“He’s trusted to repair some of the world’s most fabled — and expensive — instruments. How does John Becker manage to unlock the sound of a Stradivarius?”
music
Kendrick Lamar’s New Chapter
“In partnership with his longtime collaborator, Dave Free, the greatest rapper of his generation is pushing himself — commercially and creatively — onto unexpected terrain.”
Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon
“Against my better judgment, I found myself becoming an outlet for the resentments and niche preoccupations of the people who make speakers.”
A Championship Season in Mariachi Country
“Every year along the Texas border, high school teams battle it out in one of the nation’s most intense championship rivalries. But they’re not playing football.”
Eminem Found Himself in “Lose Yourself.” Will We Ever Let It Go?
“It also spawned his biggest hit—an underdog anthem that lives on through commercials and sports arena sound systems to this day.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week’s list features stories from Shara Johnson. Paul Fischer, John Woodrow Cox, Marc Hogan, and Angelica Jade Bastién.
“The Anti-Woodstock ’99”: An Oral History of the Tibetan Freedom Concert
“The 1996 San Francisco concert set the template for combining music and activism in the 1990s.”
‘The Evanescence is the Thing’: Five Writers on the Power of the Dance Floor
Five reads on dancing, techno music, and rave and club culture.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend stories by Bushra Seddique, Simon van Zuylen-Wood, Laura Mauldin, Kathryn Miles, and Lucas Mann.