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Music Features

Tuesday

'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' Connects Musicians, Generation After Generation

"Mother" Maybelle Carter (left) performs with her daughter Helen in 1977 at the A.P. Carter Memorial Festival in Virginia. Robert Alexander/Getty Images hide caption

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Robert Alexander/Getty Images

American Anthem

'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' Connects Musicians, Generation After Generation

From family memorials to jam sessions to every show at the Grand Ole Opry, the familiar singalong helps people feel connected to those who have died — whether legendary musicians or loved ones.

'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' Connects Musicians, Generation After Generation

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Big Freedia Is The 21st Century's Ambassador Of Freedom

Big Freedia performs during the 2018 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans. Photo Illustration: Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Big Freedia Is The 21st Century's Ambassador Of Freedom

Big Freedia has always repped New Orleans, becoming famous by insisting on being her sui generis self. How could you see someone who loves herself so much and not follow her to the dance floor?

Monday

Thursday

How Slick Rick And Queen Latifah 'Breathed Life Into Hip-Hop' In 1988

Slick Rick released his debut album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick in 1988. Al Pereira/Getty Images hide caption

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Al Pereira/Getty Images

Music News

How Slick Rick And Queen Latifah 'Breathed Life Into Hip-Hop' In 1988

Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia of NPR's podcast What's Good explain why they think 1988 was a banner year for hip-hop.

How Slick Rick And Queen Latifah 'Breathed Life Into Hip-Hop' In 1988

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Wednesday

You're Gonna Hear Them Roar: 'I Am Woman' Is An Anthem Beyond Its Era

"I Am Woman" singer Helen Reddy performs in 1970. Ian Dickson/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

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American Anthem

You're Gonna Hear Them Roar: 'I Am Woman' Is An Anthem Beyond Its Era

Helen Reddy's 1972 single captured the spirit of second-wave feminism. Today, its echoes still sound in American culture — including a version that arrived just in time for #MeToo.

You're Gonna Hear Them Roar: 'I Am Woman' Is An Anthem Beyond Its Era

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Monday

20 Years Of Cher's 'Believe' And Its Auto-Tune Legacy

Cher's dance anthem "Believe" was released 20 years ago this month. Rick Stewart/Getty hide caption

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Rick Stewart/Getty

20 Years Of Cher's 'Believe' And Its Auto-Tune Legacy

Cher's 1998 hit "Believe" turns 20 this year. There's a long history of artists using vocal modifications, but this song brings the Auto-Tune front and center.

20 Years Of Cher's 'Believe' And Its Auto-Tune Legacy

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Miranda Lambert Is The 21st Century's Advocate Of Imperfection

Miranda Lambert performs in Dover, Delaware in 2015. Photo Illustration: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Big Barrel and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Big Barrel and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Miranda Lambert Is The 21st Century's Advocate Of Imperfection

Taking on all manner of "shouldn'ts" is a specialty of Lambert's, whose body of work knowingly disobeys the rules of feminine decorum. Who else has been more strong-willed and sisterly at once?

Thursday

Destra Is The 21st Century's Liberator Of Revelry

Destra performs during Carnival in 2018 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Sean Drakes/Getty Images and Angela/Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Sean Drakes/Getty Images and Angela/Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Destra Is The 21st Century's Liberator Of Revelry

She can command a crowd like few others — and during her career, she's broadened the definition of soca, established herself as a brand and fueled Trinidad and Tobago's growing feminist movement.

Tuesday

Sharon Jones Is The 21st Century's Godmother Of Soul

Sharon Jones performs onstage with The Dap-Kings at The Wiltern Theater on March 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo Illustration: Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Sharon Jones Is The 21st Century's Godmother Of Soul

The Augusta-born soul singer's ballads, floor-burners and soaring motivational anthems took the might of Motown's peak and sharpened it to fight the impossible.

Sunday

Through Slavery, Segregation And More, 'La Bamba' Has Been The Sound Of Survival

The East L.A. band Las Cafeteras is known for a version of "La Bamba" that mixes traditional Mexican son jarocho with hip-hop. Jessica Pons for NPR hide caption

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Jessica Pons for NPR

American Anthem

Through Slavery, Segregation And More, 'La Bamba' Has Been The Sound Of Survival

Sixty years ago, a Mexican folk tune sung entirely in Spanish became a rock and roll phenomenon. Generations after Ritchie Valens, young Latinos are still harnessing its power.

Through Slavery, Segregation And More, 'La Bamba' Has Been The Sound Of Survival

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Friday

Beyoncé Is The 21st Century's Master Of Leveling Up

Beyoncé performs at Coachella in 2018. Photo illustration: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo illustration: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Beyoncé Is The 21st Century's Master Of Leveling Up

Through her career, Bey has shown that there are more levels to her artistry than we could have imagined. And she's using those levels to delve further into her personalized elevation of black women.

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Natalia Lafourcade Is The 21st Century's Guardian Of Cultural Memory

Natalia Lafourcade performs at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2017. Photo Illustration: Kevin Winter/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration: Kevin Winter/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Natalia Lafourcade Is The 21st Century's Guardian Of Cultural Memory

In many ways, Lafourcade has left her mark on the 21st century by looking back. Her work has freed music that for many younger listeners had been trapped in amber, and imbued it with new life.

Natalia Lafourcade Is The 21st Century's Guardian Of Cultural Memory

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