We are dedicated to celebrating milestones, unearthing lesser-known musical gems, and promoting discussions around albums and new music that might not receive ample attention in mainstream conversations.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 2192 | Founded | 4 years ago | Last Issue | 3 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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shatterthestandards.comLatest Issues
Album Review: Caged Bird by Ekep Nkwelle
Courtesy of Mack Avenue Records.
Buck Hill worked as a mailman for 40 years in Washington, DC. When Miles Davis asked him to go on the road, he refused since that would mean giving up his early morning routine of playing the tenor saxophon...
Album Review: Hope Is a Heavy Thing by Joy Oladokun
Courtesy of Concord Records.
If you had asked Joy Oladokun to describe herself, she would have probably come up with a list like this: queer. Black. First-generation. It makes sense. Her parents came to the U.S. from Nigeria, leaving their...
Album Review: MettaSun by Jimetta Rose
Courtesy of Day Dreamer.
Voices of Creation began with a social media call and a huge response. The person doing the calling was Jimetta Rose, a singer deeply embedded in Los Angeles’ beat and soul scenes, with collaborations including Geo...
Flwr Chyld Is Expanding the Definition of His Own Work
Defying categorization has long been a theme in Flwr Chyld’s career. It started early on for the Atlanta-born producer. When he relocated to New York, Flwr Chyld found an important catalyst for his restlessness. He allowed himself to absorb...
Album Review: Memory Bomb by Kiefer
Courtesy of Blue Note Records.
San Diego-born Kiefer Shackelford started playing piano as a kid. His parents, both aerospace engineers and pianists, divided instruction between them. Early on, his mother taught him to read music and began...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Shatter the Standards sparks discussion around albums and new music that mainstream outlets often overlook, elevates the next generation, provides context, and keeps hyperbolic industry chatter out of the room.
THĒO. I’m a Full Sail alumnus, trained writer, vinyl obsessive, and GROAVEN/REI Tastemaker Council/Shatter the Standards’ primary architect.
I'm a freelance writer finishing up my New Media Journalism master of arts degree. When I'm not working, I’ll turn on my playlist in my spare time.
Amplify the global Black soundscape—connecting legacy, politics, and future-leaning music culture in one feed.
Celebrate the depths of modern soul—documenting the intimate frequencies of R&B, hip-hop soul, neo-soul, and groove-centered art across the diaspora.
keeps the writing small so the meaning can grow. *this profile is not meant to impersonate anybody as I love Iman*
The truth is inconvenient as non-believers.
Hammond sessions loading. Former blog writer-turned-columnist focused on singers (at times, rappers), arrangers, and honest stage craft.
People read about you and think you're on top of the world, have everything you want, and can have any woman you want when you're not.
I'm a writer at heart, but music is my drug. Closed mouths don't get fed. For MC.
* Chef & poet * Child of God * Follower of Yeshua * Born in Brooklyn, NY. Living in Vegas \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf2
I’m a tough-love mentor type. Knows archival R&B and label politics but still curious about TikTok sampling culture.
curious, stubborn, fair
♡ assistant editor \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9
love all, above else. \ud83e\udd0e
Soul and funk historian, and one of the anchors for any lineage project.
Community-minded writer.
focus with intuition. i’m always chasing the next thing that feels true.
it’s a bloom in disguise that the work can look messy first then hit you later like it always knew where it was going
Ephesians 2:8 \ud83d\udc9b
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