Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau, born on April 18, 1942, is a prominent American music journalist and essayist, widely regarded as one of the most influential music critics of his time. He embarked on his career in the late 1960s, becoming one of the earliest professional rock critics and a key advocate for emerging musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the introduction of African popular music to Western audiences.

For thirty-seven years, Christgau served as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, where he not only shaped music criticism but also established the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. His insights have graced the pages of various esteemed publications, including Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music. Additionally, he has shared his expertise as a visiting arts teacher at New York University.

Known for his distinctive writing style, Christgau's terse, letter-graded capsule album reviews are characterized by concentrated prose, caustic wit, and a blend of political commentary and humor. His leftist political views, particularly regarding feminism and secular humanism, often inform his critiques, which favor song-oriented musical forms and musicianship from unexpected sources.

His reviews, originally published in the