Megan Thee Stallion onstage in June at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, a stop on her Hot Girl Summer Tour. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Live Nation/Getty Images North America hide caption
Music Features
In 1984, Born in the U.S.A. made Bruce Springsteen the biggest rock star in the world. Along the way, one chapter of the album's legacy has nearly vanished from official history: club remixes of three of the album's biggest singles. Illustration by Jackie Lay. Photos by Aaron Rapoport/Corbis and SGranitz/WireImage (Getty Images) hide caption
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Countertenor John Holiday isn't trying to make you love him
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Super-producer Edgar Barrera on turning old-school genres into pop hits
"Do I truly feel like hip-hop is dead? No, I don't," Questlove tells NPR. "However, I do believe that the landscape and the rules have changed. And some of its participants don't know it." Christian Germoso hide caption
Questlove reflects on changes in culture and music with his book 'Hip-Hop Is History'
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Fans cheer in the crowd at Michaël Brun's BAYO concert at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Saturday, June 15. Lanna Apisukh for NPR hide caption
Don Toliver, a Travis Scott signee who quickly defined his own lane, takes his half-sung raps to colorful new realms on HARDSTONE PSYCHO. Jack Dalton/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Kendrick Lamar performs during "The Pop Out — Ken & Friends," his June 19 concert event at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Timothy Norris/Getty Images for pgLang, Amazon/Getty Images North America hide caption
Kendrick Lamar performs at a Spotify event in Cannes, France, during the Cannes Lions media festival in June 2022. Getty Images for Spotify/Getty Images Europe hide caption
For most of the film, hampton is a grinning, tomboy femme fly on the wall. She’s much more in documentarian mode than interviewer. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
After elevating Afropop's standing with a standout guest spot on Wizkid's "Essence" and becoming a secret weapon for Rihanna, Drake and Beyoncé, Tems is ready for center stage. Adrienne Raquel hide caption
Ayra Starr's second album, The Year I Turned 21, is a global-minded symphony of influences, and part of a recent wave of young women charting their own course for African pop. Mikey Oshai/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Janelle Monáe gives a commencement speech at Loyola Marymount University's 2024 Graduate ceremony. JC Olivera/Getty Images hide caption
Omar Sosa Fabrizio Cirulli/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Vince Staples' latest album, Dark Times, represents a new direction in an already singular major-label rap career. Shaniqwa Jarvis/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Brittney Spencer brings her culture to country music
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Rapsody's album Please Don't Cry functions as a reintroduction to the rapper — long defined by her technique, now revealing some of the real person behind that prowess. Jhalin Knowles/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The retro-pop artist Cindy Lee doesn't sit for interviews, use social media and rejects the streaming era's demands on independent artists. Photo by Meaghan Garvey/Illustration by Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption
A new album by pianist Inna Faliks features world premiere recordings of works by five composers. Rosalind Wong/Inna Faliks hide caption