On her third album, the French-Malian singer artfully slides between lingo and genres—Afrobeats, zouk, R&B—to create a far-reaching pop experience about life, love, and freedom
The Fight for $15 Is More Important Than Ever
“All essential workers—from fast-food to health care to child care —deserve at least $15/hour to make ends meet and the right to come together in a union.” – Mary Kay Henry
90 Day Fiancé Is Everyone’s Guilty Pleasure. But Is It Exploiting Immigrants?
The wildly popular TLC television franchise captivates audiences by showcasing couples in love. It also mimics harmful tropes.
Julian Castro on the 2020 Election: ‘President Trump Is Trying to Stoke White Fear’
Complex spoke with Castro about ICE, policing, housing policy, the fight to preserve democracy in the path forward, and whether COVID-19 reframes the approach we should be taking to these areas.
Your Guide to New York Rap’s Next Generation
From the small empires being built out of Highbridge to the mantles being passed down in Canarsie, artists are beginning to redefine the soundscapes of New York City — and they are as robust as ever.
The 100 Songs That Define New York Rap, Ranked
New York rap is a distinct sound rooted in the thunder-and-lightning interplay between kick and snare drums in an East Coast boom-bap track, but really, it’s an attitude, a way to be. It’s the noisy, flashy style Harlem folks pick up across 125th Street and the gruff, no-nonsense speech of Brooklynites, the insular slang of the Queensbridge projects and the versatile blend of cultures you see in a trip through the Bronx. The enduring spirit of New York hip-hop is unbridled confidence, limitless audacity.
We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020
The arts are instrumental avenues for healing and justice. The arts can be used to center the narratives of people at the margins of society. It provides us supplements of joy and gives us mantras to build upon a movement.
Bree Newsome is Knocking You Off Your Pedestal
While the revolution is being televised and going viral around the world, certain demands remain of major interest to people across the country. At the crux of that lies access to land as a historic means of wealth-building, and housing as a human right that grants, among other things, voting eligibility.
How Megan Thee Stallion, Flo Milli, and Saweetie Dominated 2020
Artists like Megan and Cardi B are leveraging their varied skills with a forceful reconstruction of the lascivious Jezebel stereotype that has long been affixed to Black women — removing the shame and immorality from sexual desire and highlighting the transactional power that has always existed.
Yara Shahidi Is a New Kind of Young Hollywood Mogul
The star of ‘black-ish’ and ‘grown-ish’ on her overall deal with ABC Studios, her role as a storyteller and her efforts to get young voters informed: “I’m working on honoring all of my desires”