Craig Jenkins Author Archive
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Craig Jenkins is a critic who writes about music and television and comedy and video games. He was a 2021 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism.

  1. album review
    Linkin Park’s Risky Rebirth Paid OffAn initially messy return paved the way for a balanced new album.
  2. best of 2024
    The Best Albums of 2024 (So Far)This year’s most notable releases are investigating deep questions and framing art as a balm for multiplying worries.
  3. the law
    This Was a WarningYoung Thug’s freedom means little if we don’t fix the system that put him there.
  4. album review
    Tyler, the Creator Confronts an Odd FutureChromakopia is more interested in critiquing masculinity than celebrating its own aggression.
  5. villain magic
    The MF DOOM School of MentorshipFew Villain collaborators have accomplished as much as indie-rap vet Kurious.
  6. album review
    Riverside
    Warriors Come Out and GrateLin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’s remake devolves into kumbaya.
  7. remembrance
    Ka Was a SuperheroThe Brooklyn rapper and firefighter left a model for making gripping art on your own terms.
  8. bumpin’ that
    Still Brat After All These MonthsIt’s okay to be annoying about Charli XCX’s massive year.
  9. the industry
    The Diddy Discourse Has Lost the PlotAs conspiracy theories continue to spread, we have to stop pretending the story here is dark forces corrupting a few promising men each generation.
  10. close read
    The Pop Stars Who Flamed OutKaty Perry’s 143 joins the cursed ranks of musical missteps this year.
  11. legacy
    Diddy’s Open SecretsThe rap mogul shook off decades of rumored bad behavior with wholesome PR revamps.
  12. beeves
    Chanel Fall 2023 Couture Collection Runway Show  Front Row
    We Need Cooler HeadsKendrick’s latest song takes aim at a new target: hip-hop influencers pushing propaganda.
  13. reunions
    Linkin Park’s Return Was Close to PerfectBut it also raised some prickly questions.
  14. album review
    Post Malone’s Country Album Has Too Much BaggageF-1 Trillion burrows so far into the mainstream Nashville machine it inherits its problems.
  15. artifacts
    100 Pieces of Pop Culture That Defined ObamacoreYou know them when you see them — whether they were genius or, well, not.
  16. die with a smile
    Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars Could Have Gone StratosphericThe pop duo known for creative curveballs plays it elegantly straight.
  17. a long talk
    Killer Mike Said What He SaidIs the Southern rap legend a truth teller or a capitalist in activist’s clothes?
  18. album review
    Ice Spice, Bite-Size‘Y2K!’ is funny and playful. But when an album is the same length as an episode of Abbott Elementary, the filler is frustrating.
  19. album review
    Adultish GambinoOn Bando Stone, Donald Glover spends one last night in a scene he believes he’s outgrown.
  20. album review
    Zach Bryan Hits His LimitOn The Great American Bar Scene, the accidental superstar’s formula remains potent but predictable.
  21. album review
    A Hip-Hop ‘What If …’James Blake and Lil Yachty’s new album is as astounding as it is annoying.
  22. song review
    2024 BET Awards - Show
    Nobody Wants This From Will SmithHow do we stop his post-Slap charm campaign from smothering us?
  23. album review
    Camila Cabello’s June GloomC’XOXO is a jarring pivot with cursed timing. It’s also her best album to date.
  24. reunions
    The Clipse Missed ThisIt’s been 15 years since their last album, but things unfolded “beautifully and better than it ever could have been planned” for the duo.
  25. album review
    Billie Eilish Doesn’t Have to Do It AllHit Me Hard and Soft can be gleefully disorienting, but it’s saddled with the timeless plight of the moody junior installment.
  26. album review
    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - Season 11
    The Curious Case of the Stereophonic Cast RecordingPaying homage to a band without catalog access is usually a recipe for terrors. Will Butler’s Fleetwood Mac experiment is an impressive exception.
  27. beeves
    What Are We to Do With All This Nastiness?Kendrick versus Drake was a race to design the most insulting sentence — until the rappers and their admirers redefined what “too far” means.
  28. album review
    The Performative Poets DepartmentOn her new album, Taylor Swift is restless, fed up, and a little too aware of what everyone wants.
  29. where’s the beef?
    J. Cole Is Giving Us Cognitive DissonanceWhy would he regret his (very mild) Kendrick diss?
  30. album review
    Our Sweetheart of the RodeoBeyoncé’s Cowboy Carter chronicles an artist with a voice pliable enough (and a following large enough) to crash whatever scene she pleases.
  31. mr. beef
    What Is Kendrick Thinking?The rapper’s fiery Drake and Cole diss leaves more questions than answers.
  32. album review
    Justin Timberlake Wants You BackHis new album sticks to a safe, occasionally satisfying script, even when it’s clear he’s lost the plot.
  33. movie review
    Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour - Mexico City, Mexico
    The Eras Tour Film Is Sequined Asset ManagementTaylor Swift’s big-screen adaptation is almost too much movie.
  34. album review
    Ariana Grande Is Telling This Story HerselfEternal Sunshine stares directly into the past — and recontextualizes it.
  35. album review
    Schoolboy Q Is Following in the Footsteps of GiantsOn Blue Lips, he rummages through decades of Black American history.
  36. a long talk
    Vince Staples Is Just Happy to Be HereWhether it’s making music or his new Netflix series, the rapper only wants to connect people.
  37. song review
    Beyoncé’s New Country Songs Are Plain Ol’ FunAnd bound to upset the worst kind of people.
  38. super bowl
    Usher Rolls Out the Complete R&B ExperienceThe Atlanta legend’s halftime show was a message to never doubt him again.
  39. album review
    Boygenius Is Here to Blunt Whatever Life Throws Our WayTheir Grammy-winning debut album is about finding strength in themselves.
  40. album review
    We Should Appreciate The Smile While It’s Still HereDropping four projects in 20 months screams “Here for a good time, not a long time.”
  41. the industry
    We Owe PitchforkFor all its chaotic choices, the site reshaped how we think about music.
  42. song review
    Jay-Z Is Lost in the Shuffle on ‘I Want You Forever’His new song with D’Angelo feels like a 10-minute sound bath.
  43. song review
    Lil Nas X’s Return Is More Than a Second ComingHis breezy new single arrived on the prickliest possible battlefield.
  44. netflix or tubi
    Katt Williams Scorches the Earth and Every Comedian on It“What do you mean ain’t no gatekeepers? There’s a hundred gates out here. Every one I seen got a keeper.”
  45. best of 2023
    All the Music I Didn’t Get to Write About This Year (Until Now)A final shout-out to the best docs, YouTube explainers, and songs from otherwise bad albums.
  46. album review
    Nicki Minaj Locks the GatesPink Friday 2 drips with the irritating realization that running a kingdom means defending its walls.
  47. album review
    Peter Gabriel Is Trying to Keep It Togetheri/o is a series of lofty ideas for the future.
  48. best of 2023
    The Best Albums of 2023The year’s top releases surveyed disorder, sought companionship, and offered glitzy escapism.
  49. album review
    André 3000’s Solo Album Is a Breath of Fresh AirNew Blue Sun isn’t the esteemed return to form rap fans hoped for. It’s something more.
  50. a long talk
    ‘I Don’t Care What People Want Out of Me. I Care About Myself’Danny Brown on leaving Detroit, getting sober, and finding happiness.
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