MusicAug. 16 2018 7:48 PMAretha Franklin Was Also One of R&B’s Greatest PianistsEven if she’d been born without a voice, she would have made a killer session musician.Jack Hamilton
TelevisionJuly 25 2018 5:50 AMCastle Rock Is a Smart, Addictive Dive Into Stephen King’s World and WorkThe Hulu anthology is thick with references, but it’s not just for hardcore fans.Jack Hamilton
BooksJune 12 2018 5:55 AMThe New Book About The Simpsons Is Hilarious, Joke-a-Minute, and Overstays Its WelcomeSpringfield Confidential recreates the best and worst of the game-changing sitcom.Jack Hamilton
MusicMay 29 2018 3:00 PMPusha T’s New Album Is a Gift That Keeps on GivingDaytona is outstanding. The feud it stoked could be even better.Jack Hamilton
MoviesApril 10 2018 1:22 PMUnsuspicious MindsHBO’s new two-part Elvis documentary offers a treasure trove of footage but whitewashes some aspects of his story.Jack Hamilton
SportsFeb. 8 2018 6:02 PMKing’s RansomThe Cavaliers just blew up their entire roster to try to please LeBron James. It probably won’t work.Jack Hamilton
BooksJan. 24 2018 9:30 AMThe Green and WhiteA novel about hip-hop, basketball, and painful whiteness in 1990s Boston.Jack Hamilton
Screen TimeDec. 21 2017 9:30 AMSlate Critics Pick the Best Episodes of Children’s Television of All TimeDan Kois, Willa Paskin, Forrest Wickman, Katy Waldman, Aisha Harris, Jack Hamilton, Laura Miller, and Dana Stevens
CultureboxNov. 20 2017 5:03 PMCharles Manson Embodied the Worst of the 1960s—and Every Era SinceThe now-deceased cult leader weaponized the zeitgeist to make himself famous. Now he’s dead, but because of us, his fame will live forever.Jack Hamilton
Brow BeatSept. 25 2017 4:16 PMThe Concert for Charlottesville Was a Night of Stars, Tears, and Vague PlatitudesJack Hamilton
MusicAug. 24 2017 4:26 PMThe War on Drugs’ New Album Doesn’t Reinvent the WheelInstead, it nearly perfects it.Jack Hamilton
The SlatestAug. 17 2017 10:26 AMUVA Is a Deeply Imperfect Place. Last Night’s Vigil Was the School at Its Best.Jack Hamilton
MusicJune 26 2017 3:44 PMEbbs and FlowsOn his new album Big Fish Theory, Vince Staples reunites hip-hop with the dance floor.Jack Hamilton
MusicMay 24 2017 1:21 PMSgt. Pepper’s Timing Was As Good As Its MusicFifty years ago, the Beatles released their masterpiece into a world ready to embrace a rock album as art.Jack Hamilton
MusicMarch 22 2017 9:30 AMDrake’s More Life Is Drake’s Best Album Because It Has the Least DrakeAnd that might be the most Drake thing about it.Jack Hamilton
MusicAug. 16 2018 10:05 AMAretha Franklin Was the Defining Voice of the 20th CenturyNo one sang as well as her, and no singer changed pop music more.Jack Hamilton
MusicJune 19 2018 2:53 PMXXXTentacion’s Death Deserves More Than IndifferenceEven if you don’t mourn for the controversial, violent rapper, his story, and his fans, shouldn’t be casually dismissed.Jack Hamilton
MusicJune 11 2018 12:58 PMOn Kanye West’s New Album, the GOOD Music Rapper Focuses Simply on Good MusicKids See Ghosts is his first release in years that isn’t about his image.Jack Hamilton
SportsMay 14 2018 12:21 PMChokepointThe Houston Rockets are trying to vanquish the idea that they’re not clutch enough.Jack Hamilton
SportsMarch 14 2018 2:33 PMHoo DreamsCan Virginia basketball transcend its plodding ways and make the Final Four?Jack Hamilton
SportsJan. 26 2018 1:18 PMWarriors Derangement SyndromeThe NBA is on the verge of a collective nervous breakdown.Jack Hamilton
The Music ClubDec. 25 2017 9:00 AMThe Music Club, 2017Entry 3: This was a year of acute star fatigue.Jack Hamilton
MusicDec. 19 2017 12:05 PMEminem’s New Album Is a Fiery and Much Needed Denunciation of Trump. It’s Also Terrible.Revival tries to be both a crowd-pleasing pop album and a middle finger to white America. It fails, but it might also get you back on his side.Jack Hamilton
MusicOct. 23 2017 4:11 PMA New History of Rolling Stone Reveals Its Complicated, Compromised Relationship to Rock StarsThe first biography of the magazine’s founder is much more critical than HBO’s conveniently timed new documentary, and it’s a better tribute for it.Jack Hamilton
Brow BeatSept. 11 2017 2:00 PMThe Parts of Stephen King’s It the Movie Shouldn’t Have Omitted (No, Not the Child Sex Orgy)Jack Hamilton
MoviesAug. 18 2017 4:40 PMRumble: The Indians Who Rocked the WorldThis sorely needed new documentary explores the influence of Native Americans on rock ’n’ roll. It turns out to be too big a subject for just one movie.Jack Hamilton
MusicJuly 1 2017 7:17 PMFamily BusinessJay Z’s juicy new album is both his best in years and a savvy hustle.Jack Hamilton
MusicJune 21 2017 4:41 PMThe InfamousMobb Deep’s Prodigy was hip-hop’s greatest poet of fear.Jack Hamilton
Sports NutMay 10 2017 10:24 AMThe Hero the NBA NeedsThe Cavs and Warriors are undefeated, but these playoffs belong to Isaiah Thomas.Jack Hamilton
MusicMarch 19 2017 4:38 PMRoll Over, BeethovenChuck Berry didn’t just invent rock and roll. He perfected it.Jack Hamilton
Jack Hamilton