LINKED UP 100

Whole lotta links…

Rap Against the Machine

Tyler, the Creator and The Big 3 did major things in 2024 with less help than ever from the label system. (Backseat Freestyle)

Experts Weigh In on Drake’s Legal Filings Against UMG: “This Gets Nowhere Near Trial”

According to one entertainment lawyer, there’s not much “meat on the bone” with Drake’s recent filings against UMG. (Rolling Stone)

How the Indie Rock Boom Went Bust

Not so long ago, indie music was riding high, minting new stars and lasting careers with ease. But for a new generation of artists, financial stability is all but impossible. (Hearing Things)

TV on the Radio, Brooklyn Rock Veterans, Return to the Stage

The acclaimed band, which emerged during the 2000s indie boom, is performing a series of live shows commemorating the 20th anniversary of its debut album. (NYT)

Inside Menswear Legend Aaron Levine’s Long-Awaited Solo Act

His fingerprints are already all over your closet. Now, the veteran designer’s name is finally on the tag. (GQ)

Post Jeans Make the Jeans You Want to Wear

“…there's no secret to it. It's just iterative.” (Village Psychic)

Streetwear Has Lost Its Popularity. Is That a Good Thing? 

Studies show that streetwear has lost its popularity, especially among Gen Z, however, there's evidence that this isn't a bad thing. (Highsnobiety)

Can “Wack People” Ruin Something You Love?

Status anxiety in the Unswaggy Valley. (Blackbird Spyplane)

We Might Need to Bring Gatekeeping Back

In today’s digital age, the word “gatekeeping” often carries a negative connotation, implying elitism, exclusion, or hostility toward newcomers. But have we ever stopped to consider why gatekeeping existed in the first place? (Nowhere Fast)

Are You Too Old for the Artworld?

Complaining that most art sucks is like saying that all new music is bad because you don’t like Spotify’s Top 50 playlist. (ArtReview)

An Art Show That Smells Like Elf Bar and Sounds Like the Internet

A dispatch from the esoteric rap show at Mark Leckey's new exhibition in Chelsea. (i-D)

Sex, Drugs and Scandal: The Groucho Club’s Most Hedonistic Moments

As the celebrity haunt faces a licence review, Claudia Cockerell looks at the Groucho’s history as a haven for drug-fuelled evenings of debauchery. 

(The Standard)

The Shocking True Story of a Gilded Age Society Magazine’s Deception and Downfall

William d ’Alton Mann became one of the most powerful men in Gilded Age New York by selling his silence to the upper crust. Until they turned on him. 

(Town & Country)

Is Industry the Most Insightful TV Show About Race and Class in the Workplace?

As GQ's week celebrating the workplace on TV comes to a close, we speak to Mickey Down, Konrad Kay, Sagar Radia and Ken Leung about the refreshing diversity of HBO's hit banking drama. (GQ)

Loaded: Lads, Mags and Mayhem

A nostalgic romp through the rise - and fall - of the 90s lads mag phenomenon. (BBC)

Memory Screen

Memory Screen is not your typical skate video; it has more in common with the poetic style of editing characteristic of the American avant-garde and less in common with contemporaneous skate films such as The Search for Animal Chin (1987) or Spike Jonze’s early works. (Screen Slate)

“I Think I’m Psychic”: Alexa Chung Is Catching a Vibe 

The forever fashion icon tells Interview editorial director Richard Turley why it's time for a new era. (Interview)

This Is TASTE 497: Flipping Mayo Haters With Molly Baz

We’ve long been fans of cookbook author and creative thinker Molly Baz, and many of you have too. With a signature voice and absolutely wild recipe development skills (as well as years of professional cooking under her belt), Molly has won over millions of fans worldwide. (TASTE)

How Cafe Gitane Stayed Cool for Decades: A Look at 30 Years of a Nolita Institution

“I go there and time slows down and I feel more present,” said one loyal regular. (Gothamist)

Long-Lost Thanksgiving Recipes of American Artists

From Georgia O’Keeffe’s suggestive cabbage to Andrew Wyeth’s cornbread of the everyman, the findings represent a treasure of art and culinary history. (Hyperallergic)

Inside the World of Competitive Tablescaping

These inventive, meticulous competitors can teach us something about setting the “perfect” table. (NYT)

You’ve Got Books 

Featuring Addison Kirst, founder of des pair books. (TERA)

Racquet’s 2024 Gift Guide

The thing about archetypes is that - though they are of course shallow caricatures - they somehow tend to ring true. The fact is: We all know the following types, and we need to buy them presents. So we here at Racquet have amassed a guide to make your holiday gift-giving look effortlessly apropos and thoughtful. (Racquet)

MARGARET HOWELL

From a well-used Ercol chair to her daily wake-up call with a Braun alarm clock, the British designer talks to Port magazine about the ten things that inspire her. 

(Illustrations by Pablo Delcan)

INFINITE COLOURS

Stone Island presents Infinite Colours, a feature-length film by Ken-Tonio Yamamoto about the community of workers at its headquarters in Ravarino, deep in the industrial district of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. 

The docu-poem tells the story of Stone Island from an unparalleled perspective - by the people who make the garments themselves - conveying the unique spirit of continual research and experimentation that lies at the heart of the community and the brand.

INFINITE COLOURS BTS

Some behind-the-scenes photographs from Infinite Colours, a “docu-poem” that tells the story of Stone Island. Available tomorrow on YouTube.

CC40

“This monumental forty-film box set celebrates forty years of the Criterion Collection by gathering an electrifying mix of classic and contemporary films, and presenting them with all their special features and essays. CC40’s eclectic selection includes the releases most frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years.”

More here.

LINKED UP 099

What Kim Jones Did Next: “Money Is Worth Less Than Time”

He’s quit Fendi, but what will Kim Jones do next? First stop, Sotheby’s. (The Standard)

Elio Fiorucci

Charting his rise from a rebellious dreamer to a global trendsetter, a new retrospective at Triennale Milano presents the life and impact of Elio Fiorucci, featuring archival objects, neon-lit installations, innovative clothing and collaborations with icons like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Madonna. (Port)

Learning to Love Minimalism With Auralee

London-based writer Raven Smith has been known to dress in loud, brash patterns. But the austere elegance of the Japanese label is giving him second thoughts. (SSENSE)

Five Fits With: Alex Delany, Who Dresses Well (and Eats Even Better)

The guy behind your favourite recipe, playlist, and outfit dishes out a few thoughts on personal style. (Esquire)

New York’s Creative Set Joins Cultured and Palmes in Celebrating Chris Black’s New Zine

Cultured Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson and Palmes founder Nikolaj Hansson gathered over 120 guests to celebrate the tastemaker's latest publication at Ursula Bookshop in Chelsea. (Cultured)

Feed Me’s Emily Sundberg and Her “Studio Mindset” 

One of the most talked-about writers in business and culture journalism last year wasn’t employed by The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg. (Semafor)

The Monday Media Diet With Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez

On Procare, Five Decembers, and James Surowiecki. (WITI?)

Seduced by a $190 Soap Dispenser

The ceramic vessel made by a former fashion designer has become the hit product at a new shop in Downtown Manhattan. (NYT)

Art Is Full of Liars

These days, we can’t believe anything we see. But from art, do we want fact or fiction? Harriet Lloyd-Smith explores, with the help of lying expert Pamela Meyer. (Plaster)

The Origins and Resurgence of the Word “R*tard”

Today, it’s considered to be one of the most offensive slurs in the English language, but it wasn’t always that way... (Nowhere Fast)

“There Was Three of Them Waiting, Like: Play This Track or Else”: DJ EZ, the Reality-Bending Maestro of the Decks

The staunch champion of garage is one of the UK’s most talented musicians, manipulating tracks at lightning speed. In a rare interview he discusses neurodiversity, being teetotal - and the truth about his fees. 

(The Guardian)

“I Was Really Not OK”: Bladee on PTSD, Charli XCX and Being Struck by Lightning

The Drain Gang rapper’s party lifestyle almost ended in disaster. Now, alongside a guest spot on Brat, Sweden’s dark icon is back with a furious and euphoric new sound. (The Guardian)

Afters: Did 2024 See the Rise of a New British Genre?

Contrasting grime and rave sonics with the sobering moments of clarity that come after them, artists like Jawnino, CMillano and Cold are pushing a new sound in the British underground. (Dazed)

What Wildly Specific POV Playlists Tell Us About How We Listen Today

Whether you’re looking to escape into a cottage-core wonderland, enact fiery revenge on a deadbeat ex, or cosplay as a bigtime magazine editor, there’s a POV playlist for you. (Hearing Things)

Sam Valenti IV, Ghostly / Herb Sundays

Thoughts on having a discovery mindset, Dam-Funk, and looking for more things to get lost in. (Thought Enthusiast)

“Instagram Killed the Blog”: Patrick O’Dell on Documenting 2000s New York 

The documentarian of early 2000s debauchery has turned Epicly Later’d into a book, so he joined us to talk about the Thrasher era, embracing happy accidents, and leaving a digital footprint. (Interview)

A Chat With New York Nico, the Filmmaker Documenting New York’s Most Charismatic People and Places

In line with the release of his new book, we spoke to Nicolas Heller about the origins of his widely beloved Instagram page and why he chose to create a guidebook that focuses more on storytelling than selling. 

(It's Nice That)

The Oral History of See Hear, NYC’s Underground Zine Mecca (ANIMAL)

80 BLOCKS FROM TIFFANY'S

80 Blocks from Tiffany's is a 1979 documentary directed by Gary Weis. It depicts the lives of gang members living in the Grand Concourse area of the South Bronx, between 167th and 170th Streets. The film focuses primarily on the members of two gangs, the Savage Skulls and the Savage Nomads, and captures New York City just before the advent of hip hop, the devastating effects of the crack epidemic, and before the proliferation of gang gun violence. 

Watch here.

LONDON’S LOST INTERIORS

A new book, London: Lost Interiors, explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages, using wonderful images preserved in the Historic England Archive. More here.

BERLIOZ

“If Matisse made house music.” Listen here.

(Via The Snob Report)

GOODHOOD CHRISTMAS

Goodhood's annual Christmas gift guide newspaper is here. Available free with every purchase online and in-store.

SIMPLE THINGS

Sir Paul Smith's favourite simple things for issue six of Paperboy magazine. Photographed by Thomas Albdorf.