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 | 1722 | Founded | 4 years ago | Last Issue | 2 days ago |
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shatterthestandards.comLatest Issues
Album Review: EXPERIMENTAL RAP by JPEGMAFIA
Courtesy of AWAL Recordings America, Inc.
You may have arrived at this album with a tweet already written. JPEGMAFIA built his career on noise about noise, his provocations had outpaced his writing, “king of experimental rap” was being sho...
Album Review: Love You, Mean It by Patrick Paige II
Courtesy of Patrick Paige II.
“I wanna make us a team, but I wanna be ref.” Patrick Paige II sings that line on “Let Me Down Easy,” wanting the partnership and the whistle inside it. He’d rather be wrong about himself out loud than right a...
Album Review: the color of rain by aja monet
Courtesy of drink sum wtr.
Three miles from where the Eaton fire burned is Altadena, with Octavia Butler’s headstone. And in “hollyweird,” the late novelist newscasts from her gravesite. A marching band has been cut down to four members, b...
New Music Drops: May 22, 2026
Albums / Deluxe / EPs
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Bleachers: Everyone for Ten Minutes
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6LACK: Love Is the New Gangsta
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Chuck D & John Densmore: do+pe = no country for old men
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MGK & Wiz Khalifa: blog era boyz
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JPEGMAFIA: EXPERIMENTAL RAP
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Album Review: Love Is the New Gangsta by 6LACK
Courtesy of LVRN/Interscope Records.
Love Is the New Gangsta arrives with a caption promoted to cover, inviting the easy take that 6LACK has confused a marketing line for an argument. On “Bounty,” a four-bar revenge fantasy operating as Ex...
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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.
the internet's biggest unknown Dilla fan
An R&B historian that explores Black music’s roots, evolution, and cultural impact.
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.
Joelle loves the messy draft of a career and says so with care.
essayist / critic-at-large things will be okay in the end.
\ud83d\ude0e
Massive fan of creative nonfiction, essays, and advocacy for the rights of Black women.
Chicago essayist, half-poet, half-sociologist, focuses on Black intimacy and the politics of softness in hip-hop and soul.
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.
Veteran beat writer turned culture essayist; has a conversational authority that grounds experimental work.
\ud835\udff7\ud835\udffe\ud835\udffe\ud835\udffd / *\ud83e\uddf8\ud83c\udf38\ud83d\udd2e * / \ud835\ude8b\ud835\ude8e \ud835\ude8c\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude96\ud835\ude8f\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude9b\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude8b\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude8e \ud835\ude8b\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude97\... more
Hammond sessions loading. Former blog writer-turned-columnist focused on singers (at times, rappers), arrangers, and honest stage craft.
Writes about rap, R&B, and pop with a voice that feels lived-in.
an aspiring writer with family stories in the margins
音楽、映画、テレビ番組などについて個人的な意見を書いたり、記録したりメモしたりするのが好きです。読みにくい部分もあるかもしれませんが、ご容赦ください。
MiamiFlorida | I’m pretty chill | FAMU Rattler
I'm a writer at heart, but music is my drug. Closed mouths don't get fed. For MC.
1887\ud83d\udc0d.
i got humor, taste, and a useful side-eye \ud83d\ude18\ud83d\udc8b
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