Best of 2019

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  The Highwomen and the Year of Brandi Carlile

  PUBLISHED Dec 11, 2019

  From playing an instrumental role in the making of a music legend's comeback record to becoming part of a country supergroup with a purpose...

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  From Meme to Movement: How Megan Thee Stallion's 'Hot Girl Summer' Went from Internet Trend to Cultural Shift

  PUBLISHED Dec 11, 2019

  This year, three simple words shook up the internet and permeated the pop culture lexicon: Hot Girl Summer. But how did the term, coined by...

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  Exclaim!'s 10 Best Folk and Country Albums of 2019

  PUBLISHED Dec 10, 2019

  "The stigma that country music is made for well-adjusted straight white men is just baloney," says current Exclaim! cover star Orville Peck...

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  Lil Nas X and the Challenge to Country Culture

  PUBLISHED Dec 10, 2019

  When Solange Knowles released her fourth studio album, When I Get Home, in March 2019, she did it to highlight Black cowboy culture.   "I k...

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  How Music Felt the Climate Emergency in 2019

  PUBLISHED Dec 10, 2019

  As climate anxiety worsened and world leaders ignored mounting pleas from scientists, the climate emergency defined the way we looked at th...

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  Exclaim!'s 15 Best Films of 2019

  PUBLISHED Dec 9, 2019

  All of 2019's top-grossing films were either superhero blockbusters (Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home) or Disney reboots (The L...

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  Exclaim!'s 10 Best Metal and Hardcore Albums of 2019

  PUBLISHED Dec 6, 2019

  This year, metal and hardcore had something for everyone. Legendary acts like Slipknot and Tool ended lengthy studio droughts to give their...

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  Exclaim!'s 10 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019

  PUBLISHED Dec 5, 2019

  This year in hip-hop belonged to the new guard, who continued to expand the culture to include all sorts of fresh viewpoints and perspectiv...