To understand just how out-of-place Nine Inch Nails were in 1999, you only have to look at that year's MTV Video Music Awards. The 1998 VMAs, like so many of the years before it, were dominated by music that strove for seriousness — rap, alt-rock, Madonna when she was making electronica and bringing Lenny Kravitz out onstage with her. Hole played the 1998 VMAs. So did Marilyn Manson and the Beastie Boys and the Dave Matthews Band. If Nine Inch Nails had played the 1998 VMAs, maybe they would've made sense. But 1999 was different. 1999 was the first VMAs since MTV had introduced the after-school show Total Request Live, and so that year's show marked a sort of coronation of the new breed of flashy, upbeat, larger-than-life pop stars. Kid Rock opened the 1999 VMAs with Run-DMC and Aerosmith. Eminem closed the show with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Britney Spears and 'NSync performed together on a stage that was made up to look like a high-school classroom. The Backstreet Boys had made their

Miley Cyrus performed at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas last night, her first show since she got divorced from Liam Hemsworth. (Though she did sing at the MTV Video Music Awards a few weeks ago, doing "Slide Away," her new single inspired by the split.) The 8-song set contained two covers: one of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and another of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog," the latter of which she's done a couple times at other festival appearances this summer. The Pink Floyd cover was brand-new, however, as was her rendition of "Don't Call Me An Angel," the Charlie's Angels movie theme song that came out last week and also features Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey. She only did a little bit of that last one. You can watch video from the performance below.

Chuck Berry passed away today, 3/18/17, at age 90. R.I.P. This feature originally ran in 2016. Chuck Berry sons them all. Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles — if they picked up a guitar and called their music rock 'n' roll, Berry’s influence is undeniable as a progenitor of the genre. Berry was 29 when Leonard Chess, founder of Chicago's Chess Records, signed him based on the inventive strength of his blistering, agile guitar playing — playing that injected effervescence into a combination of bluegrass, country, and blues, and made the meld irresistibly infectious. Berry's rendition of Bob Wills' country jig "Ida Red," which was developed into his early chart hit "Maybellene," is what inspired Chess to sign him to his namesake imprint. It hit on the Billboard pop chart (and on the R&B chart) and was the catalyst for an impressive run of smash hits that would inspire the icons above and leave an indelible mark on music. Along with the news of Berry turning 90

Chuck Berry passed away today, 3/18/17, at age 90. R.I.P. This feature originally ran in 2016. Chuck Berry sons them all. Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles — if they picked up a guitar and called their music rock 'n' roll, Berry’s influence is undeniable as a progenitor of the genre. Berry was 29 when Leonard Chess, founder of Chicago's Chess Records, signed him based on the inventive strength of his blistering, agile guitar playing — playing that injected effervescence into a combination of bluegrass, country, and blues, and made the meld irresistibly infectious. Berry's rendition of Bob Wills' country jig "Ida Red," which was developed into his early chart hit "Maybellene," is what inspired Chess to sign him to his namesake imprint. It hit on the Billboard pop chart (and on the R&B chart) and was the catalyst for an impressive run of smash hits that would inspire the icons above and leave an indelible mark on music. Along with the news of Berry turning 90

Chuck Berry passed away today, 3/18/17, at age 90. R.I.P. This feature originally ran in 2016. Chuck Berry sons them all. Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles — if they picked up a guitar and called their music rock 'n' roll, Berry’s influence is undeniable as a progenitor of the genre. Berry was 29 when Leonard Chess, founder of Chicago's Chess Records, signed him based on the inventive strength of his blistering, agile guitar playing — playing that injected effervescence into a combination of bluegrass, country, and blues, and made the meld irresistibly infectious. Berry's rendition of Bob Wills' country jig "Ida Red," which was developed into his early chart hit "Maybellene," is what inspired Chess to sign him to his namesake imprint. It hit on the Billboard pop chart (and on the R&B chart) and was the catalyst for an impressive run of smash hits that would inspire the icons above and leave an indelible mark on music. Along with the news of Berry turning 90

Chuck Berry passed away today, 3/18/17, at age 90. R.I.P. This feature originally ran in 2016. Chuck Berry sons them all. Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles — if they picked up a guitar and called their music rock 'n' roll, Berry’s influence is undeniable as a progenitor of the genre. Berry was 29 when Leonard Chess, founder of Chicago's Chess Records, signed him based on the inventive strength of his blistering, agile guitar playing — playing that injected effervescence into a combination of bluegrass, country, and blues, and made the meld irresistibly infectious. Berry's rendition of Bob Wills' country jig "Ida Red," which was developed into his early chart hit "Maybellene," is what inspired Chess to sign him to his namesake imprint. It hit on the Billboard pop chart (and on the R&B chart) and was the catalyst for an impressive run of smash hits that would inspire the icons above and leave an indelible mark on music. Along with the news of Berry turning 90

Features 10 Best Songs Album Of The Week Band To Watch Breaks With Tradition Cover Story Counting Down Gotcha Covered Gummy Awards Interview Premature Evaluation Shut Up Dude Sounding Board Status Ain't Hood Stereogum Sessions Straight To Video The 5 Best Songs Of The Week The Anniversary The Black Market The Number Ones The Week In Pop Tracking Down Ugly Beauty Ultimate Playlist All Features the latest // The 5 Best Songs Of The Week The 5 Best Songs Of The Week New Music Videos Lists

Chuck Berry passed away today, 3/18/17, at age 90. R.I.P. This feature originally ran in 2016. Chuck Berry sons them all. Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles — if they picked up a guitar and called their music rock 'n' roll, Berry’s influence is undeniable as a progenitor of the genre. Berry was 29 when Leonard Chess, founder of Chicago's Chess Records, signed him based on the inventive strength of his blistering, agile guitar playing — playing that injected effervescence into a combination of bluegrass, country, and blues, and made the meld irresistibly infectious. Berry's rendition of Bob Wills' country jig "Ida Red," which was developed into his early chart hit "Maybellene," is what inspired Chess to sign him to his namesake imprint. It hit on the Billboard pop chart (and on the R&B chart) and was the catalyst for an impressive run of smash hits that would inspire the icons above and leave an indelible mark on music. Along with the news of Berry turning 90

Features 10 Best Songs Album Of The Week Band To Watch Breaks With Tradition Cover Story Counting Down Gotcha Covered Gummy Awards Interview Premature Evaluation Shut Up Dude Sounding Board Status Ain't Hood Stereogum Sessions Straight To Video The 5 Best Songs Of The Week The Anniversary The Black Market The Number Ones The Week In Pop Tracking Down Ugly Beauty Ultimate Playlist All Features the latest // The 5 Best Songs Of The Week The 5 Best Songs Of The Week New Music Videos Lists

Chuck Berry passed away today, 3/18/17, at age 90. R.I.P. This feature originally ran in 2016. Chuck Berry sons them all. Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles — if they picked up a guitar and called their music rock 'n' roll, Berry’s influence is undeniable as a progenitor of the genre. Berry was 29 when Leonard Chess, founder of Chicago's Chess Records, signed him based on the inventive strength of his blistering, agile guitar playing — playing that injected effervescence into a combination of bluegrass, country, and blues, and made the meld irresistibly infectious. Berry's rendition of Bob Wills' country jig "Ida Red," which was developed into his early chart hit "Maybellene," is what inspired Chess to sign him to his namesake imprint. It hit on the Billboard pop chart (and on the R&B chart) and was the catalyst for an impressive run of smash hits that would inspire the icons above and leave an indelible mark on music. Along with the news of Berry turning 90