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Defector

Books

Defector At The Movies

Music

Arts And Culture

Israel Daramola

The Zohran Mamdani Mayoral Rap Playlist

Kelsey McKinney

Lily Allen Takes The “Fuck It” Approach To A Breakup Album

Tyler, The Creator Doesn’t Want To Reap What He Has Sown

Defector Staff

Singer D'Angelo (born Michael Eugene Archer) performs on stage at the Aire Crown Theater, Chicago, Illinois, April 4, 2000.

The Defector D’Angelo Mixtape

Waiting On D’Angelo

Albert Burneko

Country singer/songwriter Johnny Cash performs onstage with an acoustic guitar in Sun Records publicity shot in 1957.

Journalismism

Breaking: Some Guy Now Aware Of Most Revered Country Artist Who Ever Lived

Lauren Theisen

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 05: Bad Bunny attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City.

Politics

Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Bunny, And Why?

Taylor Swift on the red carpet wearing a red dress with winged eyeliner and looking out of the corner of her eye at the camera

No Good Art Comes From Greed

Jay Electronica And ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Address The State Of Rap In 2025

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

Interviews

Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen Talks Old Scenes And A New Tour

We Have To Talk About Young Thug

<p>Lindsey Adler is a writer based in Brooklyn. She exclusively covered sports for a decade but has other interests, too.</p>


Lindsey Adler

Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher perform onstage at the Oasis Live '25 - Toronto concert at Rogers Stadium

The Oasis Reunion Tour Has Shaken Up My Gallagher Brother Power Rankings

<p>Mitch Therieau is a writer living in Virginia.</p>


Mitch Therieau

Marcus Mumford and Alex Ebert and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes perform as part of the Railroad Revival Tour at San Pedro Port of Call on April 22, 2011 in San Pedro, California.

The Tragedy Of “Stomp Clap Hey”

Alex Sujong Laughlin

People sit in bleachers and lawn chairs in front of a stage at sunset.

An Interview With My Grandmother, Who Knows Everyone In Bluegrass Music

Rap Music Yearns For The Good Ole Days

Brandy Jensen

Joni Mitchell posed in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1972

Mods Asleep

A Playlist For Being Chill About Your Crush

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Puja Patel is a writer, editor, and curator who has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Pitchfork and <em>Spin</em>, a culture editor for Deadspin, and a columnist for MTV and the <em>Village Voice</em>. Her work has appeared in publications such as the <em>New Yorker</em>, <em>Harper&#8217;s Bazaar</em>, and <em>Rolling Stone,</em> among others. She serves on the advisory board of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Building Beats, a nonprofit organization that provides music education to underserved youth across New York City and Los Angeles.</div>
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Puja Patel

The Cringiest Love Songs That Make Us Cry

<p>Amy Phillips is the former Executive Editor of Pitchfork. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Village Voice, and many other publications. A Philadelphia native, she currently lives in Brooklyn.</p>


Amy Phillips

Amy at 14 in her childhood bedroom (L) / Amy's daughter as a baby in that same room (R).

Living Through This, Again

<p>Bobby Finger is the co-host of Who? Weekly and the author of the novels <i>The Old Place</i> and <i>Four Squares</i>. His third novel will be released next summer.</p>


Bobby Finger

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift talk on a podcast.

Two Showgirls In Love: Travis Kelce And Taylor Swift Have A Chat

The Worst Songs We Love So Much

<p>Marian Bull is a writer, editor, and potter living in Brooklyn. She writes <a href="https://marianbull.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://marianbull.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1755179401925000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1fEbhNoXERVRom7SEmVfSn">Mess Hall</a>, a cooking newsletter, and is at work on her first book.</p>


Marian Bull

Patrons dance during weekly line dancing lessons

Stud Country, Queer Line Dancing,  And The Joys Of Being In Sync

2 small boys playing Street Smart video game

A Playlist Of Pop That Sounds Like My Gamer Youth

<p>Tommy Craggs is an editor and writer, late of Game Theory With Bomani Jones on HBO, Mother Jones (no relation), HuffPost, Slate, Gawker Media, and Deadspin. He&#8217;s part of the <a href="https://flaminghydra.com/">Flaming Hydra</a> cooperative of independent writers and artists, and one of the many founders of the <a href="https://www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/">Oakland Review of Books</a>.</p>


Tommy Craggs

Are We Playing It All Wrong?

Dave McKenna

Fans of Elvis Presley (1935-1977) gather to celebrate his memory during an impersonator contest in Memphis.

Remembering My Elvis Death Week Pilgrimage, 35 Years Later

<div>Jaime Brooks is a writer, musician, and poster who lives in Astoria, Oregon. She has written for <a href="https://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/streaming-services/">The New Inquiry</a> and has a Substack called <a href="https://jaimebrooks.substack.com/">The Seat of Loss</a>.</div>
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