The Grammys Have One Job—and This Year They Actually Did It
Much like Beyoncé, we were surprised (in a good way) by the 2025 awards.
Essay
13 articles
Pussy-Eating Rap Has Come a Long Way
Rappers love cunnilingus. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best—and worst—examples in this storied tradition.
The Conceptual House Album That Tells the Bittersweet Story of Newark’s Post-Civil Rights Era
The New Jersey trio Blaze’s singular 1990 record ‘25 Years Later’ wrestles with the unfulfilled promises of Black liberation.
How Four Elder Millennial Indie Artists Embraced Middle Age in 2024
Vampire Weekend, How to Dress Well, Bat for Lashes, and Los Campesinos! all returned with their most rewarding albums in more than a decade.
The Aggressive Beauty of DMV Crank, 2024’s Most Exciting Rap Subgenre
Marked by a mix of wild samples and delirious tempos, the scene is giving rise to striving young stars including Skino, Nino Paid, and Jaeychino.
The Country Music Establishment Could No Longer Dismiss Black and Latine Voices in 2024
From Shaboozey and Beyoncé to Carín León and Grupo Frontera, country has never sounded—or looked—more like America itself.
Dub Techno, Club’s Weediest Genre, Rises Again
Chronicling dance music’s current pendulum shift to lower, slower sounds that go on forever
MF Doom’s ‘MM..Food Drive Tour’ Documentary Is the Weird (and Wonderful) Tribute He Deserves
Unpacking the hip-hop supervillain’s complicated revival 20 years after his classic album ‘MM..Food.’
Modes of Transportation
I thought that finding the right music—black metal, ‘Loveless,’ Hole, R.E.M.—could help me to finally feel like a woman. The truth was more complicated.
Megan Thee Stallion Got Through Her Trials in Spite of Us
The Houston rapper has spent much of her time in the spotlight playing defense. In her new documentary, and on her new album, she grapples with a culture that does not believe her truth.
Noah Kahan and Pop’s Beta-Male Backlash Against Trumpism
If Tim Walz is Everyone’s Dad, then Noah Kahan is Everyone’s Hometown Boyfriend. He offers a fantasy for the whole family.
Ka Gave All of Himself at His Pop-Ups
Remembering the late indie rap hero, who was a scarce public presence but always made time for his devout fans.