Music
Culture
Best albums of 2021: Blackstarkids’ ‘Puppies Forever’
Their album eludes the nostalgia trap
Culture
Minstrel songs like ‘The Eyes of Texas’ were once common on college football Saturdays in the South
Tunes such as ‘Dixie’ and ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ reframed grueling Black physical labor as a subject of light entertainment for white fans
Culture
HBO’s DMX documentary is as complicated as the man himself
Watching the rapper in the last year of his life, it felt like there was hope
Culture
The tangled history of hip-hop and boxing
From Mike Tyson and Tupac to Zab Judah and Lil’ Kim, new book examines the connections between musicians and the fight game
Culture
30 years after Magic’s diagnosis, a look at the intersection of hip-hop and the HIV/AIDS pandemic
Were hip-hop lyrics influenced by Johnson, Eazy-E’s death and the arrival of the lifesaving drug cocktail?
Culture
The legacy of notorious drug dealer Alpo Martinez
Over the years, artists from 50 Cent to Jay-Z have recounted the story of the man who turned on his brother
Culture
A poet and a protester, Gil Scott-Heron captured his time — and ours
One of the premier voices of the Black Power movement is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Culture
Bardo finds musical inspiration in world travel
With a collaboration with Disney under his belt, the Chicago artist is mixing hip-hop, R&B and Latin influences to make music that feels good
Culture
The coming battle over rap album lengths
Streaming made track lists longer. Will TikTok reverse that trend?