2020 Was The Year Female Rappers Dominated
To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today. Our 23-song playlist represents but a handful of the many women rappers who left their mark on 2020.
Music
Hanukkah Lights: 2020
Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz read new stories from authors Erica Landis, Magin LaSov Gregg, Anna Megdell, Mikhal Weiner and Lara Pasternak Robicheaux for our annual Hanukkah Lights special.
Harold Budd's Music Was Heaven On Earth
The ambient composer and Brian Eno collaborator died this week at the age of 84 from complications brought on by COVID-19.
Composer John Luther Adams On The Arctic Sounds That Shaped His Work
The Pulitzer winner has released his first memoir, Silences So Deep: Music, Solitude, Alaska. It's a personal account of Adams' formative decades making art in the Artic.
4 Teams Head Into Finals Of Collegiate A Cappella Championship
Described as Pitch Perfect meets March Madness, the competition received performance videos from hundreds of groups. Groups can win cash prizes for charities.
A Jazz Piano Christmas: 2020
This year's edition of A Jazz Piano Christmas features REDWOOD, Cory Henry and Kenny Barron. We're celebrating the holidays with swing from the East Coast jazz scene.
Bob Boilen's 40 Favorite Songs Of 2020
The All Songs Considered host shares his highlights from a hard year.
Hayley Williams: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
From the moment we pan out of a literal tiny desk diorama, a jolt of energy leaps from Paramore's Hayley Williams. Her home band includes Julien Baker and Becca Mancari.
On 'Still Here,' PJ Morton Reflects On Surviving 2020
The R&B star's new song, written for Morning Edition's Song Project, is about working — alongside the whole world — to get through a year of challenges and loss.
'Black Swans': New Collection Features Recordings Of Early Black Classical Musicians
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Saïs Kamalidiin, a Howard University professor, about a new collection showcasing 25 recordings of early Black classical musicians, called Black Swans.