Music

Esperanza Spalding's genre-bending new album, Emily's D+Evolution, is out now.

Music & Culture

Esperanza Spalding Brings A Real Inner Child Into The Studio

5:03pm March 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

"My job is working for her," Spalding says of the namesake character on her new album, Emily's D+Evolution. The jazz bassist and singer wrote her latest music with her childhood self in mind.

Barbershop: Chris Rock, Nina And Kendrick

5:03pm March 05, 2016

Ravi Patel, Kara Brown and Alex Gale join the Barbershop to talk about Chris Rock's Oscars performance, a polarizing casting decision for a Nina Simone biopic and the surprise Kendrick Lamar album.

In this composite image, a comparison has been made between Nina Simone and actress Zoe Saldana.

Music & Culture

Saldana As Simone Resurfaces A Debate Beyond Black And White

3:05pm March 05, 2016

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reflects on the debate over the casting of Zoe Saldana in the role of iconic jazz singer Nina Simone. Saldana wore makeup to darken her skin and look more like Simone.

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BJ The Chicago Kid's new album, In My Mind, is out now.

Music & Culture

From Backup To Spotlight: BJ The Chicago Kid On Being The 'New Cupid'

9:08am March 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

The R&B singer-songwriter — known for his lending his voice and songwriting skills to Usher, Mary J. Blige and more — puts himself front and center on his new album, In My Mind.

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Kendrick Lamar performs at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February.

Music & Culture

There's A New Kendrick Lamar Project Out, But It May Sound Familiar Already

5:57pm March 04, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The fluid and sprawling untitled unmastered. was released unexpectedly. It feels like a peek behind the curtain of the rapper's creative process — using some material that fans already know.

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