Theodore Witcher’s Paean to Hip-Hop ‘Love Jones’ Charms and Seduces
In 1997, you could call Love Jones a small, curious drama that won many critics over. Today, it stands as a cornerstone of Black narrative in cinema.
spoken word
On ‘Gratitude’ Abiodun Oyewole Weaves a Sacred Journey in Verse
A founding member of the influential Last Poets, Abiodun Oyewole gives voice to wisdom on life and sacred quests on his new solo album, Gratitude.
Marianne Faithfull Displays Her Particular Genius with ‘She Walks in Beauty’
Marianne Faithfull’s She Walks in Beauty captures the sad, reflective mood of the world. It’s an apt period to a very long and moving sentence.
Intersystems Unleash Their Fourth Album a Mere 53 Years After Their Third
Toronto experimental multimedia collective Intersystems return with a new album that’s just as adventurous and unsettling as the music they made decades ago.
JoBoxers Frontman, Actor, and Poet Dig Wayne Walks to a Boxerbeat
Whether a spry youth thrashing about in punk clubs, a writer publishing poetry, or an actor appearing on police procedurals, JoBoxers frontman Dig Wayne’s life has spanned a full artist’s spectrum.
Jenny Hval’s ‘Girls Against God’ Is Pure Audacity
With Girls Against God, avant-garde musician Jenny Hval gives us a semi-autobiographical text that, like the metalhead teen she describes, won't abide by any rules.
Sneaks’ ‘Happy Birthday’ Begs Us to Reconsider Musical Definitions
Sneaks' Happy Birthday is a worthwhile release for its insistence upon being categorized as music without a category.
Tipping the Swear Jar: How mewithoutYou Used the F-Bomb to Say More Than the F-Word
Lyricist Aaron Weiss of post-punk Christian band mewithoutyou used the F-word in a song and it got banned from radio and the album got pulled from record stores. Meanwhile, his fans ponder his parodying of cultural mores.
Oakland Homeless Heart Collective Dares You to Care About All of Your Neighbors
Across more than 20 short tracks, Homeless Oakland Heart captures the broken heart of the Bay straight from the mouths of some of those who have suffered the most at its feet.
Kate Tempest Takes on the UK Establishment with ‘The Book of Traps and Lessons’ and Wins
The Book of Traps and Lessons reveals Kate Tempest's disdain with contemporary society while also envisioning a future where it all can be changed. With a flair for hip-hop laced with Marxism, the album is poetic artistry.
Hold Your Own: An Interview with Kate Tempest
On any given day, you may see Kate Tempest working as a poet. Or maybe a playwright. Or a spoken-word artist with hip-hop connections. As she celebrates the release of her third album, she reflects on where her place is in Britain's powerful cultural moment.