Fader

On the eve of her debut album’s launch, experimental R&B vocalist Kelela talks to the Fader about meeting the challenges of working as a black woman artist in the largely white male-dominated recording industry with self-acceptance.

After a friendly Sufi sect decided to build an enormous religious sanctuary east of San Francisco, locals resisted, and nimbyism and misinformation challenged the basic American tenant of freedom of religion.

“Memes born of the black diaspora and intended for black audiences — truly, for us and by us — personify a language composed of tongues unburdened by whiteness.”

“I am a black Mississippian. I am a black American. I pledge to never be passive, patriotic, or grateful in the face of American abuse. I pledge to always thoughtfully bite the self-righteous American hand that thinks it’s feeding us. I pledge to perpetually reckon with the possibility that there will never be any liberty, peace, and justice for all unless we accept that America, like Mississippi, is not clean. Nor is it great. Nor is it innocent.”

At home with Branden Miller, the man behind Joanne The Scammer and “a funny-as-hell reminder to keep your guard up, to scam today before today scams you.”

A profile of a media-shy French rapping duo who are quickly becoming internationally recognized.

What is it like to be a band still very much at the bottom, playing house shows and sleeping on living room floors? Barshad spends six days on tour with The Quarterbacks to find out.

A conversation with Malik, who left the biggest boy band in the world in March 2015. Malik describes being in One Direction as standing in front of a canvas for five years and being told he couldn’t paint.

A terrific profile of the singer Rihanna—without Rihanna’s participation.