“The Mind Squad and editorial staff like theirs—people who understood and loved the music—would create a new, vibrant, and deeply informed style of cultural journalism that defined an era.”
hip-hop
Posted inEditor's Pick
Da Art of Storytellin’ (A Prequel)
“I’d heard that moan in the presence of older Southern black folk my entire life, but I’d never heard it connecting two rhymed verses. Art couldn’t get any fresher than that.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Rhythms of “Rock Creek Park”
“The Blackbyrds’ ode to DC inspired a new generation of artists.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Tyler, the Creator Always Does Things His Way
“Known for both his openness and his mysteriousness, the rapper, producer — and now actor — keeps people guessing.”
Posted inFeature
20 Years Later: Little Brother, “The Minstrel Show”
Like minstrelsy, Little Brother’s album shows you one hand, convinces you of one thing, while something else works behind the scenes.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Rappers Used to Sell the Booze. Now They Own It.
“E-40 and Ja Rule got real about taking control of the liquor industry’s love affair with hip-hop.”
Posted inReading List
Remember the Titans: An ‘Attack on Titan’ Reading List
The influential anime didn’t just upend kaiju tropes—it delivered an unsettling look at imperialism and hubris.
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
What Happened to Ice Cube?
“He once meant everything to Black kids like me. His descent in the Trump years is a grim reminder of what we’ve lost.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
I Knew Diddy for Years. What I Now Remember Haunts Me.
“Looking back on my life as a woman in the music industry, I’m unsettled by the inescapable sexism perpetrated by Sean Combs and others.”