines lives under one roof, stashed at Asbury Park’s less bustling north end. Since its 2018 opening, Ada’s Gojjo has been so well received that a second restaurant will open downtown on Cookman Avenue this summer, serving vegan Ethiopian food. Owner Adanech Asghedom’s love for cooking stems from growing up in a small village in Ethio...

Capitalize the B. • January 3 2025

I Talked Sports With One of the Meta AI Profiles. It Went the Way You'd Expect.

The Meta AI profiles aren't going to take over the world anytime soon, but they may gunk up the social media space.

I like interacting with humans. I couldn't imagine talking to a computer program in a way I would my best friends. There are nuisances to discussions/debates that require thought machines cannot duplicate (as of yet). I've also seen enough sci-fi films and seasons of 'Black Mirror,' ' The Outer Limits,' and 'The Twilight Zone' to know things can get terrible when you willingly giv...

Capitalize the B. • January 2 2025

America Needs Way Less 'Whiplash' Based Aspirations

Before I begin, I have a bone to pick with the Netflix/ESPN miniseries "The Last Dance." It's not because the series wasn't phenomenal (although more sports biopics since have tried to emulate it with little success); it's because of one of the most pivotal moments of the docuseries and what people took away from it.

In the final moments of episode seven, the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan, breaks down as he explains why he approached the game of basketball the way he did. His...

Capitalize the B. • December 18 2024

Did We Forget the Way To Sesame Street?

Three classic PBS theme songs have always stuck with me: "Reading Rainbow," "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" and "Sesame Street." (As a quick aside, I remember how funny it must have been hearing a kid trying to mimic the baritone part of the Carmen Sandiego theme song.)

Now that I look back at it, maybe I took all that for granted.

It might be hard to believe there was readily accessible programming where a vampire could teach how to count numbers, and you could learn how to be a dete...

nj.com • December 18 2024

N.J.'s Donna Missal lived in her car to keep dream alive. Her homecoming show was a triumph.

Los Angeles spells promise for many musicians, and New Jersey’s Donna Missal was no exception.The singer-songwriter from Somerset was on the upswing: Her 2016 self-released “Keep Lying” demo premiered on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show and reached the top of Spotify’s Viral charts with streams exceeding 1.5 million.Missal was lauded for her explosive, smoky voice, and emotionally raw perspective. As a new artist, she was more seasoned than most, honing her craft through childhood at her father’s...

nj.com • December 17 2024

‘Can I tell my story?’ Previously incarcerated people find their voice on stage in new program

“Archomen!”The small audience shouted the word, Greek for “we begin,” in unison as they sat around tables inside Newark’s Black Box Theater earlier this month.The 100 or so attendees were there to support their friends or family members, for whom a new beginning is a profound gift: seven previously incarcerated men, who stood on the stage and channeled their stories of struggle and re-assimilation into an art form that moved the room.The performers were enrolled in Ritual4Return, a Newark-based...