Whether competition between artists or strife within a band, popular music features some of pop culture’s messiest rivalries.
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Posted inEditor's Pick
Eurovision Reminds Me of a Country That No Longer Exists
“Europe’s pop music Olympics makes me nostalgic for my motherland before war splintered it.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Silence Is the Loudest Part of ‘Renaissance: A Film’
“More than anything, ‘Renaissance’ is a testament that Beyoncé is a brand that stands for absolutely nothing beyond its own greatness.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
“Blurred Lines,” Harbinger of Doom
“How Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I.’s cursed megahit predicted everything bad about the past decade in pop culture”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Michael Stipe Is Writing His Next Act. Slowly.
“How do you reinvent yourself after being a global superstar? The former R.E.M. frontman is still figuring that out.”
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Yasmin Tayag, Elliott Woods, David Ramsey, Larissa Diakiw, and A.S. Hamrah.
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Notorious Pitchfork Reviewer Was My Biggest Musical Influence
“Pitchfork reviews have always been just as much about where and how music fits in the culture as they have been about the music itself.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How the ‘Slamming Door’ Sound Became Embedded in Hip-Hop History
“If you’ve listened to any rap or pop music made in the 21st century, you’ve heard John Lehmkuhl’s most famous creation, a thwacking metallic percussion sample named ‘Tribe.’”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Rod McKuen Was the Bestselling Poet in American History. What Happened?
“He sold 60 million books and 100 million records. Why was he forgotten?”
Posted inReading List
Imperial Eras: A Taylor Swift Studies Reading List
How Taylor Swift reflects every possible version of ourselves.
