Eryk Moore

On September 24, 1991, A Tribe Called Quest released The Low End Theory, an album that would become one of the defining records of Hip-Hop’s golden era. Thirty-five years later, its influence can still be heard in the way artists approach beats, bass, jazz, sampling, storytelling, and the simple power of letting the music breathe. As a child I was allowed to watch "Yo! MTV Raps," and I always found Tribe so versatile and original. Tribe taught me that you could be you without compromise,...

Every now and then, I push through my dreadfully awkward bubble and allow life to surprise me and awaken me. As I’ve gotten older, I find myself becoming more cynical, caught in a growing tug-of-war with bitterness that tries my soul daily. I am an avid over thinker, and as I’ve aged, it feels harder and harder to put myself back together. I tell you these things upfront because I used to be an incurable optimist. And although I sometimes try to fight through the bullshit and hug my inner...

I remember being 25 years old, cruising around my city in my brown ’88 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham with a giant CD book sitting beside me and bass rattling through the trunk. I lived for music-release Fridays. I would hit the local Best Buy and damn near burn through an entire check buying CDs. I was a fiend for music. And we already know what I was into: Hip-Hop. Back then, music wasn't something you simply streamed, added to a playlist, or discovered through an algorithm. New music was an...