Music News

Mac Miller performs an NPR Tiny Desk Concert on Aug. 1, 2018.

A dealer is sentenced to 17.5 years for his role in Mac Miller's fatal overdose

11:32am May 17, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Stephen Walter was sentenced on Monday. He is one of three men indicted in connection with supplying the fentanyl-laced pills that contributed to the rapper's accidental overdose in 2018.

Music & Culture

A Bay Area teen stepped in for Pearl Jam's drummer after he got COVID-19

6:48am May 17, 2022

It had to be on Kai Neukerman's wish list to play with Pearl Jam. Neukerman left the Oakland arena saying it felt surreal, but also with a bit of immortality.

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Music & Culture

Announcing the winner of the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest

6:48am May 17, 2022

by Bob Boilen

Choosing one winner from all the incredible entries NPR Music receives each year is no small feat — but this year, one songwriter gave a captivating performance that rose to the top.

Billboard Music Awards honor Mary J. Blige as a musical icon

6:32am May 16, 2022

by The Associated Press

The annual music awards show also featured controversial appearances by Travis Scott and Morgan Wallen.

Music & Culture

A Ukrainian band is this year's Eurovision Song Contest winner

5:51am May 16, 2022

The band Kalush Orchestra mixes traditional folk music with contemporary hip hop. Their song "Stefania" took the first-place prize.

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Last week, the Fulton County District Attorney in Atlanta charged rapper Young Thug (pictured) with an indictment for allegedly participating in street gang activities and violating RICO law.

Music & Culture

The charges against Young Thug build on a growing trend of criminalizing rap crews

3:26pm May 15, 2022

Ayesha Rascoe talks with Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael of NPR's Louder Than A Riot about the RICO charges against Young Thug and the wider intersection of criminal justice and hip-hop.

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Ukraine wins Eurovision Song Contest

8:46am May 15, 2022

by Joanna Kakissis

Ukraine has won the Eurovision Song Contest, perhaps Europe's biggest musical competition. NPR's Joanna Kakissis was watching with Ukrainians in Dnipro.

Dennis DeCarlo, 61: 'No One Is Alone' from 'Into the Woods'

6:41pm May 13, 2022

In memory of a woodshop teacher and set designer for high school musical productions, a song about carrying on after loss.

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Tarriona "Tank" Ball, singer of Tank and The Bangas, photographed on Jan. 24, 2020 in West Hollywood, Calif.

Tank and the Bangas' album tackles serious issues including the Capitol attack

12:31am May 13, 2022

by Leila Fadel

Tank and the Bangas' third studio album, Red Balloon, celebrates Black life and reckons with America's ills. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to lead singer Tarriona "Tank" Ball.

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Country star Naomi Judd died by suicide following a long struggle with mental illness. Her daughter, Ashley Judd, said that it was important to make a distinction "between our loved one and the disease."

Ashley Judd reveals details about Naomi Judd's suicide

10:57am May 12, 2022

by Andrew Limbong

In an interview with Good Morning America, Ashley Judd said her family wanted to get ahead of any news, and that she didn't want her mother's death to become part of the "gossip economy."