2020 Protest Raps: Music for the American Spring
These protest songs fulfill a tradition: when a crisis hits the Black community, the musicians shift to address it.
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Rap Songs for Home
As the coronavirus epidemic continues to roil the globe, this playlist of rap songs is assembled the meaning of the word “home.”
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Rap Art in the Coronavirus Era
As the world adapts to life under a global pandemic, the album art of several recent rap releases is having a noticeable impact.
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10 Great Artists I Saw Get Booed/Heckled in Concert
A list of famous artists that I saw get booed and/or heckled in concert.
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Focus On: Boom Clap Bachelors
This brief history tells the story of Boom Clap Bachelors, the enigmatic Danish electronic soul collective.
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First Wave Hip-House: 1988-1990
As a shotgun marriage between two hot springs of black innovation, hip-house’s reputation lies between unalloyed club bliss and pop kitsch.
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Madlib, the Instrumentalist
Madlib is one of the most acclaimed hip-hop producers of the past two decades. But his instrumentals often go unnoticed.
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Star Wars Funk
George Lucas’ Star Wars hit America like a pop culture meteor in the summer of 1977. The R&B scene wasn’t immune from the impact.
Writing About Music: Homeschooling
In part two of an occasional series, I explore some of the music that had a profound impact on my childhood, including Earth, Wind & Fire and Hall & Oates.
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Writing About Music, Part 1: Introduction
The first installment in a series about music journalism asks, “How can I get started in writing about music?”
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Stanley Crouch on Jazz and Negro Americans
In the Ken Burns miniseries Jazz, Stanley Crouch comments on the dynamics of Duke Ellington’s Famous Orchestra.
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The House List ep. 68: A guide
A cheat sheet to my extended discussion about indie rap with Peter Agoston for his podcast, The House List.
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