TDE/RCA's chart-topping, paradigm-shifting star SZA is the subject of this week's New York Times Magazine cover story, which provides an intimate look at this brilliant artist's inner life.

"Everything I’m doing is contrary to the system, in terms of songs that don’t have the structure of a hit but end up being a hit," is but one fascinating quote from the profile.

What does SZA's extended run at #1 signify? According to the article's author, Danyel Smith (who contributed an excerpt from her new book to our nearly here Black History Month special issue), "It means, in an era of fractured and hyperproactive audiences, that the album is a maypole around which a broad swath of the country sings and emotes and dances and generates content. These days, the [#1] designation is as close as recorded music gets to being embraced by the masses."

As SZA's chart reign continues, it seems she may be ready to join a rarefied tier of top artists in pop culture. But getting there wasn't easy, and the push and pull of her ambition and anxiety, the piece shows, is its own roller coaster.

Dive deep into SZA's story here.