SAMPLED▌ FRONT AND CENTER
Is LUNA Really Free? The Free DAWs Worth Downloading on Mac, Windows and iPad
Universal Audio's LUNA now costs nothing on Mac and Windows. Here is what that gets you, plus the other free DAWs worth your time, including Sampledex on iPad, Mac and Windows.
// also right now
GearWhat Equipment Do You Need to Start a Video Podcast at Home?
A home podcast studio built from gear I actually use: a 4K webcam, a pair of tracking PTZ cameras and the headphones every broadcast booth already owns.
FeatureIs Sampledex for iPad a Real Free DAW, and What Can It Do?
Robert Clemons has brought Sampledex from the Mac to the iPad as a free download. Here is what it does, what it can't do, and who it's for.
// from the dispatch
Steve Lacy returns with 'The Feeling,' the first signal from 'Oh Yeah?'
The Internet alum re-emerges with a lean, hooded video and a July 17 album date — the first new Steve Lacy material since 'Gemini Rights'.
Governors Ball 2026: Lorde, Stray Kids and A$AP Rocky cap the loudest lineup since the Flushing Meadows move
Three nights in Queens, June 5–7. K-pop's first Gov Ball headliner, a Clipse reunion set, and a Sunday undercard worth showing up at 1pm for.
Atlanta’s New Pulse: Ealuhri and Popstar Benny Stake Their Claim
By fusing Opium-inflected aggression with local grit, Ealuhri is positioning himself as the essential link in the city's evolving underground.
Every sample and interpolation on Kendrick Lamar's GNX
From Debbie Deb to Jon Hopkins to a 1979 Disney score — the full sample map of Kendrick's surprise sixth album, cross-checked against the credits.
VICTIM15 is turning utility into urban luxury
Shareef Mosby's Black-led label sits between workwear toughness and runway polish — and the 2025 Change of Fashion show at NYFW proved the pitch lands.
Rapper Watch Alert: BunnaB is building the summer one cookout at a time
A new entry in our Rapper Watch series — BunnaB stacks singles, hits Route 29 Pavilion and Myrtle Beach in June, and turns the Ice Cream Summer / Bunna Summa run into a region-by-region rollout.
Lucki finally became mainstream by refusing to stop sounding like Lucki
Dr*gs R Bad debuts at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, a Bad Influence Tour with Sk8star is locked in, and a documentary is on the way — all without sanding down the mumble.
Nettspend, Gucci, and the moment underground rap became a casting call
An 18-year-old viral rapper from Virginia walked Demna's first Gucci show in lavender snakeskin. The album landed three weeks later. The pipeline from SoundCloud to Milan is now a single hallway.
Jerk Rap Isn't a Meme Anymore — It's the New Club Language
How xaviersobased, 1c34, Yhapojj and a Milwaukee-lowend-fed SoundCloud underground turned a microgenre into the loudest sound in the room.