Music News

Bad Bunny performs onstage during Calibash 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

Music & Culture

The Classist History Behind Bad Bunny's 'Bichiyal'

3:25pm March 17, 2020

by Frances Solá-Santiago

When Bad Bunny released YHLQMDLG, he coined a new term: "bichiyal." It fuses two Puerto Rican slang words—"bicha" and "yal"—and illustrates reggaeton's complicated relationship with class and women.

Dutch band DeWolff photographed on March 14, 2020, in Maastricht, while performing in an empty venue due to a ban on gatherings to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Music & Culture

From Hand To Merch: Some Of Our Favorite Indie Wares

12:08pm March 17, 2020

by Ann Powers

The global pandemic has caused extreme financial uncertainty for artists, particularly those who work independently.

Music & Culture

Canadian Rapper Drake Breaks A 'Billboard' Record

6:26am March 17, 2020

Drake holds the distinction of placing the most songs ever on the Billboard Hot 100 chart over the course of his career. It's all thanks to the track: "Oprah's Bank Account."

Wu Tang Clan Tries To Help Stop Spread Of Coronavirus

8:02am March 16, 2020

Wu Tang as an acrostic: W: wash your hands. U: use masks properly. T: touch nothing. A: avoid crowds. N: never touch your face with unclean hands. G: go to the hospital if you have severe symptoms.

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Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, photographed in New York on Aug. 19, 2007. The artist, best known for their work in the groups Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, died on March 14, 2020.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Provocateur And Industrial Co-Creator, Dead At 70

12:00pm March 15, 2020

by Sasha Geffen

The Manchester-raised artist was an invariably complicated and controversial figure, said to exert an unhealthy level of control over their collaborators.

Jay Electronica performs during the 2018 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City.

Music & Culture

Jay Electronica's Debut Album, 'A Written Testimony,' Arrives After An 11-Year Wait

6:14pm March 13, 2020

by Lars Gotrich

After 11 years of singles, features and promises, the rapper and producer has released his debut album, featuring Jay Z, Travis Scott, James Blake and Khruangbin.

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Singer R. Kelly, appearing in court in Chicago in June 2019.

New York Federal Prosecutors File New Charges Against R. Kelly

5:02pm March 13, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

In a superseding indictment filed Friday, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn levied nine charges against the R&B singer, including racketeering and sexual trafficking.

Music & Culture

Canadian Band Sets Record For Deepest Underground Concert

7:14am March 13, 2020

The Shaft Bottom Boys played for nearly an hour — more than 6,00 feet below sea level. The venue was the Creighton Mine in Sudbury, Ontario - a community with a deep history in mining.

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The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center is one of the venues closed by the coronavirus crisis, leaving musicians and other gig workers without income.

Musicians Were Depending On Those Jazz Nights And Senior Living Gigs

6:56am March 13, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

As organizations close their doors, COVID-19 cancellations are taking their toll on independent artists, who don't know where their next paycheck will come from.

Bad Bunny's new album YHLQMDLG, which stands for "I do whatever I want" in Spanish, is the highest charting all-Spanish-language record in the history of the Billboard 200.

Music & Culture

Reviving Classic Reggaeton, Bad Bunny's New Album 'YHLQMDLG' Breaks Records

5:03am March 13, 2020

by Stefanie Fernández

Bad Bunny's new album has had unprecedented U.S. chart success for an all Spanish-language record. NPR Music contributor Stefanie Fernández explains what makes the artist and the album so special.