Music Features

Led Zeppelin performing at the Empire Pool in London.

Music & Culture

Under the thunder that opens Led Zeppelin's 'When the Levee Breaks'

2:10pm November 09, 2021

by Phil Harrell

Throughout NPR's 50th anniversary, we're looking back at moments from that year that have (also) stood the test of time. Today, one of the most unforgettable pieces of drumming in rock history.

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Santigold's self-titled debut combines "look what I can do" attitude with a galvanizing magic.

Music & Culture

How Santigold Helped Me Claim And Keep My New York Dreams

10:37am November 08, 2021

by Dawnie Walton

Santigold's debut album captures the New York dream of being a singular sensation above the masses. It inspired writer Dawnie Walton when she first moved there — and again when she needed a new start.

Freddie Gibbs + The Alchemist - The Formula S2E3

Music & Culture

Smoke and Fire: How Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist cooked up a no-compromise classic

7:27am November 06, 2021

After years working separately, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist had all the ingredients they needed for a front-to-back classic when they finally linked up to make 2020's Alfredo.

Bassist, songwriter and rapper Divinity Roxx has a new children's album & book project.

After touring with Beyoncé, Divinity Roxx brings positive vibes to children's music

6:57am November 04, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Beyoncé's former music director and bassist has a new children's album and book project, which she hopes will instill positivity in young listeners.

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Last month, Wiki released Half God, a record produced by Navy Blue that showcases the two artists' collaborative spirit.

Music & Culture

Wiki and Navy Blue find divine timing on 'Half God'

2:23pm November 03, 2021

by Sydnee Monday

The new album by Wiki, produced entirely by Navy Blue, is a showcase of collaboration and a clear-eyed look at consequence, accountability and community against the backdrop of COVID-era New York.

Music & Culture

Isaiah Rashad and Kal Banx lit up the darkness to make 'The House Is Burning'

5:00am October 30, 2021

Isaiah Rashad and producer Kal Banx's relationship reveals how the best artist-producer collaborations work lot like life — with friends to distract us from, and soundtrack us through, all our drama.

"Some of the work is deliberately remaining outside of the structure," says musician and advocate Lilli Lewis of the efforts of Black musicians to make it in country and roots music industries. "We want to center different values and it's really difficult

Music & Culture

New roots: Black musicians and advocates are forging coalitions outside the system

6:55am October 29, 2021

by Jewly Hight

The mostly white country and folk music industries remain frustratingly difficult for Black musicians to enter. During one of Nashville's biggest events, one group envisioned a new pathway in.

"I'm always trying to talk to myself in all these songs," Starflyer 59's Jason Martin says. "I get a tad of the blues sometimes."

Music & Culture

Starflyer 59's plainspoken words are the window into Jason Martin's old soul

10:00am October 28, 2021

by Lars Gotrich

The artist revisits five songs across his extensive discography of heavy shoegaze and dreamy rock and roll, processing life, faith and purpose.

OK, so you're a 'Sellout.' Now what?

5:04pm October 27, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

In his new book Sellout, writer Dan Ozzi traces a music industry in flux starting in the mid-90s, as punk bands cash in on their cred in exchange for rock stardom and asks, was it all worth it?

Bernard Haitink leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2003. The beloved conductor died Oct. 21 at age 92.

Music & Culture

Remembering Bernard Haitink, the anti-glamour conductor

4:21pm October 27, 2021

by Brian Bell

Boston-based radio producer Brian Bell remembers Bernard Haitink, and the meticulous approach to music that defined one of the finest conductors of the past half-century.