The Week In Music Writing

Kanye roundtables, Jersey Club, and Chiraq documentaries in this week's collection of the best music writing.

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Complex Original

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There is as much good music writing now as there has ever been. There are gross inequalities in the system still, in who gets heard and who is silent. But more than ever, people are able to let their experiences and expressions be heard.

Thinkpieces, essays, reviews and features: the internet has overwhelmed us with writing. There's so much of it out there, and it's all so easy to lose perspective. The more our Facebook feeds tell us what's worth reading, the less likely we are to stumble across something outside of our worldview.

In an attempt to get a handle on all of the music writing out there, we've decided to put everyone up on the music writing we've enjoyed reading during the course of the week. If you've read something that we've missed, feel free to put it in the comments.

Written by David Drake (@somanyshrimp), Claire Lobenfeld (@Clairevlo) and Sydney Yeo (@Yeobites).

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Who Will Survive In America: A Kanye Roundtable by Jenny Zhang, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Amy Rose Spiegel, and Brodie Lancaster in Rookie
On Tuesday, teen girl online mag Rookie published a Kanye West roundtable. At the center of the piece: Kanye's ego, why his self-aggrandizing tendencies are often ridiculed and lambasted, and why these criticisms of a black man's rightful pride towards his substantial and nuanced body of work are flawed.

Just a few of the events discussed include Kanye's invasion of the 2009 VMAs stage (and if "I'mma let you finish" foreshadows 2014's "sucks that I robbed you"), his eviction of a fan for heckling his Yeezus Tour Margiela mask, and his fascination with blending populist art forms with high art influences. —Sydney Yeo 

Please Explain: Jersey Club by Alexis Stephens in MTVIggy 
Here's what I know about jersey club: It has nothing to do with the dance music on Jersey Shore and that's about it. Well, it was until I read Alexis Stephens' primer on the genre. This is an excellent start from people interested in subtle differences in dance music varieties and scene exploration, in general. And if you're an EDM fan who doesn't know there's levels to this ish, then this is essential. Bonus points for the tracks Stephens picked, too. —Claire Lobenfeld 

Cutting through the Noisey: A Gchat about Vice music website's Chiraq video series by Leor Galil and Drew Hunt in the Chicago Reader 
Ever since Chief Keef burst from obscurity in 2012, Chicago has become a flashpoint for discussions about the intersection of art and violence. But has the conversation moved forward in the two years since? Chicago writers Leor Galil and Drew Hunt are not impressed with Noisey's latest attempt, and justifiably so. Their discussion explores the numerous ways in which the documentary fails to bring any new insights or information forward. All in all, it's a methodical, and brutally honest, takedown of a seriously missed opportunity. To quote Hunt: "This is another cursory look at an incredibly multifaceted situation that pushes an illusory narrative further.‬ ‪I don't necessarily want to assume ill intent on the behalf of Vice, as some might, but I'm definitely dubious of their methods. And their creative integrity. These ethical quibbles aside, this series was so simplistically made. It's very low grade, formally. All these web docs prove is that high-quality cameras don't automatically produce high-quality images.‬" —David Drake

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