Music Lists

Lil Nas X, Japanese Breakfast, Vince Staples (pictured) and more share their favorite music of 2021 with NPR.

Music & Culture

Our Favorite Artists' Favorite Music of 2021

5:00am December 22, 2021

by LaTesha Harris

In a year where putting on a record was the only way to escape, we wondered what how our favorite musicians fared. From Lucy Dacus on Dijon to Vince Staples on Doja Cat, these are our faves' faves.

World Cafe celebrates 30 years with a 1999 playlist.

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist: 2000

9:11am December 21, 2021

by Bruce Warren

The year saw seminal releases from Radiohead, Outkast and Steely Dan, Outkast, D'Angelo and Coldplay.

Music & Culture

Bob Boilen's Favorite Music of 2021 Is...

12:12pm December 17, 2021

by Bob Boilen

Bob Boilen's favorite music of 2021 includes a 100-song playlist and his top 10 albums. It's music filled with great stories and sonic adventures.

Valerie June performed "Call Me A Fool" for WUNC.

Music & Culture

NPR Music's Best Live Sessions of 2021

10:17am December 16, 2021

The best Live Sessions of 2021 feature performances from Japanese Breakfast, Samm Henshaw, Yola and many more.

Music & Culture

NPR Music's album of the year: 'Heaux Tales' by Jazmine Sullivan

5:30pm December 15, 2021

by Sidney Madden

NPR Music's album of the year, Heaux Tales, by Jazmine Sullivan, shows the singer exploring themes of love, sex and loss.

Leon Bridges' "Motorbike" was one of public radio's most-played songs of 2021.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: Public Radio's Most Popular Songs Of 2021

10:39am December 14, 2021

Leon Bridges, Helado Negro and Japanese Breakfast all landed on this list of the most-played songs on public radio stations across the country.

Projects released by Rauw Alejandro, Camila Cabello, and Nathy Peluso are included in NPR Music's Best Latin music of 2021.

Music & Culture

The Best Latin Music of 2021

12:00pm December 13, 2021

The singles and albums that came out this year seem to reflect the diversity of Latin music more than ever.

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist: 1999

9:25am December 13, 2021

by Bruce Warren

The last year of the 1990s may have carried the semi-imposing threat of the Y2K millennium bug, but it also managed to deliver some excellent music.

Fatima Al Qadiri, Danny Harle, and UNIIQU3 all land on NPR Music's best electronic music of 2021 list.

Music & Culture

The Best Electronic Music of 2021

10:00am December 11, 2021

From Jersey club to the U.K. underground, 2021's best electronic music looks like a complex melting pot of genre and history.

Projects released by Young Thug, Tyler, the Creator and Little Simz are included in NPR Music's best hip-hop albums of 2021.

Music & Culture

The 25 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2021

10:46am December 10, 2021

This year's best hip-hop — including Westside Gunn, Mach-Hommy and Moor Mother — comes from death and defiance, erotic power and provocation, Black joy and pain — and that's just the shortlist.