Spencer Kornhaber
Before joining The Atlantic as an editor in 2011, he was a staff writer at OC Weekly, an editor at Patch, and a freelancer for Spin and The A.V. Club. In 2019, he won the Excellence in Column Writing Award from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists. At The Atlantic, he covers pop culture and music. He is the author of On Divas: Persona, Pleasure, Power.
Hip-Hop’s Fiercest Critic
The writer dream hampton thinks hip-hop is broken. But she can’t stop trying to fix it.
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Beth Garrabrant Taylor Swift Is Having Quality-Control Issues
The Tortured Poets Department excavates her private life more deeply than ever—but somehow, it’s a story we’ve heard before.
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Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: C Flanigan / … When You Regret Starting a Rap Beef
J. Cole dared to insult Kendrick Lamar—and, more surprisingly, he immediately apologized for it.
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Mason Poole / Parkwood Entertainment This Is What an Album Needs to Do Right Now
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is an exploration of country—not just the musical genre, but America itself.
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Blair Caldwell / Parkwood Entertainment Beyoncé Stands Her Ground
The singer’s confrontational spin on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is the key to understanding Act II: Cowboy Carter, her new album.
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Scott Dudelson / Getty Kanye’s Creepy Comeback
Despite his supposed cancellation, the Hitler-praising rapper has his first No. 1 single since 2011.
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Katia Temkin The Pleasure of Judging a Pop Star
Ariana Grande has turned her divorce drama into music that’s beautiful—and a little poisonous.
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Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty A Seriously Silly Oscars Moment
Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” was an irony-meets-sincerity spectacle.
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Alex Lockett The Haunting of Modern Pop Music
The producer who helped build Taylor Swift’s empire of nostalgia is still finding new ways to explore the past.
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Tommy Kha / Shore Fire Media They Rode the Rails, Made Friends, and Fell Out of Love With America
Hurray for the Riff Raff has made the next great American road album.
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Amazon The Fabulous Desperation of Our Celebrities
Jennifer Lopez would like us to take her seriously now.
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Valerie Macon/ AFP / Getty What Joni Mitchell Proved at the Grammys
In performing an instant-classic awards-show set, she affirmed her timelessness—and her influence on a new generation of artists.
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Leon Bennett / WireImage / Getty The Gay Icon Who Wants Conservative Approval
Lil Nas X is a provocateur, a troll, an individualist … but he also really, really wants to be liked.
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Emmie America The Band That’s Been Charting America’s Burnout for Decades
Green Day is still attracting controversy, and listeners, with its blend of politics and punk.
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Illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic A Dark Omen for the Future of Music
Pitchfork challenged a generation of music listeners. Is there still a place for it?
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Kevin Mazur / Getty The Queerest Thing About Taylor Swift
She’s something different to everyone.
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Kevin Mazur / Getty Madonna Dances With Death
Her greatest-hits tour has the feeling of a memorial—a spectacular one.
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Dusty Deen for The Atlantic The 10 Best Albums of 2023
A year of great music offers a reminder that more really can be more: more melodies, more breakthroughs, more art.
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Charlotte Rutherford / Republic Records Nicki Minaj Faces Hip-Hop’s Middle-Age Conundrum
What happens when killer Barbie grows up?
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Matt Huynh Trump’s Plan to Police Gender
His campaign is promising a more repressive and dangerous America.
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Parkwood Entertainment We’ve Never Seen Beyoncé Like This Before
The Renaissance concert movie is joyful but jumbled—and less about the star than about her audience.
