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      Who’s Afraid of Being Black? Not Kamala, Beyoncé or Kendrick.

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      With her response to Donald Trump’s comments about her background, Kamala Harris showed that Blackness doesn’t need to be explained or defended — an idea underscored by her campaign theme song.Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t take the race bait.A few hours after Donald J. Trump falsely claimed that she suddenly decided to become “a Black person,” Ms. Harris reminded the crowd at a Black sorority convention in Houston that Mr. Trump was resorting to a familiar script. It was the “same old show,” she said, of “divisiveness and disrespect.”She chose not to deflect attention away from her multicultural heritage or to double down on it. That tactic nullified an implication that being Black is something that needs to be authenticated, explained, disavowed or defended. It underscored that Blackness isn’t something that can be turned on or off.Like Ms. Harris, my father is the child of an Indian mother and a Black father. Both he and his parents were born in and emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago. Because of him, I saw up close what Ms. Harris is conveying: that it’s possible to refuse to pit one heritage against the other even as you embrace Blackness as your primary political identity.“My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters,” Ms. Harris wrote in “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” her 2019 memoir. “She knew her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.”Ms. Harris, like my dad, considers her Blackness something to be celebrated and, at times, protected.Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar perform her song “Freedom,” now used by the Kamala Harris campaign, at the BET Awards in 2016.Matt Sayles/Invision, via Associated PressWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Hear Billie Eilish and Charli XCX’s ‘Guess’ Remix

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      Hear tracks by MJ Lenderman, Miranda Lambert, ASAP Rocky featuring Jessica Pratt and others.Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week’s most notable new tracks. Listen to the Playlist on Spotify here (or find our profile: nytimes) and at Apple Music here, and sign up for The Amplifier, a twice-weekly guide to new and old songs.Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish, ‘Guess’In the slightly less than two months since its release, Charli XCX’s sixth album, “Brat,” has transformed from a clubby cult classic into a mainstream phenomenon, fueled by a sense of cool so elusive yet galactically powerful that a CNN panel recently convened to discuss, with magnificent awkwardness, its potential impact on the presidential election. Strange times indeed. Luckily, Charli is still keeping it light, not allowing the new patina of Importance to cloud the fact that “Brat Summer” is, above all things, about messy, hedonistic fun. So let’s just say that the latest “Brat”-era remix, the deliriously suggestive “Guess,” is unlikely to appear in an upcoming Kamala Harris campaign ad.“You wanna guess the color of my underwear,” Charli winks atop an electroclash beat produced by the indie-sleaze revivalist the Dare, who interpolates Daft Punk’s 2005 single “Technologic”; Dylan Brady of 100 gecs also has a writing credit. It’s an underground loft party crashed by a bona fide A-lister: Billie Eilish, making her first guest appearance on another artist’s song, purring a playfully flirtatious verse that ends, “Charli likes boys but she knows I’d hit it.” It’s refreshing to once again hear Eilish on a beat as dark and abrasive as those on her debut album, but she and her brother and collaborator Finneas know they are ultimately on Charli’s turf, reverently endorsing the trashy aesthetic and if-you-know-you-know humor of “Brat.” “You wanna guess if we’re serious about this song,” Charli intones at the end, as Eilish lets out a conspiratorial giggle. Against all odds, reports of Brat Summer’s death seem to have been slightly exaggerated. LINDSAY ZOLADZOkaidja Afroso, ‘Kasoa’Okaidja Afroso, from Ghana, sings about cycles of nature and human life in his childhood language, Gãdangmé, on his new album, “Àbòr Édiń.” But his music exults in modern technology and cultural fusions. The six-beat handclaps and bass riffs of “Kasoa” look toward Moroccan gnawa music, while the vocal harmonies exult in computerized multitracking. “There will be meetings and partings, and joys and sorrows,” he sings. “May we journey with ease, and hope to cross paths again in another lifetime.” JON PARELESWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Kneecap’ Review: Beats Over Belfast

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      Members of the pioneering Irish-language rap group play versions of themselves in a gleefully chaotic film that casts them as tall-tale heroes.Hip-hop draws much of its power from the self-mythologizing impulses of its artists, and “Kneecap” most definitely heeds this call. In this gleefully chaotic quasi-biopic, the members of the hip-hop group of the film’s title are tall-tale heroes, the children of I.R.A. freedom fighters continuing the battle for Irish independence by other means: the reclamation of the Irish language, once actively suppressed, and only recently recognized by the United Kingdom as an official language in Northern Ireland.That might not sound like a very punk endeavor, but the film — based on the pioneers of Irish-language rap who broke out in 2017, and written and directed by Rich Peppiatt — makes a solid case, connecting the struggles of Irish speakers to American civil rights and Palestinian resistance movements.The gonzo dramedy is set in Belfast and stars the real-life band members as lightly fictionalized versions of themselves: Naoise (Naoise O Caireallain) and Liam Og (Liam Og O Hannaidh) are petty drug dealers and aspiring rappers. JJ (JJ O Dochartaigh) is a high school Irish teacher who happens upon a notebook of lyrics belonging to Liam and offers to produce the two younger men’s music in his garage. Wearing a balaclava knitted with the colors of the Irish flag, JJ becomes D.J. Provai by night, and the trio drink, smoke and snort up a storm before each increasingly packed show.These drug-addled antics give the film its snappy, surreal sense of humor, which clicks only half the time. Its lodestar in this regard is “Trainspotting,” though “Kneecap” feels forced by comparison. Good thing the Kneecap boys are genuinely unhinged and amusingly louche. They bring a nerve that offsets the film’s cringe attempts at badassery.There’s also a lackluster story line involving Naoise’s father, Arlo (Michael Fassbender), a Bobby Sands-like political leader who has lived in the shadows since faking his own death a decade earlier. Otherwise, we dip in and out of mini-intrigues that build out a portrait of life in Belfast — Liam falls for a Protestant girl (Jessica Reynolds), the crew is terrorized by a group of antidrug mobsters. The film, as a result, feels wildly uneven, though it cruises on the strength of its underdog narrative and its weird, sordid touches.KneecapRated R for sex scenes, profanity, drug use and violent archival footage. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. In theaters. More

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      Kneecap, Riotous Irish Rappers, Expect Their New Film to Shock

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      Kneecap’s Irish nationalist rap has drawn ire from pro-British politicians and commentators. A new film dramatizing the group’s story looks set to do the same.“He gave me his wallet,” joked D.J. Próvaí, a member of the Belfast-based rap trio Kneecap, to explain why the group trusted the British filmmaker Rich Peppiatt to tell their story.Kneecap’s blending of hip-hop beats with Irish-language rap lyrics championing republican politics — seeking unity for the Ireland’s north and south — has won it fans on both sides of Ireland’s internal border. The group has also drawn wrath from both British and Northern Irish politicians, who have accused it of inciting sectarianism. But this only made the trio a more attractive subject for his first scripted project, Peppiatt said, and “Kneecap” — a riotous fictionalized retelling of the rappers’ origins — comes to U.S. theaters Friday.“They deal with serious subjects in a hysterical way and made headlines for saying things that no one else seemed to be saying,” Peppiatt said in an interview alongside two group members. Last year, Kneecap unveiled a cartoonlike mural in Belfast of a police vehicle on fire, accompanied by an anti-police message in Irish.“They also played the media very well, drawing fire from the media and politicians, but always turning it to their own advantage,” Peppiatt added.A former journalist, Peppiatt resigned from the British tabloid newspaper The Daily Star in 2011 and then made the documentary “One Rogue Reporter” about unscrupulous newspaper editors. In the Kneecap lads, he found kindred rebellious spirits, and they were reassured by Peppiatt’s own turbulent experience with the news media.In the feature film “Kneecap,” the trio play fictionalized versions of themselves.Ryan Kernaghan/Sony Pictures ClassicsWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Who Is Eminem for in 2024?

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      Subscribe to Popcast!Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicThe 12th studio album by Eminem, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” just had its debut atop the Billboard album chart, 25 years after the rapper’s major-label debut launched him into the pop stratosphere.It’s been an uneven ride — Eminem is one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time, and also an artist who has had numerous musical highs and lows, all while maintaining a durably committed fan base. He has been a flashpoint and an afterthought, sometimes all at once.On this week’s Popcast, a conversation about Eminem’s long and unlikely career, the forces that propelled him to superstardom, his stubbornness in the face of the ever-evolving sound of hip-hop, and how he toys with offense so much that he no longer truly offends.Guests:Jayson Buford, who writes for Complex, Stereogum and othersRob Markman, longtime hip-hop journalistConnect With Popcast. Become a part of the Popcast community: Join the show’s Facebook group and Discord channel. We want to hear from you! Tune in, and tell us what you think at popcast@nytimes.com. Follow our host, Jon Caramanica, on Twitter: @joncaramanica. More

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      Darryl ‘Joe Cool’ Daniel, Illustrator of Snoop Dogg’s First Album Cover, Dies at 56

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      The 1993 album “Doggystyle” went on to sell millions of copies around the world and solidified the career of Mr. Daniel, known as Joe Cool, as a hip-hop illustrator.Darryl Daniel, a hip-hop illustrator who designed the cover for his cousin Snoop Dogg’s genre-defining 1993 album “Doggystyle” and went on to lend his distinctive artistic flair to brands like Adidas and Supreme, has died. He was 56.His sister Diondra Daniel confirmed his death, and Snoop Dogg acknowledged it on Monday on social media, but neither provided additional information.Mr. Daniel, known in the hip-hop world as Joe Cool, became synonymous with the bright colors, block letters and bawdy canines featured on the cover of “Doggystyle,” which sold millions of copies around the world.His style from then on would always be linked to the album’s hits, including “Gin and Juice” and “Lodi Dodi,” which were heard on the streets and at house parties throughout Long Beach, Calif., greater Los Angeles and ultimately the country in the early 1990s, when “Doggystyle” helped usher in an era of G-funk music and became foundational for West Coast hip-hop.The artwork depicts two dogs in suggestive postures while several others peer over a brick wall above a dumbstruck dogcatcher. The risqué content drew negative reactions in the early ’90s, with some critics saying the depictions were demeaning to women, but Snoop Dogg fervently promoted Mr. Daniel’s work.On an episode of “The Arsenio Hall Show” in 1994, Mr. Hall asked Snoop Dogg if he had anything to say about the artwork.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Suicideboys Don’t Care for the Music Biz. They Got Its Attention Anyway.

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      The rap duo’s raw songs and festival-like touring strategy has paid off: Its latest album opened at No. 5 without traditional industry strategies or support.The Louisiana rap duo Suicideboys have avoided nearly all the trappings of the contemporary music machine. They rarely grant interview requests and make the occasional public appearance with their faces partially covered. Still, Scott Arceneaux Jr. (known as Scrim) and Aristos Petrou (a.k.a. Ruby da Cherry) recently celebrated their biggest opening week on the Billboard chart yet: a No. 5 debut for their fourth album, “New World Depression,” last month.“It’s kind of hard, dude,” Arceneaux, 35, said of dealing with their ever-growing visibility as one of the biggest independent rap groups in the United States. “It’s taken on a life of its own.”Over the last decade, a passionate and adoring fan base has been drawn to Suicideboys’ blend of Southern rap rhythms and pop-punk melodies, all cloaked in the lush, depressive fog of internet-native hip-hop. They became underground heroes by making raw music about triggering subjects, which they relentlessly promoted on their own until their fan base snowballed into a force the music industry couldn’t ignore.In 2021, on the strength of an audience they’d bootstrapped since 2014, they signed an eight-figure distribution deal with the Orchard, a Sony Music subsidiary, that was re-upped last year. Their semiannual Grey Day Tour — a mini-festival that’s featured similarly ascendant peers like the hardcore band Turnstile and the Florida rap aesthete Denzel Curry — has catapulted them onto the list of rap’s highest-grossing touring acts, taking in over $42 million and selling 431,000 tickets in 2023.Video chatting on the day of their new album’s release, the pair were nestled in a room speckled with soundproofing materials at one of their properties deep in the Florida panhandle, their home outside of New Orleans. Petrou, with waves of dark hair cascading from under a backward baseball cap, spoke casually and with curiosity, positioned in the background, while Arceneaux often sat half-profile at the forefront, slightly bowing his bowl-cut mullet when he wasn’t speaking thoughtfully about their journey so far.As cousins who grew up separately in the greater Louisiana area before coming together in New Orleans, Arceneaux and Petrou described their upbringings as chaotic. “Childhood was rough,” Arceneaux admitted. “There was always drama,” Petrou agreed. “Our parents would get into it. We’ve always remained close and very rarely let the family dynamic infect our relationship.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Eminem Ends Taylor Swift’s Chart Run With His 11th No. 1 Album

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      The rapper’s “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” replaced the pop superstar’s “The Tortured Poets Department” after 12 weeks of dominance at the top.Eventually someone had to come along and bump Taylor Swift from No. 1 on the Billboard album chart — and it was Eminem.“The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” the latest LP by the 51-year-old shock-rapper from Detroit who has been posting No. 1s regularly for the entire 21st century, opens at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with the equivalent of 281,000 sales in the United States. That total includes 220 million streams and 114,000 traditional sales, all as digital downloads, according to data from the tracking service Luminate.It is Eminem’s 11th album to reach No. 1, a streak that ties him with Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Ye. The only artists ahead of them are Drake (13), Jay-Z and Taylor Swift (14 each), and the Beatles (19).Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” falls to No. 4 after an extraordinary 12-week run at the top, which began with blockbuster vinyl and streaming numbers. She continued to defeat all comers with a strategy of releasing special “versions” of her album, using bonus tracks and variant packaging to entice her fans to buy it again and again.Also this week, the K-pop boy band Enhypen opens at No. 2 with “Romance: Untold,” which had the equivalent of 124,000 sales, most from sales of CDs (17 collectible editions were available) and vinyl LPs. Zach Bryan’s “The Great American Bar Scene,” Swift’s last challenger, fell one spot to No. 3, and Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” is in fifth place in its 73rd week on the chart. More