Music

Released thirty years ago, Prince's directorial debut seemed calculated to frustrate the fans who bought tickets to Purple Rain weekend after weekend.

Not knowing what I’m talking about has probably been a hindrance in ways I am blessedly unaware of, but ultimately, my being wildly wrong about anything and everything hurts no one, not even me.

Are we in it together if someone refuses the context needed to see this thing changed?

On Beyoncé's "Hold Up."

Prince Rogers Nelson was the blueprint for a certain kind of Black femmeness. In the interstitial spaces of my life, he has kept me company. 

When Prince died, I found myself instantly transported back to that day in 1984 when I realized just how big music could be, how much it could contain.

The terroir of sound, timbre’s role has always been underrated, or even ignored, because it's so intangible.

Phife never presented himself as a celebrity. He was always a hard-working, fun-loving guy whose success was never as important as letting us know how dope he was.

The rapper's streetwise edge and unpretentious manner rooted A Tribe Called Quest to their home in Jamaica, Queens.