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Music & Culture

How The Music World Has Reacted To ICE's Arrest Of Rapper 21 Savage

6:10pm February 05, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Atlanta writer Jewel Wicker about the arrest of rapper 21 Savage, who according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a U.K. citizen and in the U.S. illegally.

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Rapper 21 Savage attends an event related to his new album, I Am > I Was, in Atlanta. The rapper, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested Sunday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rapper 21 Savage Arrested By ICE For Allegedly Overstaying Visa

1:42pm February 04, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the rapper, long associated with Atlanta, is actually a U.K. citizen who came to the U.S. in 2005 and overstayed his visa.

"When I fall in love with the song, I fall in love with the timbre and harmonies and melody. That's what kind of lifts me off," Zach Condon says.

Music & Culture

How Beirut's Zach Condon Escapes To Find His Focus

8:07am February 02, 2019

Indie folk band Beirut is out with its latest album, Gallipoli. The band's leader, Zach Condon, talks with NPR's Scott Simon about emphasizing music over lyrics and escaping to unexpected places for inspiration

Tekashi 6ix9ine, photographed on Sept. 1, 2018, in Philadelphia.

Music & Culture

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges

7:47pm February 01, 2019

by Andrew Flanagan

After being indicted last November along with four others, the Brooklyn rapper pleaded guilty last week to nine counts including racketeering and drug trafficking.

William Ferris has spent his career documenting church gospel hymns, Delta blues and work songs of Mississippi.

Music & Culture

Keeper Of Southern Folklife Is Up For 2 Grammy Awards

3:01pm February 01, 2019

by The Kitchen Sisters

Folklore archivist William Ferris is among the nominees for the 2019 Grammy Awards for his album: Voices of Mississippi — a collection of rural church gospel hymns, Delta blues and work songs.

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TLC at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The trio won in the best group video category, beating boy-band juggernauts 'NSync and the Backstreet Boys.

Music & Culture

Oh Yes Son, They're Talking To You: 20 Years Of 'No Scrubs'

2:15pm February 01, 2019

by Sidney Madden

TLC's 1999 smash was a song women loved about the men they wouldn't put up with. Two decades later, fans still take its message to heart when scrubs run amok.

Music & Culture

The Power Of Gospel Gets Explored In A New Documentary Series

1:52pm February 01, 2019

by Bruce Warren

Behind musical legends like Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Ray Charles is one timeless genre that spans across lifetimes: gospel music.

Jessie Mae Robinson's songs have been recorded by hundreds of artists, from Louis Jordan to Lana Del Rey.

Music & Culture

The Women Behind The Songs: Jessie Mae Robinson

8:31pm January 31, 2019

by Meredith Ochs

Born in Texas in 1918 and raised in California, Jessie Mae Robinson's songs have been recorded by hundreds of artists, from Louis Jordan to Lana Del Ray.

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Baritone Sanford Sylvan led a singular career of his own devising.

Music & Culture

Sanford Sylvan, A Baritone On His Own Terms, Dies At 65

4:37pm January 31, 2019

by Tom Huizenga

The warm-voiced, and much admired, singer eschewed the glitzy life of an opera star to concentrate on the art of vocal communication.

Music & Culture

Hear Rodrigo y Gabriela Cover Pink Floyd's 'Echoes'

11:08am January 31, 2019

by Robin Hilton

The acoustic rock duo from Mexico offers a thrilling instrumental take on the Pink Floyd classic for the just-announced Rodrigo y Gabriela album Mettavolution.