What Does It Mean To Be A “Black Artist”?

Welcome to Listening Habits , a column where I share the music and musical topics I’ve been fixated on recently. In between spending the last month listening to every single song with "New York" in its title or chorus, I found time to keep up with the latest big album releases. We're only about halfway through but already this has been a damn good year for music: a good mix of quality releases from stars, stalwarts, and new names entering the ring. The new Olivia Rodrigo might be the best thing to come out recently, but this week I'm more moved to consider Cry Baby , the first independent release from rapper Vince Staples.