Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment



TOW/CC BY 2.0
Cardi B is following up on the success of her breakout single “Bodak Yellow.”

Thoughts on Cardi B’s inspiring debut album

Cardi B’s first full-length studio album Invasion of Privacy had been out for a week when it reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums list and became the most-streamed album by a female performing artist on Apple Music.


CPX INTERACTIVE / CC-BY SA 2.0 
Jim Jones is making a comeback with his new album, Wasted Talent.

New projects from Pac Div and Jones impress listeners

As we near summer, more and more music continues to drop. Recently there has been a swell of releases, especially in terms of hip hop. Here are two records that haven’t been getting the coverage they deserve: Pac Div is a group that is rarely mentioned in the grand pantheon of hip hop. 



Poet Terrence Hayes visits Hopkins

Terrance Hayes, nationally-acclaimed poet and artist, read from his works and answered questions from on April 10 from 6-7 p.m. The event, which took place in Mudd 26, was part of the Turnbull Lecture Series. 


COURTESY OF N.D.B. CONNOLLY
Hopkins professor N.D.B. Connolly spoke about the film Black Panther.

Professor analyzes Black Panther at Bird in Hand

Not unlike the enchanting Amelia Isaacs, who, though “very allergic to dairy,” covered a cake competition (the Sheridan Libraries’ fifth annual Edible Book Festival) for this section, I covered a conversation of Black Panther despite having never seen the film. 


EDA INCEKARA/Photography Staff
Students modeled clothing from five Maryland designers last Friday.

ASA hosts first ever fashion show at Glass Pav

The African Students Association (ASA) held Flavors of Africa: A Fashion Show, on the evening of Friday, April 13. Showcasing Maryland designers representing countries from across the African continent, the fashion show filled the Glass Pavilion with students eager to see their friends walk the runway in African-inspired clothing. 


Fashion Trends perfect for Spring Fair

Spring Fair is the one weekend on the Hopkins campus where you can truly enjoy yourself with good food, drinks and music. If you want to be appropriately dressed but to also stand out from the crowd, I’ve compiled a list of spring fashion and beauty trends fresh from the music festival scene that will definitely help ensure that you’re Instagram ready at any moment. 



Smokler Center hosts "An Evening of Yiddish Shorts"

On Tuesday, April 2 “An Evening of Yiddish Shorts” was held at the Smokler Center for Jewish Studies, also known as Hillel. The evening was hosted by Beatrice Lang, lecturer of Yiddish Language through the Department of German and Romance Languages and Literatures and the Jewish Studies Program.


COURTESY OF  FEI-FEI
The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cast put on an entertaining, charming show.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cast performs live at The Lincoln Theatre

Of course, the travelling live production of the musical comedy TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CExG) started out by playing with my expectations of the night’s proceedings. Going into the Washington, D.C. venue, I thought for sure that the performance would open with “West Covina,” the first song ever performed on the show. 


 COURTESY OF JENN DEERING DDAVIS/ CC-BY 2.0
Real life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt star in A Quiet Place.

John Krasinski's A Quiet Place lives up to the hype

Not only does the film effectively up the suspense and horror but it adds an emotional element that has an extremely effective payoff. It doesn’t come off as a forced narrative and the motivations of the characters involved are completely in line with what we’ve seen prior to this pivotal moment. 


COURTESY OF CLAIRE EDMONDS
Mehdi El-Hebil played Lewis in the Barnstormers production of Hirson and Schwartz’s Pippin.

Barnstormers bring their unique energy to Pippin

The Barnstormers premiered the first of six performances of their spring musical Pippin last Friday, April 6. The musical, written by Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz in 1972, tells the story of Pippin, the son of Charlemagne, who goes on a journey to find fulfillment in life. 


COURTESY OF KATHERINE LOGAN
Broken Social Scene is back on tour playing classics as well as new tracks.

Broken Social Scene puts on a solid show at Rams Head Live!

It was only when I noticed that I’d stumbled into the wrong line — I was waiting to get into Bleachers’ show at Power Plant Live! rather than Rams Head Live! — that I realized that the vibe at the show I was headed to, Broken Social Scene, might be a little different than I had anticipated. 


COURTESY OF CINDY LI
"Take A Chance" is one of many pieces featured in Charm City Stories. 

First issue of Charm City Stories makes its debut

Charm City Stories celebrated its first annual publication release on Friday in the Center for Visual Arts at the Mattin Center. The event was comprised of a live prose and poetry reading, the showing of a short film and an exhibition of two floors of artwork.


COURTESY OF CRAIG HANKIN
Tyler's forthcoming book, Fab 4 Mania, is a narrative of her trip to a Beatles concert in 1965.

Cartoonist Carol Tyler to speak at Hopkins

On April 16, the Center for Visual Arts will host award-winning cartoonist Carol Tyler at Arellano Theatre. Tyler’s visit to campus comes in advance of the publishing of her latest graphic novel Fab4 Mania, which will be released through Fantagraphics in June of this year. In anticipation of her upcoming visit, The News-Letter spoke to the artist, discussing her life, work and the confluence of the two. 



PUBLIC DOMAIN
The French company Louis Vuitton is one of the oldest fashion in the industry.

Virgil Abloh brings street wear to Louis Vuitton

Last week, Louis Vuitton announced Virgil Abloh, the founder of Off-White and creative partner of Kanye West, as the new artistic director of menswear following the departure of Kim Jones earlier this year. Although Abloh is best known for his work in the luxury streetwear scene, the French fashion house’s decision is not surprising. 


GABBOT/CC BY-SA 2.0
Steve Buscemi plays Nikita Khruschev in Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin.

Iannucci’s latest film brings light to a dark time

If you’re a fan of political satire, the era we currently find ourselves in is probably one that makes you laugh — but also worry. From the headlines to the tweets, you can’t help but wonder if the meta-aspect of it all is lost amongst the very people involved in it. After the rise of House Of Cards, the idea that those in charge of the government were Machiavellian became prevalent, particularly in the U.S. 


MARTIN KRAFT/CC BY-SA 3.0
German director Tom Tykwer is one of the co-creators of Babylon Berlin.

Babylon Berlin and the study of an interwar city

On Thursday, March 28, Samuel Spinner, an assistant professor in the Department of German and Romance Languages and Literature, held a screening and discussion centered on the first episode of the Netflix series Babylon Berlin. Spinner also discussed the class he will be teaching in the Fall 2018 semester, Berlin Between the Wars: Literature, Art, Music, Film.


News-Letter Magazine