search supported by:
E-Pledge
July 06, 2008 | 69°F mist

Soundcheck

50 Cent

Pumping Up the Music Biz

Thursday, January 17, 2008

50 Cent, Timbaland and Mary J. Blige are among the artists linked to shipments of steroids in a newspaper story citing confidential sources. Today, we examine what attracts musicians to performance-enhancing drugs and why the public has become conditioned to think that they're for athletes only. Also: Vocalist and composer Sofia Koutsovitis mixes music from her native Argentina with sounds from Peru, Brazil, and American jazz. She and her band join us for a live performance.

Show us your space! Starting today, enter Soundcheck's first-ever Rehearsal Space Photo Contest for your chance to win a free copy of Apple's Logic Studio software bundle. Click below for details!

Photo Contest: Show Us Your Rehearsal Space!



Steroids, Music and Image

With the sports world grappling with performance-enhancing drugs, the music industry might be next. Wyclef Jean, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent were named this week in an Albany Times Union story about steroids trafficking. The article cited confidential sources. We look at the role of performance-enhancing drugs in music.

Bob Port, senior editor of investigations at the Albany Times Union and adjunct professor at Columbia School of Journalism and James Peterson, assistant professor of English at Bucknell University and founder of Hip-Hop Scholars join us to discuss the issue of steroid use and image in hip-hop.

Weigh in: Does it matter if musicians take steroids? Should rap stars be role models?

Albany Times Union story on steroids and human growth hormone


Sofia Koutsovitis

Argentinian-born singer Sofia Koutsovitis moved to the U.S. in 2001 and began absorbing Afro-Colombian, Indian and African music traditions. The Buenos Aires native landed first in Boston, then relocated to New York -- a perfect laboratory for her musical explorations. Koutsovitis talks about her debut album, "Ojala," and performs live in our studio.

Sofia Koutsovitis' website



Previous Previous Show | Next Show Next

Web tools supported by
Print friendly format
supported by

Listen Live
FM 93.9 Windows 20k
MP3 32k
On Air: Overnight Music
AM 820 Windows 20k
MP3 32k
On Air: Newsweek On Air
Shopping Online?
Start your Amazon shopping on WNYC.org and a portion of your total purchase goes to WNYC.


Audio Search

Search current and archival WNYC broadcasts. More

In The Spotlight
Soundcheck on Facebook
Check out our *new* Facebook page for more about the show!
More
Blog Heaven
Soundcheck's Travels around the Globe
John Schaefer goes to North Korea; Soundcheck goes to Austin and to Berlin.

Soundcheck CD Picks of the Week
Each week, the Soundcheck staff digs through their in-boxes for the best, catchiest, or strangest music they can find.
More
Most Emailed