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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

This Is How We Do Hits

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
May 26 2010, 10:00 AM ET Comment

The LCD Soundsystem album is so good that it's almost criminal. I urge you to buy it. Seriously. It's one of those records that's so good that it's a problem--I'm afraid I'm going to play it out in a couple months. I just copped yesterday, so I can't say too much. I'm really glad that bands like TVOTR, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Passion Pit etc. aren't abandoning the dance floor. 

Some of us from the glory days of underground rap did exactly that. I think it came out of resentment for the clubs and all of their pretensions. I would rather we had fought for the dance-floor, than simply handed it over to Puff. The dance-floor has a kind of subconscious
democracy that's important. It's good to see these guys fighting it out.

Props to Stacy for recommending. We should give you a monthly music column. "Stacy Recommends."




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