Play It Forward: Lakecia Benjamin Sings Through Her Saxophone
Ari Shapiro talks to jazz saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin about her new album Pursuance: The Coltranes and an artist she is grateful for: James Blake.
Music Interviews
Houston's Hip-Hop Scene Remembers George Floyd
George Floyd, whose death sparked nationwide protests, was a rapper in Houston earlier in his life. NPR's David Greene speaks with Floyd's former collaborators about his musical past.
On 'RTJ4,' Run The Jewels Is A Speaker Box For Society
El-P and Killer Mike have always had their fingers on the pulse, and their fourth album once again captures the mood of a country on edge after George Floyd's death sparked national protests.
Zeshan B On 'Melismatic' And Creating Music That Champions Brown Power
NPR's Lulu Garcia Navarro speaks with singer Zeshan Bagewadi about his new album Melismatic, solidarity between communities of color and the link between the sounds of soul and Indo-Pakistani music.
Country Star Mickey Guyton: Why Being 'Black Like Me' Shouldn't Be Twice As Hard
"I did Nashville the Nashville way for so long ... with very little results," Guyton tells NPR. "So why am I holding out just in case?"
KCSN's Byron Gonzalez Defines Latin Alternative
The Latin Alt program director Byron Gonzalez shares songs from a few of his favorite artists making music outside the Latin mainstream.
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.
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.
Tracee Ellis Ross Can Hit The High Notes, Too
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks to Tracee Ellis Ross about starring in The High Note, a movie about an over-40 superstar singer navigating the music industry with her assistant, who has her own music dreams.
Margo Price Sings About The Heartache And Beauty Of Small-Town America
Growing up in Aledo, Ill., the singer-songwriter longed to live somewhere "more romantic." Then she moved away: "Now, when I go back, I see the beauty in it," she says. Originally broadcast in 2017.