Mike Coppola / Getty
Gawker Was Murdered By Gaslight
Tom Scocca, Gawker
A eulogy for Gawker by its final executive features editor, explaining just how its decade-long stint as the web's most irreverent voice was ended. "Gawker always said it was in the business of publishing true stories," Scocca wrote. "Here is one last true story: You live in a country where a billionaire can put a publication out of business...If you want to write stories that might anger a billionaire, you need to work for another billionaire yourself, or for a billion-dollar corporation. The law will not protect you. There is no freedom in this world but power and money."
Kanye West's Reality T.V. Reckoning
Carrie Battan, The New Yorker
For the New Yorker, Kimye expert Carrie Battan explained why and how Keeping Up With The Kardashians is aiming to rehabilitate Kanye West's public image. "It was once believed that West had given the Kardashians an essential makeover, providing the entire family with the kind of cultural cachet necessary to elevate it from the slums of reality television," she wrote. "Now the dynamic has been inverted: Kim Kardashian is a wife, a mogul, a star, and, increasingly, the steward of one of the world’s most complicated images."
What Makes The VMAs Special
Rawiya Kameir, The FADER
From Prince's butt, to Lil Kim's boob, to Kanye's everything, the VMAs have always been special as hell. Year to year, MTV’s annual event has found success by being a mirror of popular culture — Kameir went in on this essay about the world's wackiest awards show.
Becoming Disabled
Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, New York Times
Around one in five Americans lives with a disability, so where is their pride movement? Garland-Thomson for the Times tells her story, and explains why there should be more visibility for disabled lives — from physical disability to mental disability (including depression and the like).
Also from NYT this week: Rhode Island is host to America’s first offshore wind farm, and it may power up a new industry.
The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s
Pitchfork
Another epic, exhaustive list from the people at Pitchfork, this time of all the greatest songs from what was in all probability the greatest decade for recorded music.
Tricky Stewart Gave Frank Ocean His First Record Deal. Now He Says Labels Should “Wake Up.”
Lakin Starling, The FADER
This week, Starling spoke with the man who first signed Frank Ocean. He told the story of how Def Jam failed to see Frank's potential, and why labels should wake up and smell the talent they have right under their noses.
The Legend Of The Choco Taco
Jason Cohen, Eater
We're coming up on the end of August. Instead of mourning the last days of summer, let's celebrate with a story about its most nostalgic treat.