Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Post Malone bought Magic: The Gathering's 'One Ring' card valued as high as $2 million

4:51pm August 03, 2023

by Dustin Jones

The American rapper and singer is a hardcore fan of the collectible trading card game who bought its most valuable card for $800,000 last year. His latest purchase may be worth double that price.

Juvenile performs at NPR's Tiny Desk in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2023.

As hip-hop turns 50, Tiny Desk rolls out the hits

10:38am August 03, 2023

For the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in August, NPR Music is pulling together all of its hip-hop Tiny Desk Concerts — the sleeper hits and the all-time favorites, plus some behind-the-scenes gossip.

Queue Listen Now

Post Malone chases happiness, chicken nuggets and love in new album 'Austin'

8:25am August 03, 2023

Hip-hop superstar Post Malone shares stories of fatherhood, self-doubt and why he named his latest album after his real name.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Ryan Gosling may not have an Oscar but he does have a hit song

7:06am August 03, 2023

"I'm Just Ken," from the Barbie movie soundtrack, is on Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 87. Fans might know about his musical talents. As a kid, Gosling sang and danced on the Mickey Mouse Club.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Linguist John McWhorter views American music through a wide lens

5:01am August 03, 2023

by Lara Downes

The Columbia University professor and New York Times columnist traces the intersecting lines of race and music in American history.

Going back to her earliest days as a performer, Sinéad O'Connor has always rode an uneasy tension between suffering and liberation.

Music & Culture

Sinéad O'Connor was our freedom singer, our keener and our feminist killjoy

3:33pm August 02, 2023

by Jason King

O'Connor committed to a lifetime program of dissent, discontent and refusal against establishment evils. She carried all that swirling vehemence in her body and exorcised it through her howling music.

Music & Culture

Rema really lives the message of his hit song 'Calm Down'

5:08am August 02, 2023

NPR's A Martinez talks to Nigerian sensation Rema about the global success of his song "Calm Down," and the rise of the music genre Afrobeats.

Obongjayar performs a Tiny Desk concert at NPR Music in Washington, D.C.

Music & Culture

Obongjayar: Tiny Desk Concert

5:00am August 02, 2023

by Bobby Carter

The Nigerian-born, London-based artist gave us everything at his Tiny Desk.

With an '80s revival upon us, these classic songs deserve a comeback

4:57pm August 01, 2023

by Stephen Thompson

On the heels of revivals of songs from Tracy Chapman, Kate Bush and the Indigo Girls, here are some more 1980s songs ripe for a comeback.

Travis Scott, UGK, Megan Thee Stallion and Geto Boys. Collage by Jackie Lay / NPR.

Music & Culture

How Houston became the self-sustaining heart of Texas rap

2:46pm August 01, 2023

by Kiana Fitzgerald

Isolated at the bottom of the map, the Bayou City had to build its scene from scratch, and its influence inched ever outward. Today you can hear its pulse everywhere, beating slow and low.