Mychal Denzel Smith’s musical upbringing sounds a lot like mine: copious amounts of hip-hop that was deemed “underground,” “backpack,” or (perhaps most conspicuously brandished) “conscious.” Elitism disguised as authenticity. Yet, with the recent returns of Black Star and Kendrick Lamar, Smith found himself unmoved — and in this crystalline essay, he unpacks exactly why. The […]
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Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Deaths in donation bins, the Hardy boys, MAGA slop, billionaire playgrounds, and nostalgia for the complicated.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Old World, Young Africa
“Part one of a series on how the youth boom is changing the continent, and beyond.”
Posted inQuestionnaire
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Cory Doctorow
The author of Enshittification and the new The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI on hammock life, the joy of pulp, and writing through it.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming
“After a decade under the influence of music algorithms, a look at what streaming services afford the most engaged fans and what lingers below the surface.”
Posted inStory
‘We Are Alive’: Six Longreads About Music
The soundtrack of my life goes back a long way. Here are six longreads about music, for the love of it.
Posted inReading List
Constructions, Concoctions, Conjurations: A Reading List on the Curious World of Conlangs
Making stuff up is harder, stranger, and occasionally more dangerous than it looks. Seven stories that explore the world of constructed languages.
Posted inEditor's Pick
It’s Time to Legalize Sampling
“Hip-hop is 50 years old, but the genius idea at its core remains unprotected. Here’s how we can change that.”
Posted inReading List
Friction: A Reading List on Why Inconvenience Can Be Meaningful
Five stories that explore the risks and rewards of life’s little hurdles.
