Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 18, 2025
April 18, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment



Cam’ron revolutionized rap with Purple Haze

This has been a fairly light week for new music, so I have decided to turn my eyes back to some classic albums that aren’t talked about as much as they should be. The first on this list is one of my personal favorite albums, Purple Haze, by objectively the most charismatic rapper of all time, Cam’ron.



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 Josh Gad plays LeFou in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast.

Analyzing Disney’s first openly-gay character

When Disney announced that Beauty and the Beast would feature their first openly gay character, the response on social media was explosive. Many fans were excited to finally see some diversity in a company that has recently come under fire for exclusionary practices.


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 Kendrick Lamar recently released his newest album, 2017’s DAMN.

DAMN. fails to move Kendrick forward

DAMN. is a strong album that only suffers because it comes off the heels of a near-perfect album that I believe will come to define the 2010s. The album has verses and production that not only sets it apart from the other rap albums that were released this year but also those released last year.




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Future Islands’ William Cashion has garnered comparisons to Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order.

William Cashion talks The Far Field tour

The Baltimore-based band Future Islands kicked off the tour for their new album The Far Field with a release party at the Ottobar on Friday, April 7, followed by an additional three night residency at the venue.


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Troian Bellasario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse (L to R) have starred in the hit teen drama since 2010.

Pretty Little Liars shocks audiences once again

Long-time Freeform (formerly ABC Family) hit Pretty Little Liars (PLL) has finally begun to unveil its endgame in the back half of its seventh and final season. The first of 10 final episodes aired Tuesday, promising viewers an addictive, unpredictable ride, as always.


COURTESY OF GILLIAN LELCHUK

Spring Awakening wows audiences

The last time I saw anything involving live acting was my high school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, which, if you do not know, has something to do with an anthropomorphic plant that eats people while singing jazzy tunes.


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Samuel T. Herring is the frontman of the enigmatic Baltimore-based indie rock band, Future Islands.

Future Islands captivate at Ottobar show

There was excitement in the air at Future Islands’ Friday night show, held at the Ottobar to celebrate the release of their latest album, The Far Field. By inviting Nerftoss and Soul Cannon to open and choosing to play at Ottobar in lieu of a larger venue, Future Islands seemed to be giving back to the Baltimore community, which frontman Samuel T. Herring emphasized has meant a lot to the band.


Queer representation falls short in media

A lot of people think that the issue of queer representation in the media ended in 2004 with Damian from Mean Girls in the same way that many people think the larger battle for gay rights ended with the establishment of marriage equality in 2015.


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Joey Bada$$ released his sophomore studio album this past Friday.

Joey Bada$$ goes radio-friendly with new album

Joey Bada$$ is a miracle. At a time when New York and East Coast hip-hop as a collective was being mocked, ridiculed and disdained, Joey, this wiry, wide-eyed 18-year-old kid dropped his first mixtape, 1999, and changed the status and esteem of a whole coast.




Legion plays with viewers’ expectations

Early on in the first episode FX’s Legion, a character’s memory of a pivotal event is dissected. Thirty minutes later another character enters and essentially tells the audience that the previous memory was fabricated.


 COURTESY OF JACOB TOOK
John Waters’ latest book, Make Trouble, is based off a commencement speech he gave in 2015.

Make Trouble showcases John Waters’ range

If you haven’t seen Pink Flamingos, please do yourself a favor and take care of that now. Fair warning: It’s by far the most disgusting film ever made, so as long as you aren’t alone and you aren’t sober, you’ll love it.


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Shonda Rhimes created the hit clinical drama, Grey’s Anatomy.SHONDA RHIMES

Grey’s Anatomy star directs latest episode

Long-time Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) made her directorial debut in last Thursday’s poignant and beautifully cinematic episode “Be Still, My Soul,” the 18th episode of season 13, which chronicles a cancer treatment that hits close to home for the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial and explores the idea that love can sometimes do more harm than good.


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Ed Sheeran has recently released his newest studio album, Divide.

Ed Sheeran falters with latest album, Divide

After three years without new music and a self-imposed social media hiatus, Ed Sheeran finally released his newest album, Divide (÷), on March 3. New listeners and devoted fans alike will find the exceptional guitar skills and raw vocals that have solidified Sheeran’s popularity in full supply on this new album, but they can also expect to witness Sheeran’s notable evolution into different musical styles.


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Freddie Gibbs returns with his latest studio album, You Only Live 2wice, following Shadow of a Doubt.

You Only Live 2wice marks the return of Gibbs

Freddie Gibbs (aka Freddie Gordy, Gangsta Gibbs) has been rapping for years, but his rise was fairly recent. He caught buzz over mixtapes and small, local songs before truly blowing up through his masterful collaboration with Madlib (Piñata)as well as his great follow up album, Shadow of a Doubt.


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