How identity, creativity and communities evolve.
Explore the people, ideas and cultural shifts changing how we see ourselves and one another. Our coverage connects arts, media and identity to the institutions and communities shaping their direction.
AI-generated tracks have flooded music streaming platforms, but new data suggests many aren’t attracting real listeners. The growing problem raises questions about streaming fraud, artist royalties and what music popularity actually means.
The latest figures show another drop in Black representation following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, even as applications to Harvard continue to rise.
Music discovery has moved from radio and MTV to TikTok and Instagram. An old industry practice has followed listeners onto their phones, often without their knowledge.
New Pew Research Center findings challenge the idea of a nationwide religious revival, revealing sharp differences between younger generations.
With cameras locked away, concertgoers are inventing increasingly ridiculous stories about what happens onstage. The jokes reveal how much control phones have gained over the way we experience and remember live entertainment.
The Tennessee Republican says the AI-generated recreation of Lamar’s Super Bowl performance was just fun. Her record on hip-hop, her push for AI protections for artists and questions about permission have made the 12-second clip a much bigger conversation.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul’s new catalog deal raises a question bigger than royalties: who protects the music, memories and cultural history that helped define generations of Black Americans?
Social media has made it possible for almost anyone to build an audience. Somewhere along the way, we started treating attention as proof of expertise, popularity as proof of influence and recognition as a measure of worth.
The Swiss-born NBA player says moving to the United States changed how he understood Black identity, community and history. His story raises a bigger question about why solidarity looks different across the African diaspora.
Accuracy in Media is using undercover recordings and public pressure to challenge university diversity programs. Its campaigns are also changing who gets to hold colleges accountable.
Ancestry reports look like precise measurements, but they are estimates built from reference groups and statistical models. When those models change, so do the percentages. Understanding why matters most for people trying to recover family histories that were deliberately erased.
Stephen A. Smith has defended his White House dinner with Donald Trump as a chance to advocate for Black Americans. Rachel Lindsay and Van Lathan are asking whether the conversation produced anything meaningful.
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