Top Picks: Shuri鈥檚 debut, Vampire Weekend鈥檚 latest, and more
Critic Candace McDuffie on the 鈥楢vengers鈥� spinoff comic featuring Shuri from 鈥楤lack Panther,鈥� Vampire Weekend鈥檚 album 鈥楩ather of the Bride,鈥� and more.
Comics: Shuri鈥檚 debut聽
With last year鈥檚 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� movie, audiences got to know 鈥� and adore 鈥� T鈥機halla鈥檚 brilliant, tech-savvy sister Shuri. Best-selling author Nnedi Okorafor and illustrator Leonardo Romero team up for Shuri鈥檚 Marvel debut with 鈥淪huri: The Search for Black Panther.鈥� In this first Shuri volume, T鈥機halla goes missing after being sent on a short mission into space. Shuri has to keep Wakanda running while fervently looking for him. Will she succumb to the pressure of accepting the Black Panther mantle in his absence? Get ready for a fun 鈥� and suspenseful 鈥� read.
Vampire Weekend鈥檚 latest聽
Vampire Weekend鈥檚 fourth album 鈥� and its third consecutive record to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 鈥� is a natural blend of the band鈥檚 signature sonic eclecticism with poignant and well-crafted musicianship. Frontman Ezra Koenig is still vocally lucid and refreshing as ever, but on 鈥淔ather of the Bride鈥� he basks in his lyrical maturity. Koenig gets slightly existentialist on the endearing yet dreary ballad 鈥淢y Mistake鈥� and more notably on 鈥淭his Life鈥� where he meditates on the pain he causes his significant other. 鈥淔ather of the Bride鈥� exudes the sort of growth and confidence that made the world fall in love with Vampire Weekend in the first place.
Hip-hop鈥檚 must read
Most hip-hop music sites are obsessed with discovering the next big artist and acquiring clicks with celebrity gossip. DJBooth.net, on the other hand, goes deeper with its examination of urban culture. Its articles explore everything from the deeper purpose of rap festivals to why black artists are rejecting code-switching (alternating between two different types of language in a single conversation). The site is a must read for anyone looking to critically engage in a genre of music that shapes mainstream culture.
Candace McDuffie is a Boston-based music and pop culture journalist. Her work has been featured in publications such as Entertainment Weekly and Forbes.