Into The Music
The Sound That Rewired Rap: Chief Keef’s Quiet Takeover
In 2012, a sixteen-year-old from Chicago’s South Side named Keith Cozart released a single called “I Don’t Like” and immediately became one of the most polarizing figures in...
Deep Dives
Long-form essays on the albums, artists, and moments that shaped music history.
Featured Deep Dive
Still Here: What It Means When a Dead Artist Shows Up on a New Album
Mac Miller has been dead since September 2018. He was 26. This week, he appeared on a new Thundercat album, performing on a funk groove called “She Knows...
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Duffy Is Telling Her Story, and the Industry Should Have to Hear It
The news this week that Duffy is making a documentary about her abduction and assault is not the kind of story the music industry knows how to process...
How Emo Learned to Live With Its Own Mythology
American Football announced their fourth album this month. It arrives May 1. The band that made a cult record in a house in Urbana, Illinois in 1999, broke...
Brackets and Canons: What We Are Really Doing When We Rank Albums
Pitchfork is running a bracket to determine the best album of the last 30 years, and the whole exercise is causing the predictable mix of engagement and irritation...
Drake, UMG, and What the Not Like Us Lawsuit Actually Means for Rap
There is a lot happening in the ongoing Drake versus Universal Music Group legal saga, and most of it is more interesting than the headlines make it sound....
FKA Twigs, the NDA Lawsuit, and What the Music Industry Protects
FKA twigs filed a new lawsuit against Shia LaBeouf this week, and the specific allegation cuts to something that does not get enough attention in the ongoing conversation...
Yacht Rock Is Not a Joke Anymore, and Charlie Puth Just Proved It
There is a moment on Charlie Puth’s new album, Whatever’s Clever!, released March 27, where you realize it is not really an ironic gesture. The yacht rock sound,...
The Long Game: What Niall Horan and the Art of the Second Act Tell Us About How We Listen
There is a particular kind of scrutiny that follows artists who came up in groups. The solo career is treated, often before a single note is released, as...
BTS Returns: What ARIRANG Means After Three Years Apart
BTS is back. All seven members, fully reassembled after the mandatory South Korean military service that scattered them across branches and bases over the past few years. Their...
Who the Hell Is Moby? Ray Davies, Legacy, and the Gaps Between Generations
This week, Ray Davies was asked about Moby’s recent comments criticizing the Kinks. His response was four words: “Who the f**k is Moby?” The quote spread quickly across...