Week of February 13, 2026

Dylan Green

13 Feb 2026 — 3 min read

Keeping track of all the new music that drops every week is a nightmare. I’m here to do it so you don’t have to! Welcome to Nu Musique Friday. Pull up some headphones and stay awhile.

My latest piece for Hearing Things is an essay about rap superstardom and the idea of a monocultural king of hip-hop being a thing of the past. If you like what my co-founders and I are up to, consider subscribing to the site (and paying for it, if you can). We don't bite, promise.

Check out the Reel Notes podcast, dedicated to exploring the relationship between rap and film. The season 6 premiere, featuring D.C. rapper, producer, and visual artist Obii Say, is available now. Reel Notes is on break until February 9, so catch up on the backlog. When the show comes back, new episodes will drop every Monday on my Patreon for paying members and every Wednesday wherever else podcasts are sold, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more via PodBean. Reel Notes is also available via my personal YouTube channel, and Podcasts on Vevo.

If you're in the New York area on Saturday, February 21, join me and North Carolina rapper Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon for Reel Talk #10. We'll be screening the T.I.-starring classic ATL, followed by an interview and audience Q&A, at Loudmouth in Bed-Stuy. Brooklyn. Doors at 6PM, film starts at 7PM. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here via Posh or at the door the day-of. This iteration of Reel Talk operates on sliding scale admission, so if price is an issue, please message me directly and we can figure it out.

If you really wanna be tapped in, join the Reel Notes Patreon! For as little as $5/month, you'll gain access to video of every forthcoming Reel Notes interview, our Discord server, exclusive interviews and reviews, early access to new episodes, & more.

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is out right now! Purchase your digital copy on Amazon and read it on the Kindle app (You don't need a Kindle to read it. Buy the book and download the app or read it on your desktop via Amazon).

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, the Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, The Palestinian Youth Movement, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Please also consider donating to The Okra Project, an organization dedicated to helping feed Black trans youth.

Jill Scott - To Whom This May Concern