Music

What the Academy Awards Tell Us About the Value of Black Work

What the Academy Awards Tell Us About the Value of Black Work What the Academy Awards Tell Us About the Value of Black Work

The Oscars aren’t just a competition for cultural value: They double as an assessment tool that helps pick the industry’s economic winners and losers.

Feb 26, 2016 / Michael J. Brewer

Robert Craft (left) with Igor Stravinsky in 1966.

The Alter Ego of Robert Craft The Alter Ego of Robert Craft

For many years, the conductor was inseparable from the music and household of Igor Stravinsky.

Feb 18, 2016 / Books & the Arts / David Schiff

Beyonce

In Defense of Beyoncé’s Black Panther Tribute at the Super Bowl In Defense of Beyoncé’s Black Panther Tribute at the Super Bowl

The right-wing backlash to her Super Bowl performance only proves how important it was.

Feb 11, 2016 / Dave Zirin

Anderson .Paak

Anderson .Paak, Then and Now Anderson .Paak, Then and Now

Malibu is .Paak’s best work: a layered album that is so fun and easy to listen to that, on each return listen, you hear something new.

Feb 11, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Matthew McKnight

Kevin Hart on Jimmy Fallon

Sneakers, Through the Looking Glass Sneakers, Through the Looking Glass

The comedian Kevin Hart’s new signature Nike shoes represent a complicated mixture of pride and injury.

Jan 27, 2016 / Hanif Abdurraqib

David Bowie Singing

Why Donny McCaslin Was David Bowie’s David Bowie Why Donny McCaslin Was David Bowie’s David Bowie

In the making of Blackstar, David Bowie trusted that Donny McCaslin and his quartet would invoke a profoundly emotive album.

Jan 26, 2016 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

Donald Trump

Trump the Improviser? Trump the Improviser?

This candidate operates in a jazz-like fashion, but all he makes is unexpected noise.

Jan 21, 2016 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

David Bowie Set Off My Inner Squeal

David Bowie Set Off My Inner Squeal David Bowie Set Off My Inner Squeal

As I was growing up in 1960s England, Bowie gave me room to find myself.

Jan 14, 2016 / Laura Flanders

David Bowie Singing

David Bowie, the ‘Apolitical’ Insurrectionist Who Taught Us How to Rebel David Bowie, the ‘Apolitical’ Insurrectionist Who Taught Us How to Rebel

With delight and ease, Bowie broke the boundaries of gender and sexuality.

Jan 11, 2016 / John Nichols

Forget What You’ve Heard: These Were the Ten Best Albums of 2015

Forget What You’ve Heard: These Were the Ten Best Albums of 2015 Forget What You’ve Heard: These Were the Ten Best Albums of 2015

In a year when sales numbers fell to an all-time low, the quality of music produced was stunningly high.

Dec 17, 2015 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

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