He is an author and editor of several books on music and cultural history, including Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America (2005), Songs in the Key of Los Angeles (2013), Double Vision: The Photography of George Rodriguez (2018), and The Autograph Book of Los Angeles (2019). As a curator and artist, he has worked with SF MOMA, The Los Angeles Public Library, The Grammy Museum, The Getty Foundation, The California African American Museum, and many others. He is a MacArthur Fellow and the winner of an American Book Award, and the Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin. He is currently writing a book on the music of 21st century migration for MCD/FSG.