Briana Younger
Asheville, Brooklyn, United States, Washington, D.C.
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Articles by Briana Younger
Cover story: Playboi Carti – Life imitates art
17.05.21 Words by: Briana Younger Photography: Nick Walker Styling: Playboi Carti Styling assistant: Clif Shayne Shop The Collections now, and order your copy of the Playboi Carti cover here Playboi Carti got dressed specifically for this interview. It’s over the phone, but he says he’s wearing an all black Rick Owens outfit accented with a Givenchy chain. And he’s not out and about or fresh from a session – he’s just in the house sounding like he’s been there all day, laid-back and unbothered.
Brent Faiyaz Interview With Greatest | GOAT
The R&B wonder reflects on overnight stardom, the influence of DatPiff mixtapes and retreating into himself to avoid the spectacle of celebrity. Brent Faiyaz still has to take out the trash when he’s at home. Dialing into Zoom from Baltimore (his hometown of Columbia, MD is about 20 miles south), he talks about how so little has changed within that small bubble of those who knew him first.
GloRilla on ‘F.N.F.,’ ‘Tomorrow 2,’ and Her Memphis Roots
W hen GloRilla arrives at a Hollywood bowling alley, she’s clearly off the clock, cozy and happy to be among familiar faces. No cameras, no fans — just her team, the two friends she came with, and a handful of security to ensure it stays that way. She’s relieved, at least in this moment, that no one is coming over to speak to her.
GloRilla Knew She’d Get Here
When GloRilla arrives at a Hollywood bowling alley, she’s clearly off the clock, cozy and happy to be among familiar faces. No cameras, no fans — just her team, the two friends she came with, and a handful of security to ensure it stays that way. She’s relieved, at least in this moment, that no one is coming over to speak to her.
Babyface on Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Girls Night Out
superlatives Oct. 16, 2022 Superlatives A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers. Superlatives A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photo: Clarence Williams/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images When Babyface hops on a Zoom call in September, he’s just wrapping up New York Fashion Week.
Kendrick Lamar’s Life Lessons
Kendrick Lamar has been going through something—or so he announces in the opening lines of his latest album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. In the 1,855 days after the release of his previous album, DAMN., which he refers to in the song “United in Grief,” he won seven Grammys and a Pulitzer, went on a four-year musical hiatus, had two children, and, if Mr. Morale is any indication, did a whole lot of soul-searching.
Rae Sremmurd's Growing Pains
GQ Hype: It's the big story of right now. In internet time, four years is a million lifetimes. Which is perhaps why some fans of Rae Sremmurd, the rap duo comprised of Slim Jxmmi and his younger brother Swae Lee, began to think the duo had broken up when the follow-up to 2018’s SR3MM didn’t materialize at their usual rapid pace.
FKA twigs: "Ser negra y británica crea un sabor muy particular"
Cuando FKA twigs llegó al pintoresco café del distrito artístico de Los Ángeles donde habíamos quedado, acababa de hablar por teléfono con un amigo. “¿De verdad resulto tan intimidante?”, le había preguntado. El tema era ya recurrente en la vida de esta artista de 34 años: sólo en las dos semanas previas se lo habían sacado a colación al menos tres veces.
How FKA Twigs Stood Up For Herself
Before FKA twigs arrived at a quaint coffee shop in Los Angeles’ Arts District, she’d been on the phone with a friend, wondering whether she was intimidating. It had been a recurring theme in the 34-year-old’s life of late – it’d come up at least three times over the previous two weeks – and she wanted to know if it was true. Much of the mythology that’s been built around twigs over the past decade has to do with this quality, or at least the assumption of it.
The Best R&B Albums of 2021
Music Entry 4: A look at an incredible year for R&B. Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Amazon.
Alicia Keys and Kehlani on New Music, Spirituality, Motherhood, & More
Photographed by Kanya Iwana for Rolling Stone. Produced by Rachael Lieberman. Fashion direction by Alex Badia. Set design by Dureen Troung. Keys: Styled by Jason Bolden. Tailored by Erin Castle. Hair styled by Kendall Dorsey for Factory Downtown. Makeup by Tasha Reiko Brown for the Wall Group. Manicure by Temeka Jackson for CMNsoon Entertainment. Top, jacket, and choker by Chanel. Earrings by Cartier. Kehlani: Styled by Oliver Vaughn. Hair styled by Cesar Ramirez for Cesar Ramirez Styling.
Cover story: Playboi Carti – Life imitates art
Painted trucker jacket: Comme des Garçons Homme AW2002 17.05.21 Words by: Briana Younger Photography: Nick Walker Styling: Playboi Carti Styling assistant: Clif Shayne Shop The Collections now, and order your copy of the Playboi Carti cover here Playboi Carti got dressed specifically for this interview. It’s over the phone, but he says he’s wearing an all black Rick Owens outfit accented with a Givenchy chain.
Serpentwithfeet on ‘Deacon,’ Church, Queerness, R&B
encounter Mar. 23, 2021 His music, much like the man, requires an audience unconfined by expectation of what is supposed to be. Photo: Courtesy of Photo: Courtesy of Photo: Courtesy of During one particularly hellish February weather week for most of the country, Los Angeles hovers just above 70 degrees. No breeze, the sky a cloudless shade of aqua.
Starchild Amp The New Romantic
Bryndon Cook, the mind and multi-instrumentalist behind Starchild & the New Romantic, has worked with such heavy hitters as Solange, Chairlift, and Blood Orange, and his own music is equally variegated. His latest release, “VHS 1138,” stands in stark contrast to his effervescent retro-pop album “Language,” from 2018; it embraces hip-hop and more subdued tones, which place the shifting qualities of his voice front and center.
Hit-Boy and WondaGurl On Producers' New Power - And Why Their Pub Deals Still Need To Get Better
Hit-Boy: It’s almost like a subconscious thing. You’re listening to what’s out and what’s going on, but you also might listen to classic stuff. A few of the Benny the Butcher beats were made over 10 years ago, and there’s people hitting me like, “This shit some of the illest stuff for the year!” And I’m like, “Man, this is my old bag.” Producers are increasingly treated as artists in their own right. Does that change how you collaborate?
Dinah Washington: Black Woman Pop Star
In a world where Black women are consistently expected to compromise, Dinah Washington made few: she sang the way she wanted to sing; she loved the way she wanted to love; she lived the way she wanted to live. Genre has long been used as a way to marginalize black artists, to deny them the multiplicity of their musicianship. Washington insisted her voice be a shape-shifter.
The South is rap's past, present and future
The South Got Something to Say: rap's past, present and future (Joelle Avelino for NPR) It's a famous scene by now: André 3000 in a purple dashiki, Big Boi in an Atlanta Braves jersey, the pair ascending the steps of the stage at the 1995 Source Awards to accept the trophy for New Artist of the Year amid a flurry of boos from a less-than-pleased audience. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine OutKast catching jeers in any room of self-proclaimed hip-hop lovers.
'The South Got Something To Say' Is A Celebratory Canon Of Southern Rap
This week, NPR Music launched The South Got Something To Say: A Celebration Of Southern Rap. The project is centered around a canon of 130 greatest releases by Southern rappers; it was assembled by a team, led by critic Briana Younger, of Southern critics, scholars and writers representing the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Virginia.
'The South Got Something To Say' Is A Celebratory Canon Of Southern Rap
'The South Got Something To Say' Is A Celebratory Canon Of Southern Rap This week, NPR Music launched The South Got Something To Say: A Celebration Of Southern Rap. The project is centered around a canon of 130 greatest releases by Southern rappers; it was assembled by a team, led by critic Briana Younger, of Southern critics, scholars and writers representing the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Virginia.
The South Is Rap's Past, Present And Future Original
It's a famous scene by now: André 3000 in a purple dashiki, Big Boi in an Atlanta Braves jersey, the pair ascending the steps of the stage at the 1995 Source Awards to accept the trophy for New Artist of the Year amid a flurry of boos from a less-than-pleased audience. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine OutKast catching jeers in any room of self-proclaimed hip-hop lovers.
Beyoncé - Albums, Songs, and News
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Pop Smoke's First And Final Album Falls Between Two Worlds
It's been five months since Pop Smoke's death and just over a year since "Welcome to the Party," the first single of his debut mixtape, Meet the Woo, began snaking through the firmament. Then it was joined by the even more irresistible "Dior." That music remains an artifact of the New York summer — the songs that once soundtracked the city's revelry have now been refashioned for protest, which only further cements his growing legend. In the studio, though, these hits were what he was up against.
Pop Smoke's First And Final Album Falls Between Two Worlds
The rapper Pop Smoke, whose posthumous debut album was released July 3, 2020. Courtesy of the artist hide caption toggle caption Courtesy of the artist The rapper Pop Smoke, whose posthumous debut album was released July 3, 2020. Courtesy of the artist It's been five months since Pop Smoke's death and just over a year since "Welcome to the Party," the first single of his debut mixtape, Meet the Woo, began snaking through the firmament.
On 'The Album,' Teyana Taylor reframes marriage and motherhood: Review
Taylor's latest stands up as an assertion of her sexuality in a world that often desexualizes mothers. By Briana Younger June 19, 2020 at 09:30 AM EDT The first voice on The Album isn’t of Teyana Taylor but of her husband, Iman Shumpert, asking her to get married. The proposal is followed by the 911 call he placed when Taylor gave birth to their daughter, on the floor of the couple’s bathroom, in 2015.
Lil Uzi Vert Eternal Atake
Illustration by Gabriel Hollington Lil Uzi Vert’s otherworldly new album, “Eternal Atake,” (and its deluxe version, “LUV vs. the World 2”) crash-landed onto Earth, much to the delight of anxious fans, and immediately sucked up all the oxygen. The breathlessness of its reception—almost as ebullient as Uzi’s raps themselves—captures the energy of a moment that people had begun to believe would never come.
Spring Night-Life Preview
Spring soon arrives, ushered in by pop music’s blossoming superstar Billie Eilish, whose often sullen stylings, though not exactly seasonal in mood, are sure to be one of the year’s biggest draws. She plays a pair of shows, one at Madison Square Garden (March 15) and the other at the Barclays Center (March 20), as she comes off her sweep of the Grammys’ biggest awards.
Pop Smoke’s Majesty and Menace
There was nothing about Pop Smoke that suggested fragility. The rapper, from Brooklyn’s Canarsie neighborhood, was at once larger than life—luxury cars, high fashion, glitzy jewelry—and too cool for any of it. His music was all bravado and swagger, topped off by a preternatural charm that could draw in even the most resistant. He seemed, as he proclaims on the opening track of his latest mixtape, invincible. Until he wasn’t.
In The Wide World Of Hip-Hop, There's A Style For Everyone
Weekend Edition's final music starter kit surveys the modern landscape of hip-hop, from the energetic bars of DaBaby and Rico Nasty to the spoken word-influenced Saba and Noname.
An Intro To Hip-Hop, For The Uninitiated
An Intro To Hip-Hop, For The Uninitiated NPR's David Folkenflik speaks to Briana Younger, music editor and writer at the New Yorker, about song recommendations for those who might not be hip-hop fans, but might want to give the genre a shot.
The Kobe Bryant Grammys Brought a Lesson in Grief
The tumultuous weeks leading up to the Grammys on Sunday included the dismissal of the Recording Academy president and chief executive, Deborah Dugan, who went on to make bombshell allegations of behind-the-scenes harassment and assault, along with accusations that the integrity of the awards had been compromised by insider self-dealing. The swirling drama was slated to be the dominant undercurrent of music’s biggest night, but the sudden death of Kobe Bryant proved far more shattering.
The Beautiful Vulnerability of Juice WRLD
The world often speaks of black boys and their anger but rarely of their sadness; Juice WRLD forced us to see. Photograph by Krista Schlueter / NYT / Redux Last Monday, the rapper known as Juice WRLD, who was born Jarad Higgins, celebrated his twenty-first birthday; on Sunday, he died after having a seizure. It was a soul-crushing end for a man who celebrated life—on and off wax—even when it looked as though there was so little worth celebrating.
Janelle Monáe on Privilege and Survival
By Briana Younger November 14, 2019 In a new short film, the pop star discusses her identity and the responsibility that comes with celebrity. The galactic glamour of Afrofuturism may reign over Janelle Monáe’s aesthetic, but the principles that compel her have always been of this world.
Winter Night-Life Preview
A roster of young R. & B. rule-breakers, an assemblage of genre-spanning big-ticket shows, and more. By Briana Younger November 1, 2019 Illustration by Simon Landrein The one-two punch of chillier temperatures and the impending holidays reinforces our natural inclination to partner up and wait out the weather in the arms of a loved one—or perhaps to bask (or wallow) in solitude. Whatever the case, a varied collection of singers offer a heart-tugging soundtrack to suit any mood.
Summer Walker’s Sex-Positive R. & B.
By Briana Younger October 22, 2019 On Summer Walker’s début album, “Over It,” sexual liberation is personal liberation—a condition free from the disappointment of expectation. Photograph by ro.lexx “Am I really that much to handle?” Summer Walker coos in the opening seconds of her début album, “Over It.” It’s the question women ask ourselves when we’re trying to make sense of love and of how much space we’re allowed to take up.
Summer Walker's 'Over It' Is Worthy Of The Buzz
Summer Walker's album, Over It, debuted earlier this month - and it's already broken records. Music critic Briana Younger of The New Yorker discusses some of the album's standout songs.
Summer Walker's 'Over It' Is Worthy Of The Buzz
Summer Walker's 'Over It' Is Worthy Of The Buzz Summer Walker's debut album, Over It, is a sensation. ro.lexx/Courtesy of the artist hide caption toggle caption ro.lexx/Courtesy of the artist Summer Walker's debut album, Over It, is a sensation. ro.lexx/Courtesy of the artist Summer Walker's debut album, Over It, came out earlier this month — and it's already broken records.
The Controversial Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence
This week, in a New York district court, one of music’s least sympathetic characters, the Brooklyn rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, took the stand to testify against alleged members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, the gang with which he associated himself. The rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, became a star witness, pointing out gang members who appeared in his music videos, explaining gang signs, and detailing the hierarchy of Nine Trey and its alleged leaders.
Fall Night-Life Preview
Z100’s Summer Bash, Electric Zoo, SummerStage, and more opportunities to see popular music stars beneath the sun. Illustration by Max Dalton As the dog days of summer give way to autumn’s cool, opportunities to catch a show beneath the sun and the stars are dwindling. Luckily, the Rooftop at Pier 17 offers myriad options: Z100’s Summer Bash (Aug. 29) gathers such crossover acts as the d.j. Marshmello, the country singer Kane Brown, and the man of the moment Lil Nas X.
GoldLink’s Brilliant Tribute to the Sounds of the Diaspora
Listen The rapper GoldLink has always had the kind of sound that’s easy to imagine ringing out in international night clubs. “The God Complex,” from 2014, introduced us to his style: a mix of groovy house and electronica, which he anointed “future bounce,” that supplied a plush backdrop for his elastic flows. At the time, the sound seemed quirky, but, with the arrival of his fourth album, “Diaspora,” which was released in June, it feels fundamental. He was thinking globally, even then.
The Quest for the Next Great Hip-Hop Festival
Founded in 2015, the hip-hop festival Rolling Loud was a perfect storm of good timing, serendipitous geography, and unfulfilled demand. Photograph by Jason Koerner / Getty At the moment, the Rolling Loud Festival reigns as the king of hip-hop festivals. The inaugural edition took place in 2015, at a warehouse in Miami’s Wynwood Art District, with performances by more than a hundred rappers, including Awful Records, Travis Scott, Curren$y, and the headliners Juicy J, A$AP Ferg, and ScHoolboy Q.
Summer Night-Life Preview
Rising temperatures allow for the pleasures of outdoor concerts, such as Governors Ball, Summer Jam, SummerStage, and more. By Briana Younger May 17, 2019 Illustration by Allison Filice Music’s communal qualities peak in the summer, as rising temperatures allow for the pleasures of outdoor concerts.
Jamila Woods’s Musical Celebration of Selfhood
Continue with sound? The DNA of Jamila Woods’s new album, “LEGACY! LEGACY!,” was written into her solo début, “HEAVN,” from 2016. In that release, she mined the tragedies and triumphs of history to create contemporary freedom songs that inhaled adversity and exhaled permission to live anyway. On “LEGACY!,” Woods is again looking backward, putting herself in dialogue with a long line of predecessors—from Betty Davis to Sonia Sanchez to Jean-Michel Basquiat—by reanimating them through song.
The Homegrown Language of Les Murray
Les Murray, pictured here in 1984, wrote about rural life in an English that sounded Australian. Photograph from Fairfax Media Archives / Getty On Monday, the poet Les Murray, one of Australia’s “national living treasures,” died, at the age of eighty.
How the Census Changed America
The simple act of enumeration created data processing, led to the establishment of the National Archives, and rooted a rootless people. The inventor Herman Hollerith devised a punch-card system to record census information. His invention transformed data-processing technology. Photograph by American Stock Archive / Archive Photos / Getty In April, the Supreme Court began to hear arguments about one of the central requirements of the Constitution.
Go-Go Music as a Rallying Call to Resist Gentrification
The percussive, funk-inspired, call-and-response style of music known as go-go is the sound of black Washington, D.C., a homegrown genre that seeped into the city’s bloodstream in the mid-sixties and still pulses through its streets today.
Nipsey Hussle Embodied the Best of Hip-Hop
By Briana Younger April 1, 2019 Nothing about a premature death ever feels fair or just, but, in the rapper Nipsey Hussle’s case, it is particularly excruciating. Photograph by Vivien Killilea / PUMA / Getty The rapper Nipsey Hussle played the long game, and he played in South Central Los Angeles, a place where it is far from guaranteed that such efforts will be rewarded.
Ten Years of Swag Surfin’
It was a song and dance that captured the bliss of the early Obama era. Then it became something more. By Briana Younger March 22, 2019 The first time I can vividly recall Swag Surfin’ was during Howard University’s inauguration ball for President Obama. That occasion, which would have been in January of 2009, doesn’t align with the official release date of “Swag Surfin’ ”—March 22, 2009—but the song had been circulating on mixtapes and in clubs for months at that point.
A Peek Back at Early Drake on “So Far Gone”
Whether rapping in warm monotones or singing sweet nothings, Drake spoke of women as if he actually liked them. Photograph by Aaron Rapoport / Corbis / Getty “Relatability” has long been a word deployed to both acknowledge and undercut the relationship between fans and the musicians they love. When Drake’s début commercial mixtape, “So Far Gone,” was released, in February, 2009, he was arguably at peak relatability, and it was still easy to believe in the Toronto rapper’s Everyman shtick.
The New R. & B. Is Here, Reflecting Confused Modern Love
Bathed in icy turquoise, purple, and red hues, the R. & B. singer Jacquees took the stage at Irving Plaza on Sunday night with the confidence of a seasoned veteran and a reception fit for a champion. The singer, just months ago, had set social media alight with debate when he proclaimed himself the “King of R. & B.” for his generation, but there was no disagreement among the sold-out crowd.
Spring Night-Life Preview
The season brings mighty women performers, like Lizzo, who is poised for stardom, and a burst of multinational acts, including Bad Bunny. Illustration by Sarah Mazzetti Spring brings April showers, May flowers, and hip-hop abloom in its assorted iterations. A pair of queer rappers—Lor Choc, whose amorous sing-raps are a street romantic’s dream, and the equally tender Kodie Shane—kick things off at S.O.B.’s (March 6).
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