Music & Film

Mary J. Blige Sold Rights to Her Music. Can You Put a Price on What It Meant to Black Culture?

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?

Keyshia Cole’s Recent Performances Have Fans Asking Questions. But When Does Concern Become Public Judgment?

Viral footage from a Houston appearance has reignited criticism of the R&B singer's live shows. Some fans are asking whether they got the performance they paid for. Others are speculating about her personal life. Those are not the same conversation.

Yung Miami Misses JT. Her New Song Shows How Much Their Friendship Still Hurts.

On “Dear JT,” from her debut solo album Watch Dis!, Yung Miami revisits their childhood, fame, loyalty and the public unraveling of City Girls, two years after the friends last spoke.

Funkmaster Flex Says He Was Baited at the Garden. He and His Accuser’s Husband Go Back Decades.

Flex denies being punched and accuses Shadow Stokes of setting him up for a lawsuit. TT Torrez says the video leaves out that Flex shoved her. Hot 97 still has not said a word.

Cardi B Cut Latto’s Name From ‘ErrTime’ at the Tiny Desk. The Feud Is Still Playing Out in the Lyrics.

A quiet lyric swap during Cardi B’s NPR Tiny Desk set reopened a feud that one leaked phone call started and a public apology hasn’t closed.

The Music Industry Is Learning to Label AI Songs. Paying the Artists Is Another Matter.

YouTube Music is introducing labels that tell listeners when artificial intelligence helped create a song. A new music startup wants to go further by compensating the artists whose work trains the technology. Together, the developments expose an unresolved problem in the streaming economy: knowing how music was made is not the same as knowing who deserves to profit from it.

Nas Says Black Music’s Greats Were ‘Stolen From.’ The History Backs Him Up.

In an open letter, Nas said the music industry “forgets or doesn’t compensate the foundation.” From Robert Johnson’s three possible graves to Big Mama Thornton’s $500 for “Hound Dog,” the record supports his point.

Netflix Still Has the Audience. The People Making Television Need Something More.

Netflix is facing slower engagement growth and fierce competition from YouTube. Behind the streaming industry’s financial math is another measure of success: whether the people who write, film, build and produce entertainment can still make a living doing it.

Cardi B’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert Premieres Today at Noon ET

The Grammy-winning rapper brings her music to NPR's intimate performance series, giving fans an opportunity to experience her songs through live instrumentation and a stripped-down setting.

Afrobeats Is Still Growing. The Crossover Hits Have Gone Quiet.

Streams and revenue are still climbing. The run of giant American hits that made the genre feel unstoppable has stalled, and the business built around it is starting to recalibrate.

The Influencer Has Entered Hollywood’s Casting Pipeline

When British creator Chiara King received an email asking whether she wanted to play a fictionalized version of herself in a horror movie, she was already bringing something most first-time actors cannot offer: millions of people who knew who she was. Women’s Wear Daily reporter Leigh Nordstrom wrote this week about King’s starring role in The Influencer Project, a psychological thriller produced with members of the team behind The Blair Witch Project. King has about 1.4 million Instagram followers and 4.3 million TikTok followers.

R&B Has the Voices. It No Longer Has the Machine That Made Superstars.

The genre is producing some of its most accomplished singers in decades. What has changed is the industry that once turned great voices into household names, just as AI begins manufacturing voices of its own.

Mary J. Blige Sold Rights to Her Music. Can You Put a Price on What It Meant to Black Culture?

Keyshia Cole’s Recent Performances Have Fans Asking Questions. But When Does Concern Become Public Judgment?

Funkmaster Flex Says He Was Baited at the Garden. He and His Accuser’s Husband Go Back Decades.

Cardi B Cut Latto’s Name From ‘ErrTime’ at the Tiny Desk. The Feud Is Still Playing Out in the Lyrics.

The Music Industry Is Learning to Label AI Songs. Paying the Artists Is Another Matter.

Nas Says Black Music’s Greats Were ‘Stolen From.’ The History Backs Him Up.

Netflix Still Has the Audience. The People Making Television Need Something More.

Afrobeats Is Still Growing. The Crossover Hits Have Gone Quiet.

From the Newsroom

The Influencer Has Entered Hollywood’s Casting Pipeline

R&B Has the Voices. It No Longer Has the Machine That Made Superstars.

What’s Actually Worth Streaming This Weekend?

Black Poverty Is Falling. Why Are We Still Calling This Progress?

In Case You Missed It

Negril’s New Film Festival Is Betting That Paradise Can Also Be Industry Infrastructure.

What to Watch, Read and See This Week: The Weekend Culture List.

Jay-Z Would Let Kanye West Cut the Verse. He Wouldn’t Let Him Change It.

SSC Weekly Playlist: Inflection Points — Volume 1

Death Row Just Landed in Las Vegas. The Timing Is Not Coincidental.

Mary J. Blige Sold Rights to Her Music. Can You Put a Price on What It Meant to Black Culture?

Keyshia Cole’s Recent Performances Have Fans Asking Questions. But When Does Concern Become Public Judgment?

Yung Miami Misses JT. Her New Song Shows How Much Their Friendship Still Hurts.

Funkmaster Flex Says He Was Baited at the Garden. He and His Accuser’s Husband Go Back Decades.

Cardi B Cut Latto’s Name From ‘ErrTime’ at the Tiny Desk. The Feud Is Still Playing Out in the Lyrics.

The Music Industry Is Learning to Label AI Songs. Paying the Artists Is Another Matter.

Nas Says Black Music’s Greats Were ‘Stolen From.’ The History Backs Him Up.

Cardi B’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert Premieres Today at Noon ET

Afrobeats Is Still Growing. The Crossover Hits Have Gone Quiet.

The Influencer Has Entered Hollywood’s Casting Pipeline

R&B Has the Voices. It No Longer Has the Machine That Made Superstars.

Get The End of Day Closing Note

Music & Film

Mary J. Blige Sold Rights to Her Music. Can You Put a Price on What It Meant to Black Culture?

Keyshia Cole’s Recent Performances Have Fans Asking Questions. But When Does Concern Become Public Judgment?

Funkmaster Flex Says He Was Baited at the Garden. He and His Accuser’s Husband Go Back Decades.

Cardi B Cut Latto’s Name From ‘ErrTime’ at the Tiny Desk. The Feud Is Still Playing Out in the Lyrics.

The Music Industry Is Learning to Label AI Songs. Paying the Artists Is Another Matter.

Nas Says Black Music’s Greats Were ‘Stolen From.’ The History Backs Him Up.

Netflix Still Has the Audience. The People Making Television Need Something More.

Afrobeats Is Still Growing. The Crossover Hits Have Gone Quiet.

From the Newsroom

The Influencer Has Entered Hollywood’s Casting Pipeline

R&B Has the Voices. It No Longer Has the Machine That Made Superstars.

What’s Actually Worth Streaming This Weekend?

Black Poverty Is Falling. Why Are We Still Calling This Progress?

In Case You Missed It

Negril’s New Film Festival Is Betting That Paradise Can Also Be Industry Infrastructure.

What to Watch, Read and See This Week: The Weekend Culture List.

Jay-Z Would Let Kanye West Cut the Verse. He Wouldn’t Let Him Change It.

SSC Weekly Playlist: Inflection Points — Volume 1

Death Row Just Landed in Las Vegas. The Timing Is Not Coincidental.