Roots Routes: Japan, Jamaica, and the Global Flows of Vintage Reggae Vinyl
This article published in the peer-reviewed journal Media Industries looks at the culture and materiality of reggae music in Tokyo and historicizes and contextualizes the relationship between Japan and Jamaica.
Spectacular whiteness: The tactics and mediation of white protests for Black Lives
A new article of peer-reviewed research published in the International Journal of Cultural Studies, on the tactics and mediation of white-presenting protesters in Portland, Oregon, during the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings.
Do the GRAMMYs have a diversity problem?
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Cassie Owens authored an in-depth look at my research in early 2020. This is an outline of the GRAMMYs book project.
Beyoncé's GRAMMY Snub and the Glass Ceiling on Black Art
In the wake of Adele’s three head-to-head wins against Beyoncé in 2017, I argued for a racial glass ceiling.
Kendrick Lamar & the Structural Limits of Black Excellence
The piece that started it all—I ran the numbers after Taylor Swift defeated Kendrick Lamar in 2016.
“Kingston Be Wise”: Jamaica’s Reggae Revival, Musical Livity, and Troubling Temporality in the Modern Global Music Industry
This is a peer-reviewed journal article on creative industries workers in Kingston, Jamaica, and the Reggae Revival. Together they seek a decolonized music industry.
Pepsi’s Idiotic Kendall Jenner Ad Highlights Pop Music’s Protest Problem
This piece critiques a Pepsi advertisement for its racial insensitivity and its use of protest to sell soda.
What it Takes for Black Artists to Win Big at the GRAMMYs
Sometimes Black artists do win against white artists in the GRAMMY General Field. I explored the conditions necessary for that to happen.
Beyoncé’s Homecoming film preserves and reveres Black history
On one of the best films of the century, a celebration of Black music, culture, institutions and people woven through the #Beychella performance.
Why Shouldn’t I Interview Stevie Wonder?
This was my attempt at a methodological provocation for MusiQology, in which I talked about interviewing and why cultural studies scholars need to do it more.