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David Moir / Reuters Grace Jones’s Disciples
Modern pop does imitate her for profit, but that’s not such a bad thing.
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John Shearer / AP Prince Is Trying to Stop Time
Though it’s no classic, his new album HITNRUN Phase One does live up to the artist’s party-starting mission.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters When Black Artists Declare Their Autonomy
Kanye West mirrors Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, and Dave Chappelle, all of whom were derided following audacious, confrontational live performances.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz: Another Thing to Apologize For
Here it is, a perfect illustration of the difference between self-indulgence and rebellion.
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Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch Beyoncé Returns
Made in America, her first real concert of 2015, reasserted the power of a pop star who knows she has to work to stay on top.
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Steve C. Mitchell / AP When Art Is an Immigration Issue
The rapper Tyler, the Creator’s words, not his actions, have gotten him banned from the U.K.
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'George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People' at 10
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Big Machine Music Taylor Swift, ‘Wildest Dreams,’ and the Perils of Nostalgia
The past is beautiful until you’re reminded it’s ugly.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Kanye West the Millennial
Who cares if he’s technically Gen X? Age is different from personality.
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Chris Pizzello / AP Is There an Audience for Electronic Dance Music Movies?
Some theories about why We Are Your Friends flopped so badly
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, and the VMAs: A Tone-Policing Palooza
Though it wasn’t pretty, Minaj was really teaching a lesson in civility.
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Warner Bros A Rock-Star Myth, Now Available for EDM
Pool parties and ecstasy aside, We Are Your Friends is the latest attempt to show DJ culture can create art as well as entertainment.
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Brendan McDermid / Reuters The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Branding
Beauty Behind the Madness tries to cash in on the Toronto R&B singer’s dead-eyed hedonist persona, but is at its best when it lightens up.
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AP The Red-Baiting of Lena Horne
At the height of her career, the beautiful young performer accidentally stumbled into a power struggle between Hollywood communists and McCarthyites.
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David Gahr / Shore Fire Media Born to Run and the Decline of the American Dream
Bruce Springsteen’s breakout album embodied the lost ‘70s—the tense, political, working-class rejection of an increasingly unequal society.
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Mark Blinch Carly Rae Jepsen Is Here to Defend Silly Love Songs
E•MO•TION tackles romance with precision, clarity, and supreme exuberance.
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Universal Why Dr. Dre's Abuse of Women Is Catching Up With Him Now
Straight Outta Compton attempted to bolster his legacy by leaving part of it out.
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Frank Franklin II / AP We Love Disney Is Here to Conquer Pop Culture
It’s the new circle of life: Stars sing the songs that they and fans grew up on, and no one’s embarrassed.
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Jason Reed / Reuters Spotify Lost Taylor, but It Won Barack
The president has implicitly endorsed the music-streaming service, which could go a long way for the Swedish startup.
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Universal Pictures Straight Outta Compton and the Social Burdens of Hip-Hop
The N.W.A. biopic captures how racial politics and police violence fueled the legendary group’s rise. It’s also a reminder of how few mainstream rappers take on the same subjects in their music today.
