Stephen Kearse

2 weeks ago | thenation.com | Stephen Kearse

Books & the Arts / April 30, 2025 The Bloody Blues of Sinners The Bloody Blues of “Sinners”Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster horror period piece sets out to reinvent the creature feature—for better and for worse. Ad Policy (Courtesy of Warner Bros.) Ryan Coogler slips a deliberate anachronism into an early scene of his new movie, Sinners. In 1932, on a back road near Clarksdale, Mississippi, two twins disagree over when they should open up their new juke joint.

1 month ago | pitchfork.com | Stephen Kearse

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock should have fueled at most two days of discourse. It was not as weird and unhinged as Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs. It was not as racy or trolling as the Britney-Madonna-Christina kiss. It lacked the intrigue of the Carter-Knowles elevator fight footage. Really, the situation was incredibly straightforward. Chris Rock told a wack joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, Will overreacted, and the Academy awarded Smith his first Oscar.

1 month ago | pitchfork.com | Stephen Kearse

It tracks that Saba and No ID would take a photography class together. Both of the Chicago-raised, Los Angeles-based artists pay close attention to the ephemeral, building songs from snatches of memory and rhythm. For Saba, focusing on the small things helps to settle racing thoughts and preserve everyday joys. “Life I be taking for granted, capture the moment, the Canon,” he rapped on 2018’s “SMILE,” chiding himself to be mindful. For No ID, observation is the bedrock of producing.

2 months ago | pitchfork.com | Stephen Kearse

In 2018, Nao found a fun metaphor for reinvention in Saturn’s return, the astrological notion that every three decades, people undergo radical personal transformation. The London singer, then 30, had made her name as a prophetess of synth funk, teaming up with electronic producers like Disclosure, A.K. Paul, and Mura Masa for retrofuturist cuts full of liquid basslines and deep grooves. On Saturn, she traded the dense funk for ventilated R&B that spanned Afropop, neo-soul, and quiet storm.

Feb 14, 2025 | pitchfork.com | Stephen Kearse

Mereba makes torch music about freedom. The Los Angeles-based singer, guitarist, and rapper is constantly on the lam in her yearning, restless songs, braving storms and wars in her matte black truck as she guns for liberation. She rarely finds it. Even her more idyllic tracks, like the hopeful ballad “Glock Peaceful,” present sanctuary as elusive. “Then I opened up my eyes/Wasn't what I thought it would be,” she mourns after dreaming her block was free of cops and tension.