Freddie Gibbs And The Alchemist Perfect The Rap Duo Recipe
Alfredo not only pairs Freddie Gibbs' top-tier lyricism and The Alchemist's gritty rhythms but also engages a hip-hop tradition going back decades.
Music & Culture
Sa-Roc: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
The Washington D.C. rapper and Rhymesayers signee debuts two songs from her upcoming album, The Sharecropper's Daughter.
Clarinetist Anthony McGill Kneels, Pleads And Plays For Justice
With the help of a few "wrong" notes, the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic turned "America the Beautiful" into a solemn protest of police violence.
Musician Marc Rebillet Is Using Drive-In Theaters To Go On A Socially Distant Tour
Electronic musician Marc Rebillet was scheduled to be on tour this summer. His revised the plan to tour during the pandemic: hold concerts at drive-in cinemas. His tour kicks off next week.
Warner Music Group Trading On Wall Street, Promises Social Justice Support
One of the world's three major record labels is now a publicly traded company.
Run The Jewels Releases New Album 'RTJ4' Early
Killer Mike and El-P drop their fourth full-length album two days ahead of its scheduled release date and days after Killer Mike addressed protests in his hometown of Atlanta in a televised speech.
The Law Police Used To Discriminate Against Musicians Of Color
The New York Police Department kept musicians of color from the stage for almost three decades by revoking their cabaret cards, a license required to perform for pay in nightclubs.
Music Companies Promise A Tuesday 'Blackout' For Black Lives
Record labels and other organizations will participate in a daylong moratorium on "business as usual," though some argue the actions don't do enough to address the industry's history of exploitation.
Classic World Cafe: John Mayer En Route To Superstardom
Today, you can pretend it's 2001: John Mayer visits the World Cafe just after the release of his debut album Room For Squares, which sold over 4 million copies and won him his first Grammy award.
Finding Connection And Comfort In Livestream Concerts During Quarantine
NPR Music correspondents Ann Powers and Sidney Madden recommend a few favorite livestreaming performance series to check out while in-person concerts are on hold.