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 | 1801 | Founded | 4 years ago | Last Issue | 5 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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shatterthestandards.comLatest Issues
Album Review: Ancient History by Wiki
Courtesy of Wikiset Enterprise.
Patrick Morales raps as Wiki and has spent a decade turning New York sidewalks into fodder. A woman’s voice opens “GTFOH” mid-sentence, as people are apt to do once they already know the end of the story. Sh...
Album Review: Labor of Love by Blxst
Courtesy of International Blxst LLC / EMPIRE.
The opening voice on Labor of Love is doing no singing at all. Over stripped-down keys, dry and right up close, Blxst lays out the argument he’s here to make: Love is just something you keep sh...
Album Review: A Little Vengeance by Jessie Reyez
Courtesy of FMLY/Island Records.
Most breakup albums aim for the dirtiest thing the singer could possibly say, and then say it. Jessie Reyez just keeps going back for the worst and then recoils. On A Little Vengeance, she performs like a p...
Album Review: So Help Me God by Kelsey Lu
Courtesy of Dirty Hit.
Most break-up songs are predicated on the exit. The door is closed, the lesson learned, the singer exits to a more liberated life. Kelsey Lu, the cellist and composer who scored films and occupied a Blue Note residen...
Album Review: INFINITY SONG by Infinity Song
Courtesy of Roc Nation Records, LLC.
Four kids who grew up around a Detroit choir decamped for the east and began street-performing the loudest, liveliest rooms in the city—Bethesda Fountain, Times Square, the marble floor of Grand Central...
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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.
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.
the internet's biggest unknown Dilla fan
Fresh start.//be so good that they can't ignore you. Humble beginning and a glorious ending !
"Never underestimate your power to take your life in a new direction."
Co-founder and senior editor of GROAVEN. DMs still closed on other socials.
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.
Soul and funk historian, and one of the anchors for any lineage project.
The one and only associate staff writer for Words Past da Margin (Shatter the Standards)
Words Past da Margin documents the culture as craft, history, and lived record. They document, decode, and celebrate the full spectrum of hip-hop, so every style speaks past the margins of Black music history.
This is the big bang, so unpredictable
Scene maps and steady reporting.
Joelle loves the messy draft of a career and says so with care.
The truth is inconvenient as non-believers.
faith > fear
Veteran beat writer turned culture essayist; has a conversational authority that grounds experimental work.
allergic to the hype
Says what he saw, not what the timeline said.
contributing writer for visual culture, cover art history, and salon-level critique
Essays on rap and R&B that prioritize clarity over flourish. \ud83d\udcdd
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