Defiant to the end—or, more likely, this is some kind of beginning—KESHA returns from a long, painfully public four-year absence with a single and video called "PRAYING" in which she isn't the one doing the praying. There's no secret who the song is about, even if she doesn't say so in her essay about fighting back in LENNY. But it doesn't matter if your sympathies are with Kesha, LUKE, both or neither. "Praying" is a raw, stripped-down ballad about freedom, independence and rising above that serves as a welcome reintroduction of a strong female voice... And for anyone who needs a reminder, it isn't easy being a woman in this game... It isn't easy being a streaming service either. SOUNDCLOUD's drastic staff cuts Thursday were seen variously as a last-ditch attempt to stave off and/or position itself for a sale or a sign that the economics of streaming aren't working. Either way, SoundCloud's future seems cloudier than ever. As a service for DJs, indie labels, unsigned bands and any number of other constituencies, it's still a unique, essential service. Dear labels, publishers, everybody else: Support it. Please... Is JAY-Z anti-Semitic? For what it's worth, there are two Jewish stereotypes in one verse in "THE STORY OF OJ": 1) Own all the property in AMERICA. 2) "Credit," which sort of implies they own all the banks. Also for what it's worth, it's immediately preceded by an African-American stereotype: Don't know how to save money. There's a lot of ugliness behind that verse, and I won't blanket defend it, but context matters: It's a song (and video) about stereotypes. The ugliness extends in many directions, and deep into history. It's a song that uses self-deprecation and dark humor to talk about all this. And he's not saying f*** those property-owners. He's saying good for them. He's saying emulate them. It's a great, complicated, troubling song. Great art. My first response wasn't to say, "Apologize now." My first response was to keep listening. To ask deeper questions. Questions that are easily masked by one or two provocative lines. There has been lots of discussion of those lines, and I hope Jay-Z keeps listening, too... It's FRIDAY and that means new music from HAIM—god I love Haim—21 SAVAGE, PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING, TORO Y MOI, UGLY GOD, THIS IS THE KIT, CHARLEY PRIDE, DJ SHADOW, TWISTA, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, SARAH JAFFE, TRISTEN and THE MELVINS... RIP electronic music pioneer PIERRE HENRY.