The creative soul of Richmond has been flourishing for years. Within the past two, it’s made itself known through Endling, a creative collective of underground hip-hop artists who have one goal: to prevent the underground from dying. From originating in house shows to...
Richmond has always produced world-class talent and just as often, watched it leave. That cycle was exactly what Warren Jones, performer and co-founder of Prison Religion, and Christian Detres, filmmaker and longtime RVA Magazine contributor, set out to change. Their answer is Southern Gothic, a new festival by Black Ether, Halcyon Veil and See...
Unsigned but far from unseen, Richmond’s own Alexander Mack is pulling over 35,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with standout tracks like “Young Man” crossing 1.3 million streams. On YouTube, his video for “Cucumber Cool” has racked up over 367,000 views in just a few months. No label. No co-sign. Just well-produced, thoughtful music, rooted in...
Don’t let the name fool you, the Richmond Jazz & Music Festival, happening August 8–10, 2025, isn’t just about jazz. This year, hip hop isn’t just part of the mix, it’s taking center stage. It’s been moving in that direction for a while, but now the shift feels complete. As the festival continues to evolve, it’s embracing the full...
The more I sat with this album, the more the title started to hit different. Pigs can’t fly, and Northside kids aren’t supposed to either. That’s the lie they grow up hearing. It echoes in the way just surviving gets mistaken for success. Don’t aim too high. Don’t miss. Pigs Can’t Fly Vol. 1, the album Troy made with producer Fan Ran and vocalist...
Return To Forever: A Profound Discovery is what happens when a lyricist stops performing survival and starts narrating resurrection. Ty Sorrell, paired with the crate-dug alchemy of Profound79, delivers an album that doesn’t chase trends so much as it chases truth. Across these tracks, the Richmond-by-way-of-Dumfries emcee doesn’t posture, he...
Let’s be honest: most local summer music guides read like they were written by someone who’s never been to a show. A few safe headliners. Maybe a festival or two. So we made our own and put it all in one place for easy reference. This is RVA Magazine’s unofficial, unfiltered field guide to the music we actually care about this summer....
Richmond gets it. More than any other city in Virginia. So here’s Weekend Frequency, a weekly, reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city. Weekend Frequency is part revival and part continuation of our RVA Mag Weekend Playlists which we curated before the world flipped upside down in 2020. Feel free to dig through our...
Richmond gets it. More than any other city in Virginia. So here’s Weekend Frequency, a weekly, reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city. Weekend Frequency is part revival and part continuation of our RVA Mag Weekend Playlists which we curated before the world flipped upside down in 2020. Feel free to dig through our...
Music is the lifeblood of our city. The late-night sets, the sweat-soaked venues, the dusty record bins filled with sonic treasures and hidden frequencies. Richmond gets this— more than any other city in Virginia. So here’s Weekend Frequency—a weekly, reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city. Part revival and part continuation...
