A History of the Crack Epidemic From Below A History of the Crack Epidemic From Below
Donovan X. Ramsey explains how documenting the history of the drug war is a “community project” and looks back on 1990s rap music's anti-crack hits.
Aug 4, 2023 / Editorial / Naomi Elias
How Michael Franti Finds Hope in Troubled Times How Michael Franti Finds Hope in Troubled Times
A music legend, and longtime Nation reader, talks about music, optimism, and Howard Zinn.
Jun 13, 2023 / Dave Zirin and Dave Ashton
After 50 Years, What’s Left for Hip Hop to Teach? After 50 Years, What’s Left for Hip Hop to Teach?
Chuck D and Rosa Clemente discuss the past and future of music and politics.
May 17, 2023 / Q&A / Laura Flanders
When Rap Lyrics Become Incriminating Speech When Rap Lyrics Become Incriminating Speech
The use of their songs in criminal cases has had dire consequences for hip-hop musicians.
Aug 24, 2022 / Column / Kali Holloway
Was the Super Bowl Halftime Show a “Missed Opportunity”? Was the Super Bowl Halftime Show a “Missed Opportunity”?
Legendary hip-hop acts came together in politics-free performance.
Feb 15, 2022 / Dave Zirin
‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution ‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution
Brothers Rodrigo “RodStarz” and Gonzalo “G1” Venegas, who make up Rebel Diaz, discuss the role of art and music in Chilean activism.
Nov 5, 2020 / Q&A / Jack Delaney
Lil Peep’s Optimist Love Songs Lil Peep’s Optimist Love Songs
Gustav Åhr was emo-rap’s most visible representative and the genre’s most mainstream success, but what set his music apart was not its despair but its deep sense of hope.
Dec 15, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen
The Ten Best Albums of 2016 The Ten Best Albums of 2016
As the business of recorded music roils, the making of music rolls on.
Dec 14, 2016 / David Hajdu
A Tribe Called Quest: Thank Them for Their Service A Tribe Called Quest: Thank Them for Their Service
The group returned just when we needed it.
Nov 18, 2016 / Marcus J. Moore
Common and the New Aesthetics of Blackness Common and the New Aesthetics of Blackness
Rap music’s nice guy plays it safe on his new album Black America Again.
Nov 5, 2016 / Marcus J. Moore