Jon Caramanica
Posts
The Grammys Aim for a Big Tent, but Not Everyone Feels at Home
The most awarded artists were diverse on Sunday night. How those winners received their honors, however, differed mightily.
André 3000 Brings His Solo Album ‘New Blue Sun’ to the Stage
Performing live for the first time with musicians from his solo LP, the onetime Outkast rapper played various flutes, said little and tried to change...
Is TikTok Over?
The app once offered seemingly endless chances to be charmed by music, dances, personalities and products. But in only a few short years, its promise...
Is ‘J Christ’ Lil Nas X’s Final Troll?
The rapper and singer has always been a master of the internet, not of music. But with his latest release, “J Christ,” he’s lost his...
Mixtapes, T-Shirts and Even a Typeface Measure the Rise of Hip-Hop
New books collecting objects central to rap’s physical history demonstrate the importance of celebrating these relics before they vanish.
Tales of the Black Underworld Fuel Rap. ValTown Recounts Them.
ValTown, an account on X and other social media platforms, spotlights gangs and drug kingpins of the 1980s and 1990s — and how crime and...
Country Music in 2023: The Personal Overtook the Political
A few weeks of political brouhaha this summer obscured a different story: The genre is moving, in fits and starts, from the political to the...
Nicki Minaj, a Role Model for Herself, and Others on ‘Pink Friday 2’
On “Pink Friday 2,” the rapper remains a star navigating hip-hop on sometimes untested terms. But even as she’s receded from the center of the...
How the Agushto Papa Podcast Chronicles Musica Mexicana
The Agushto Papa podcast has become the go-to media outlet for the rising stars of música Mexicana.
‘For All the Dogs’ and Drake’s Latest Season of Discontent
The rapper’s new album, “For All the Dogs,” comes after a summer of live-show triumph and extra-musical boredom.