New Tracks From Meek Mill and Chance the Rapper Tackle Criminal Justice and Trump
Settle in with some headphones and get ready to nod.
Music
Meek Mill Wants to Use His Voice for Criminal Justice Reform
The rapper criticizes the probation system's obstacles to redemption.
The Slants Know What it Takes to Win a Supreme Court Case
The Slants speak with Reason a year after winning the right to use their own name.
Does Everything Trump Touches Really Die?
Matt Welch interviews Rick Wilson (and others) on Sirius XM Insight from 9-12 ET.
A Pearl Jam Poster Sets Off a New Dead President Controversy
Republicans are comparing the band to Kathy Griffin.
Kanye West's Support for Trump Is No Different Than the Average Voter's
Except possibly the bit about "break[ing] the fucking simulation."
The First Crackdown on Indecent Recordings
Friday A/V Club: Anthony Comstock and the bawdy cylinders
Nation's Top Safety Agency Sounds Alarm on #InMyFeelings Challenge
The Drake-inspired viral challenge has seen the nation's youth fling themselves out of moving vehicles.
Will New Mom Cardi B Raise an Insurrectionist Army Against Government Tyranny?
Probably not, but the new mom does support the "insurrectionist" theory of Second Amendment rights as a bulwark against tyranny.
Pantera Drummer Vinnie Paul is Dead. Don't Forget His Role in Ending the Cold War.
Pantera's 1991 Moscow show helped cement the demise of a dying empire.
Feminist Group Demands Spotify's New 'Hate Content' Policy Be Applied to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem
The company's new policy is already giving it problems.
Spotify Partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center to Purge 'Hate Content' from Its Music
A well-intentioned new policy threatens the violent, angry music we know and love.
From Katy Perry To Rita Ora: A Very Short History of Pop-Music Lesbianism and What It Says About Social Progress
The distance traveled from 2008's "I Kissed a Girl" to today's "Girls" can't be measured in years alone.
If You Shot a Man in Reno, Why are You in California State Prison?
Herein of "Folsom Prison Blues" and criminal jurisdiction.
3 Ways Kanye West Is Confounding Everyone with His MAGA Tweeting
The musician and provocateur is spinning the heads of his fans, Trump's fans, and everyone who angrily overinterprets what affection for Trump has to mean.
The War on Opioids Probably Helped Kill Prince
His fentanyl overdose came from counterfeit Vicodin, and he likely didn't know what he was ingesting.
These California Kids Got In Trouble for Playing La Migra, a Game Where 'Border Agents' Chase 'Illegal Immigrants'
But it's a great game for gringos and Mexicans alike.
No Scandals in This HBO Elvis Documentary, Just Music
The Searcher focuses almost entirely on Presley as artist.
Beware Censorship by Proxy
Prodding private companies into self-censorship is a dangerous government tradition.
Cops Will Use Drones to Monitor Traffic at Coachella
"We want people to come here and have a good time and to feel safe."
When a Mash Note to a War Criminal Hit the Top 40
Friday A/V Club: My Lai's musical apologists
The Death of Liberalism and the Life of Johnny Cash: Sirius XM Radio
Listen to Matt Welch interview authors on everything from Pittsburgh's Black renaissance to the worldwide hostility toward George Soros
Mark E. Smith, Singer/Lyricist for the British Postpunk Band The Fall, R.I.P.
The sly, scabrous, absurdist Smith was one of the few anti-left voices of his musical generation.
A Special Reason Festivus Airing of the Grievances: Podcast
How has the fight for freedom changed from January 2017 to December, whether vis-a-vis Trump, Congress, or music? Well for one thing, Star Wars-spoiler norms have gone out the window in the Suderman household....
The Original Rock 'n' Roll Guitar God Was Actually a Goddess
Friday A/V Club: All hail Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Free Meek Mill
The rapper's case shows the problems with overcriminalization and the aggressive enforcement of petty laws.
Tom Petty, R.I.P.
One of the most widely and consistently beloved rock songwriters and singers of the past four decades passed away at age 66.
The Freakout Over Politically Incorrect Punk
When the punk rock thought-police targeted the New York City band Agnostic Front.
Young Louis Farrakhan Sings a Calypso Song About Transgender Surgery
Friday A/V Club: Before his transition into the Nation of Islam
New Whitney Houston Documentary Is Not Right, But It's OK
Sweeping generalizations take the place of actual analysis or thoughtful narratives.
Gene Simmons Wants to Trademark a Horns Hand Sign
He's admitted the gesture is a homage to Spiderman and Dr. Strange. It's also American Sign Language for "I love you."
The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock—and of Libertarianism [Reason Podcast]
"There's not a lot of space for libertarianism in politics right now," says Wash Post's David Weigel. Is he right?
Katy Perry Is Very Sorry She Once Wore Her Hair in Cornrows
The cultural appropriation hysteria reaches a fever pitch.
Montana Supreme Court Cites Biggie Smalls, N.W.A., Scarface
A man who faced federal distribution charges argued the state's possession prosecution was double jeopardy.
