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Music & Culture

'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Falls From Top Of Holiday Playlists

4:15pm December 15, 2015

by Andrew Limbong

After years, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has been displaced from the top of retail stores' holiday music playlists. NPR investigates the news behind this startling development.

Music & Culture

Prince Drops A Surprise New Album

5:24pm December 13, 2015

by Michel Martin

On Saturday, Prince released an album with no warning. Hit 'n' Run: Phase Two can be accessed via the streaming service Tidal.

Trombonist and composer Jacob Garchik enlisted three guitarists and a drummer for his winding new concept album, Ye Olde.

Music & Culture

A Prog-Jazz Suite About Architecture? Jacob Garchik Does It All

8:36am December 13, 2015

by Rick Karr

The composer and trombonist has covered a lot of territory, from jazz to Balkan brass bands to arranging for Kronos quartet. His latest album enlists three guitars and one very esoteric concept.

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A handcrafted silver box by the British-Moroccan artist Yahya holds the only known copy of the Wu-Tang Clan double album Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.

Music & Culture

Sole Copy Of Latest Wu-Tang Album Was Sold To 'Pharma Bro'

4:48pm December 09, 2015

by Camila Domonoske

The Wu-Tang Clan made just one copy of Once Upon A Time In Shaolin and sold it, shrouded in secrecy, for millions. Bloomberg Business reveals the buyer: a CEO infamous for a massive drug-price hike.

Ann Powers calls Rhiannon Giddens' solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn, an album that "literally reconfigures American history."

Music & Culture

Ann Powers' Favorite Albums Of 2015

4:43pm December 09, 2015

by Ann Powers

For 2015, Ann Powers picked 16 albums to stand in for the stations of a musical life. Taken as a whole, they represent that old, perpetually useful cliché: Life is change.

Music & Culture

Among Established Artists, Several Newbies Score Grammy Nominations

6:42pm December 07, 2015

by Andrew Limbong

Nominees for the 58th Grammy Awards were announced Monday morning. Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd got the most nominations, while some new artists were in the mix.

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Kendrick Lamar on stage in July. His album To Pimp A Butterfly is nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy.

Music & Culture

Kendrick Lamar And Taylor Swift Lead Grammy Nominations

10:24am December 07, 2015

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Kendrick Lamar scored 11 nominations and Taylor Swift was nominated for seven awards, including album, song and record of the year. The Weeknd also received seven nominations.

Taylor Swift's 1989 came out in October 2014, but that shouldn't stop it from being heavily nominated for the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Music & Culture

Beyond Taylor Swift: Predicting The 2016 Grammys

5:42pm December 06, 2015

Grammy nominations are announced Monday morning. NPR's Stephen Thompson offers a few predictions.

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Rock musician Scott Weiland, seen here during a photo shoot at the Sundance Film Festival in January, has died while on tour in Minnesota.

Singer Scott Weiland Dies On Tour At Age 48

1:17pm December 04, 2015

by Bill Chappell

According to a statement, the former Stone Temple Pilots frontman died in Bloomington, Minn.; other details were not revealed, citing his family's desire for privacy.

Billy Strayhorn (right), born 100 years ago, spent the majority of his career as a composer and arranger for the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Music & Culture

100 Years Of Billy Strayhorn, Emotional Architect Of Song

7:47am November 29, 2015

by Tom Vitale

The composer and arranger spent the bulk of his career in service to the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He wrote some of the most popular songs of the 20th century — without ever hiding who he was.