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Craig Jenkins

Music Critic
See all their articles from across New York Magazine
@CraigSJ
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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. radio vulture
    We’re No Closer to Knowing Jay ElectronicaPerhaps that is by design.
  2. album review
    What’s Left of America for Sufjan Stevens to Dream About?The nation’s triumphs have always been undercut by a grisly capacity for violence, one that’s as present in Sufjan’s states albums as The Ascension.
  3. a long talk
    The State of the Union According to Chuck DThe rap pioneer on the new Public Enemy album (reuniting them with Def Jam), Donald Trump, the broken music business, Kanye, and more.
  4. interview
    Fleet Foxes Made the Perfect Album for This MomentSinger Robin Pecknold talks about the challenges of making Shore — and the decision to release it on the autumnal equinox.
  5. interview
    The Deftones Have (Almost) Found BalanceChino Moreno opens up about the band’s process, its diverse influences, and the legacy of nu metal.
  6. where it started at
    Tekashi 6ix9ine Is an Unworthy New York Rap VillainNo other era could produce this character. No other era would stomach him.
  7. where it started at
    New York Rap Never ‘Fell Off’ — It Was Snuffed OutTwenty years of pressure from two Republican mayors with lofty dreams of stamping out crime had a demonstrable effect on the culture.
  8. vulture lists
    The 100 Songs That Define New York Rap, RankedIt’s not a sound, it’s an attitude.
  9. album review
    Big Sean’s Detroit 2 Is a Career BestIt is the rare rap event album that feels both wise to current events in rap and culture and also tethered to a specific location.
  10. video game review
    Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Is a Perfect Piece of ’90s NostalgiaThe revived classic is easily the best skate game in a long time.
  11. song review
    SZA Knows How to Make an R&B Jam Hit DifferentHer new single with Ty Dolla $ign feels fresh and fuss-free.
  12. fall preview
    Big Sean Finally Knows PeaceA frank talk with the rapper about his long, fraught journey to Detroit 2.
  13. vmas 2020
    The 2020 VMAs Tried Like Hell to Avoid the Elephant in the RoomReally, it was a pop-star pageant, and the girls delivered.
  14. album review
    Katy Perry Is Still in a Lane All Her OwnThe great Smile tracks recall the era where Katy singles didn’t miss. The patchy ones are reminders that she’s always been a work in progress.
  15. song review
    BTS Is Way Ahead of UsBTS has made inroads with American listeners before, but never quite like this.
  16. song review
    Jay-Z and Pharrell Are Making History, But Both Could Stand to Learn From ItThe achievements of Black billionaires don’t necessarily trickle down and set us all free.
  17. song review
    Somehow, Somewhere Drake Is Still One of UsDrake can buy and sell most of us, but he watches games from the sidelines like everyone else.
  18. album review
    Brandy Remains a True RarityThis year, the singer known as the “vocal Bible” steps out from under the dark clouds that long plagued her career.
  19. song review
    Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ Is Hall of Fame FilthA torrent of horny one-liners that restores the feeling of sneaking and listening to rap songs with X-rated lyrics as a kid.
  20. visual album review
    Beyoncé’s Black Is King Does Everything It Needs ToThe richness of the Black experience is the point. There’s almost too much excellence to keep track of.
  21. song review
    Billie Eilish’s Future Is in Good HandsHer new single suggests the O’Connell siblings have made good use of the quiet time.
  22. album review
    Beyoncé’s Lion King Soundtrack Puts the Focus Back Where It Belongs: AfricaBeyoncé, as usual, knows better.
  23. radio vulture
    We’re Witnessing the Total Breakdown of DiscourseTry to recall another time when a rapper went into surgery for multiple gunshot wounds and it became instant gag fodder.
  24. album review
    folklore Isn’t a Return to Taylor Swift’s Roots, But Somewhere She’s Never BeenHer stories here are more purposeful, if a little less personal.
  25. album review
    The Chicks Scorch the Earth on GaslighterIt is the kind of pop-country killer some people have been haranguing Taylor Swift for ever since 1989.
  26. a long talk
    August Alsina Untangles Everything“People look at me as this problematic guy who was super reckless, like I’m pushing up on someone’s wife.”
  27. 2020 election
    Kanye West and the Media Are Once Again Playing a Dangerous GameThere needs to be a reckoning about the toxic relationship between Kanye West and the vox populi.
  28. album review
    Pop Smoke’s Story Might Always End With a Glaring Question MarkThe main artist feels profoundly missing on his posthumous debut album.
  29. radio vulture
    Welcome to the ‘New’ Kanye NarrativeToday Kanye West released his first formal artistic statement of the pandemic and the nationwide movement for racial justice.
  30. album review
    Bob Dylan Is Still the Voice of a GenerationThe only difference is he speaks for more than just one now.
  31. let em stay mad
    It Wouldn’t Be ‘The Chicks’ If Their Comeback Didn’t Piss Off Some PeopleOnce again, “the Chicks” find themselves on the pulse of the times.
  32. the songs of protest
    We Are Not ‘Alright’The world Kendrick’s song envisioned seems far away today. The moment requires a different kind of protest song, and rappers are putting in work.
  33. stand-up
    Dave Chappelle’s 8:46 Is Powerful But Not Quite PerfectThe outrage is pure and unfiltered in the legendary comedian’s new set on George Floyd.
  34. album review
    Run the Jewels 4 Is Exactly What America Needs to Hear Right NowKiller Mike and El-P have landed on the pulse of spring 2020.
  35. roundtables
    A Roundtable Discussion on a Chaotic Week in Social MediaAs new rules emerge and people test the bounds of what’s acceptable online, Vulture gathers to discuss what unrest looks like on your phone.
  36. radio vulture
    Now Isn’t the Time for More Music-Industry SilenceRecord labels have known about these issues since long before it became radioactive behavior to stay quiet.
  37. album review
    Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Crash-Landed Right When It Was Needed MostIt’s the hard reset Fame/The Fame Monster fans have been waiting for.
  38. radio vulture
    Stan Culture Is Due a Reckoning. So Are the Celebrities They Worship.Last week was evidence of a slow and peculiar shift in the relationship between fans and the musicians they love over the last decade.
  39. song review
    Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s ‘Rain on Me’ Is a Win for EveryoneThis song will be huge not just because it’s Gaga in peak dance-pop form with chart assassin Ariana Grande in tow.
  40. summer 2020
    Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 +2 Forever Altered the Course of Gaming and MusicRevisiting THPS 1 + 2 at the end of the summer when the remake arrives will serve valuable nostalgia to gamers, skaters, and music nerds.
  41. radio vulture
    Country Music Was Designed for a Bad Year Like ThisLucinda Williams, the Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, and Steve Earle have each released albums that speak to the stress of being alive right now.
  42. summer 2020
    Tame Impala Made the Perfect Summer Album. Then Summer Got Canceled.How the famed one-man band is handling these months of isolation.
  43. a long talk
    El-P Has Made Peace With His PastThe rapper and producer on bringing his Def Jux solo classics to streaming for the first time.
  44. remembrances
    Andre Harrell’s Hip-Hop Legacy in 10 Essential AlbumsHis influence on black music, movies, and TV is immeasurable.
  45. album review
    Petals for Armor Feels Like Meeting Hayley Williams for the First TimeSometimes a change of setting and a bit of personal upheaval are a recipe for a breakthrough.
  46. q&a
    Tory Lanez Is the New King of RaunchAs “Demon Time” has emerged as a kind of makeshift strip-club VIP room for Instagram, Quarantine Radio is sort of like its “Howard Stern Show.”
  47. radio vulture
    Thank God We Still Have MusicRespect is owed to the artists releasing vital new work this spring without any immediate prospect of a tour to back it up.
  48. song review
    Tekashi 6ix9ine Is a Black HoleWe can’t stop him because we must know what happens next; our curiosity is his source of power.
  49. quarantuning
    This Rapper Just Broke the Record for the World’s Longest FreestyleOver 24 hours in, Watsky’s run has been an absurdist stream of consciousness aided by coffee-table books, a Scrabble dictionary, and fan shoutouts.
  50. radio vulture
    What More Is There for Drake to Do?It might be a mistake, 14 years in, to expect an artist who built a very lucrative thing for himself to keep mucking with the formula.
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