June 8, 2012 – Happy birthday, Kanye West!

May 8, 2012 – Maurice Sendak, author of wildly influential, deeply moody children's books — including, most notably,1963's Where the Wild Things Are — died this morning in Connecticut at age 83. In the nearly 50 years since its publication, the book, which takes a characteristically dark view of kids' imaginations and independence, has had a formative effect on artists of all kinds. The Young Wild Things Tour Probably no surprise that early-aughts heart-on-their-hoodie-sleeves emo acts identified with Where the Wild Things Are as a totem of lost childhood. So certainly no surprise that Fall Out Boy, of all bands would incorporate the imagery for their 2007 Young Wild Things tour with Gym Class Heroes and Plain White Ts. ("Where the Wild Things Are is a great narrative," Wentz told MTV in 2007.

May 4, 2012 – Beat-reversing, 808-abusing, sample-stacking, pop-culture-flipping models of the alternative spirit, the Beastie Boys have influenced generation after generation of rappers. The young bucks in the New Hip-Hop Underground don't even know a time when the trio wasn't rhyming and stealing on MTV. We asked a few for their thoughts and remembrances... Danny Brown "I was super influenced by their music. I still listen to Hello Nasty from time to time and I want to send my condolences to his family. The Beasties are legends in hip-hop and MCA will never be forgotten." Slim Gravy, A.Dd+ "Most people would never expect that Beastie Boys have impacted Dallas and Texas music, but artists like Big Tuck and UGK have sampled their work for some of their biggest songs. When Paris P and I first started rapping, we wrote to "Intergalactic," which was not easy.

May 4, 2012 – After a long battle with cancer, pioneering rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys has passed away at the age of 47. His trademark rasp spawned more than 30 years of boundary-pushing, body-moving music, as the three New York City co-conspirators evolved from egg-throwing teenage hardcore brats to beer-spraying hip-hop ambassadors to picket-crossing alternative-nation humanists to arena-headlining, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-endorsed legends. Look back with us, as three SPIN editors plunge into MCA's legacy of sure shots, bonus beats, and the songs that wouldn't exist without him.THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT TRACKS 1. Beastie Boys - "Hold It, Now Hit It" (Licensed to Ill, 1986) Debut album Licensed to Ill was advertised by Def Jam as "American rock'n'oll," and nowhere is that spirit better embodied than by MCA's belchy voice in the album's first single.

May 3, 2012 – To celebrate the new generation of shredders profiled in our May/June "Loud Issue," the SPIN staff decided to find some wheedle in a haystack, taking on the impossible task of ranking our favorite guitar players of all time. Traditionally, the "greatest guitarist" timeline begins with Robert Johnson magically conjuring the blues, nears perfection with Eric Clapton mutating it beatifically, and then ultimately reaches a boomer-baiting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame apotheosis with the free-spirited Jimi Hendrix shooting it into space like feedback-laden fireworks.

April 23, 2012 – "Sophomore slump," "fell off," "their moment has passed" — these are all euphemisms rock critics use to say, "You fucked up." And pretty much every band has done just that at some point (seriously, when was the last time you played Yellow Submarine?) So, welcome to SPIN's tribute to 30 Sabermetrics anomalies who somehow have gone years (or decades!) without a truly bad album, creative crash, or dip in quality. "Band releases fifth good record in a row" isn't exactly a headline that gets readers salivating, and, in turn, the deafening hum of buzz bands often drowns out the veteran acts who work diligently to maintain consistency.

March 22, 2012 – "I don't like being called a two-piece band,"says JEFF The Brotherhood guitarist Jake Orral. "One of my big problems with two-piece bands is that they try to do too much. That's why I kept three strings on. Because you can't really do too much with three strings and you can't really do too much with two people. So you might as well not do more than you can, right?" It's the opening scene to the inaugural episode of Red Bull Soundstage's Sound and Vision series, a glimpse at the Brothers Orral at home in their native Nashville, looking back on their punk rock beginnings and pondering the current state of their two-piece band as well as that of their label, Infinity Cat. Check it out:

March 22, 2012 – Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, America needs new enemies upon whom we can dump our never-ending supply of scorn and bile. We decided to look at the most dissed and dismissed artists in pop history, exploring both the causes (racism, sexism, wicked clownism) and the effects. Some artists caught a raw deal, and some got off easy (though no attempt at objectivity could overcome the fact that Kenny G made Namaste India last year). Regardless, all of these artists were, at one time or another, guilty in the court of public opinion.

March 18, 2012 – SPIN stuck a camera in 50-plus artists' faces — don't miss our gallery of SXSW's best live shots! Sleigh Bells: SXSW usually manages to cram a few poppy voices in amongst the rackets, beats, shouts, and rhymes emanating from the city's billion clubs. A few years ago, Robyn gave a breakout performance at Perez Hiton's party, of all places. This year's breath-of-fresh-air was Alexis Krauss, a.k.a. half of SPIN cover stars Sleigh Bells, who wrapped their VEVO-broadcasted set at Austin City Limits Live as forcefully as they'd started it, thick beams of red light cutting through the air with as much power as Derek Miller's beer-shaking riffs. Krauss charged around the stage, marching and kicking, finally landing in the crowd, flat on her back, singing "End of the Line." Not a bad way to end four days of nonstop noise. CARYN GANZ Ceremony: South by Southwest is one big photo op.

March 17, 2012 – Read about SXSW's best acts, then see them in action in our live gallery! Jack White: At times Jack White can seem like he's defined more by the things he rejects — digital recording, non-primary colors, music post-1975 — than those he embraces. But last night at the Third Man Records/From the Basement party at Stages, playing in front of a packed crowd that included Bill Murray and Third Man label signee John C. Reilly, White wrapped his arms around the entirety of his career, playing songs by the Raconteurs, Dead Weather, and White Stripes, as well as ones from his upcoming solo debut, Blunderbuss. For a dude who can come off a bit hermetic, this was an inclusive celebration. And it was great. Split into two sets — the first played with an all-female backing band, the second all dudes — White was on fire.