Music

Dolly Parton performs at the Roxy in West Hollywood in 1977.

Dolly Parton Was More Than an Icon Dolly Parton Was More Than an Icon

Later in life, she was heralded as a symbol of Americana—complete with her own amusement park. But what will last of her is her body of work.

Sep 1, 2026 / Obituary / Nick Murray

Silhouette of woman in a nightclub

A Rave Novel Rediscovered A Rave Novel Rediscovered

Ann Scott’s “Superstars” captures the last gasp of pre-Internet counterculture.

Jul 28, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Max Pearl

A roda de samba (samba circle) at the Pagode do Biro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Slavery’s Musical Threads Slavery’s Musical Threads

As ICE violence resurges in the US, the musical history of black Brazil offers lessons in resistance.

Jul 22, 2026 / Mark Hertsgaard

Self-proclaimed pioneer of the Trumpist hip-hop genre MAGA rap US rapper Kurt Jantz, professionally known as Forgiato Blow, attends the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024.

17 Rappers Have Supported Trump 17 Rappers Have Supported Trump

Is this the biggest blunder in Black history?

Jun 25, 2026 / Ishmael Reed

Sonny Rollins’s first appearance in print, at age 15 (pictured at right), was in an article about his father’s case.

Sonny Rollins Lived to See Justice for His Wrongly Convicted Father Sonny Rollins Lived to See Justice for His Wrongly Convicted Father

The jazz legend fought for nearly 80 years to clear his father of racially motivated charges.

Jun 10, 2026 / Aidan Levy

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert at Nationals Park on May 27, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Bruce Springsteen Gave Us Exactly What We Need Right Now Bruce Springsteen Gave Us Exactly What We Need Right Now

His just-finished tour was a cleansing, healing experience—and a morale-boosting call to arms for everyone fighting for our democracy.

Jun 2, 2026 / Joan Walsh

A broken piano in the music room of the abandoned Southwestern High School.

Drowning Out the Noise Drowning Out the Noise

How music became the cathartic refuge for my political frustration.

Apr 18, 2026 / Andrew Marzoni

Éliane Radigue at the New York Cultural Center, New York, 1971.

The Intermediate States of Éliane Radigue The Intermediate States of Éliane Radigue

On the life and work of the pathbreaking French composer.

Mar 19, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Nate Wooley

Bad Bunny performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on February 8, 2026. in Santa Clara, California.

Bad Bunny’s Stunning Redefinition of “America” Bad Bunny’s Stunning Redefinition of “America”

His joyous, internationalist, worker-centered vision was a declaration of war against Trumpism.

Feb 10, 2026 / Greg Grandin

Bruce Springsteen speaking at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, on January 17, 2026.

Springsteen Defends the Promised Land Against ICE’s “Gestapo Tactics” Springsteen Defends the Promised Land Against ICE’s “Gestapo Tactics”

Mourning for Renee Nicole Good, the singer decried the Trump administration and the threat to freedom posed by “heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city.”

Jan 20, 2026 / John Nichols

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