A tight-knit community of art entrepreneurs in Albuquerque launched their businesses in the wake of the pandemic.
music
Listen to the Music That Shaped Jean-Michel Basquiat
From Nina Simone to Run-DMC, four newly released playlists celebrate the musicians who inspired the artist — and the many he influenced.
A Renaissance of Mexican Cumbia, Through the Eyes of a Fan
Toño Estrada’s personal archives paint a rare portrait of a brief and beautiful period of Mexican cultural creation.
Jeen-Yuhs Knows That Kanye West Isn’t a Riddle That Can be Solved
The gargantuan three-part documentary follows the famous, controversial rapper for 20 years, capturing his brilliance and contradictions.
Exploring the Baffling Popularity of Kenny G
Penny Lane’s Listening to Kenny G finds fascinating layers to the cult of the smooth jazz icon.
The Velvet Underground Brings the New York of the ’60s Back to Life
With dense split-screen use of period artifacts and a killer Velvets soundtrack, Todd Haynes’s documentary is a loving tribute to his favorite band.
Drake’s Next Album Cover Is Comically Bad — and Designed by Damien Hirst
The cover is a deluded, self-referential tribute to Hirst’s career.
The Three Versions of The Jazz Singer and the Sinister Bargain of Jewish Whiteness
For scholars, weighing the context of the classic film’s use of blackface is a valuable thought exercise. For a Jew, it is an exorcism.
Looking Back at the Misbegotten Woodstock ’99 Music Festival
The HBO documentary Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage views the event not just as one fiasco, but as an allegory for the Y2K era.
The Forgotten “Black Woodstock” of 1969
Summer of Soul, Questlove’s directorial debut, seeks to resurrect the memory of the Harlem Cultural Festival, a vital touchstone of Black music.
An In-depth Look at the Art-Pop Music Duo Sparks
Edgar Wright’s epic-length documentary The Sparks Brothers preaches to the choir, but the choir will love it.
Detroit’s Electronic Music Scene, Seen Through Its Black Creators
Electronic Landscapes takes the reader into the storied record shops and cozy home studios of Detroit’s most important musicians.