Zeros

Macklemore, Lil Durk, and the Great Pop-Music Reality Gap There is something almost performance-art-like about how pop music culture decides what counts as a scandal. Take Macklemore . He has been caught in two very different controversies involving Israel and Palestine , and they are worth separating because apparently nobody has time for that anymore . There was the costume controversy, dating back years , involving an outfit widely criticized as a Jewish caricature . That is one conversation . Then there is Macklemore the political speaker , who has repeatedly used his public platform to advocate for Palestinians, most recently giving a pro-Palestinian speech at a September concert and performing Hind’s Hall . That controversy is about political speech and the consequences of making it onstage . Those things are not automatically the same thing. But modern media discourse apparently prefers a blender. Macklemore has now been removed from the U.S. portion of Ed Sheeran...

In San Francisco , the debate over public safety technology has recently centered on Flock Safety cameras and digital currency billionaire Chris Larsen's role in expanding their use. Flock Safety, founded in 2017 and based in Atlanta , produces automated license plate reader cameras and other surveillance tools marketed to neighborhoods, businesses, homeowners associations, and law enforcement agencies. Unlike a traditional security camera that records continuous video , Flock cameras use motion activation and computer vision to capture still images of vehicles, including license plates, make, model, color, and other identifying features. The images are stored in a searchable database for a set period, typically 30 days , and can be searched by law enforcement to investigate crimes such as stolen vehicles, burglaries, and package thefts. Supporters describe them as a tool for solving crime after it happens, while critics raise concerns about privacy, data retention,...

Shoulda Never Left: Usher Lands Back on the Billboard Hot 100 A Babyface -penned duet with Kehlani puts one of R&B's great voices back on the chart. Whether it means anything more than that is the question worth asking. Kehlani dropped her self-titled fifth album on April 24th — her 31st birthday, a date she apparently treats as a gift to the rest of us as well — and buried inside its seventeen tracks is a moment that will register differently depending on your vintage as an R&B fan. Track eight is titled Shoulda Never , featuring Usher . It is penned by Babyface. It is on the Billboard Hot 100. If you are of a certain age, you are permitted a quiet exhale. The collaboration has a backstory worth knowing. Kehlani had originally wanted Usher for the remix of Folded , the breakout single that earned her first two Grammy wins , and became something of a generational anthem for a younger R&B audience. Usher was on the road — his Past Present Future tour had h...