Music & Culture

Left to right: Scarface, Bushwick Bill and Willie D of the Geto Boys perform in Houston in 2015.

Music & Culture

Stressed Out: How 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' Gave Anxiety A Home In Hip-Hop

10:23am May 29, 2019

by Rodney Carmichael

Gangsta rap had been known as aggressive, rebellious and political, but the Geto Boys' 1991 hit made it something new: vulnerable. Hip-hop's relationship with mental health has never been the same.

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Kishi Bashi's Omoiyari, out May 31, is largely inspired by the artist's visit to ex-internment camps in America.

Music & Culture

Kishi Bashi Uses The History Of Japanese Internment To Explore America Today

5:54pm May 28, 2019

To make his latest album, Omoiyari, the Japanese-American artist decided to turn to the past. He visited Japanese internment camps and made music inspired by the stories he found there.

Jakob Dylan performing songs featured in the Echo in the Canyon documentary.

Music & Culture

'Echo In The Canyon' Celebrates The Exchange Of Ideas That Has Reverberated Over Time

12:43pm May 28, 2019

Jakob Dylan, Cat Power and Jade Castrinos perform songs from the new music documentary and concert film Echo In The Canyon.

Clockwise from the top: Another Sky, Quinn Christopherson, cover art for Rhye's Spirit, Marika Hackman

Music & Culture

New Mix: Rhye, Quinn Christopherson, Tōth, Another Sky, Ari Roar, More

9:47am May 28, 2019

This week's All Songs Considered features a gorgeous, solo piano instrumental from Rhye, Tiny Desk contest winner Quinn Christopherson's unique look at male privilege, psych-pop via Ari Roar and more.

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Lucky Daye performs a Tiny Desk Concert on March 25, 2019 (Amr Alfiky/NPR).

Music & Culture

Lucky Daye: Tiny Desk Concert

8:17am May 28, 2019

by Sidney Madden

Hailing from New Orleans with a love of sticky, bass-bumping funk, Lucky brought along a 10-person band, including a quartet of horns, to capture the full flavor of his debut album Painted.

Carole King performing live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1973

Music & Culture

See Carole King Perform In A Newly Unearthed Concert From 1973

8:00am May 28, 2019

by Robin Hilton

A solo piano version of "It's Too Late" and a full-band take on "You've Been Around Too Long" were just two of the songs she performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival more than 40 years ago.

Life In 'Songland': The Reality Behind NBC's New Reality Show

5:52am May 28, 2019

by Marissa R. Moss

A new competition show from the producers of The Voice will search for a hitmaker — but what's it actually like to be a professional songwriter?

Music & Culture

'Love Starvation/Trombone' And 'Transience' Speak To Past Sans Nostalgia

1:54pm May 27, 2019

by Ken Tucker

In their recent releases, Nick Lowe (along with Los Straitjackets) and Wreckless Eric have created new music that connects to old music without maudlin nostalgia or huffy defensiveness.

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Music & Culture

Elton John: The 'Fresh Air' Interview

1:23pm May 27, 2019

by Terry Gross

The film Rocketman is based on John's life story. In 2013, he talked about his elaborate stage outfits, his fear of sex as a young man and how Liberace's example encouraged him to focus on the piano.

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Mavis Staples' latest album, We Get By, is out now.

Music & Culture

In 'We Get By,' Mavis Staples Keeps Singing For 'Change'

4:04pm May 26, 2019

Nearing 80, the solo artist has a new album out. Decades after she brought a gospel score to the civil rights movement with The Staple Singers, she remains hopeful in her enduring mission for change.

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