Music & Culture

Flavor Flav, left, and Chuck D, photographed on May 1, 1987.

Music & Culture

Public Enemy 'Moving Forward' Without Flavor Flav After Bernie Sanders Rally

3:31pm March 02, 2020

by Andrew Flanagan

The hype man and former reality television star was dismissed from the legendary rap group he co-founded after sending the Sanders campaign a cease-and-desist over a performance on Sunday.

Music & Culture

Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt Is Understated And Nuanced On 'The Art Of Intimacy, Vol. 1'

2:38pm March 02, 2020

by Kevin Whitehead

Though Pelt can certainly play uptempo with a lot of fire, he also loves to play ballads, including a batch of obscure ones. A new album showcases his more introspective side.

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Music & Culture

Brandy Clark, A Vivid Storyteller, Finally Tells Her Own

1:12pm March 02, 2020

by Jewly Hight

"I went through a breakup of a 15-year relationship. And my therapy on an everyday basis is to go in and write songs," Brandy Clark says of her string- and horn-laden album, Your Life is a Record.

Bad Bunny, photographed at the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Oct. 09, 2018 in Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

Bad Bunny Shows Us His Version Of Old-School

12:28pm March 02, 2020

by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

One of the most creative pop stars of the era gets back to basics, as only he can.

Ranky Tanky combine traditional Gullah music — which originated with the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans who made lived in South Carolina's low country — with contemporary gospel and R&B.

Music & Culture

Ranky Tanky On Celebrating South Carolina's Gullah Traditions

1:25am March 02, 2020

Quentin Baxter and Clay Ross mix gospel and R&B with Gullah music, which originated from the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans who made their home in South Carolina's lowcountry.

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Music & Culture

For The Danna Brothers, Pixar's New Film Is 'Uncannily Personal'

11:47am March 01, 2020

At its core, Onward is a story about siblings. Mychael and Jeff Danna composed the score for the film and speak with NPR's Leila Fadel about their work together.

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In an over 60-year career Sergio Mendes has helped pioneer bossa nova and worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to will.i.am. His newest album is In The Key Of Joy.

Music & Culture

After 60 Years, Sergio Mendes Is Still Writing Songs 'In The Key Of Joy'

11:47am March 01, 2020

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with the bossa nova pioneer about his sweeping career and his newest album, which includes features from longtime collaborators and new guests, like Common.

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Jerry Minor plays Michael Jackson's glove in For the Love of a Glove. The unauthorized, satirical musical is playing at The Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan Theater until March 22.

New Musical Imagines Michael Jackson's Story As Told By His Famous Glove

11:47am March 01, 2020

by Andrew Limbong

For the Love of a Glove explores an alternate history in which Michael Jackson meets a sparkly silver glove from outer space named Thrihil-Lha who gives Michael his talents in exchange for blood.

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For fans of original music in Cambodia, the movement is about more than just the songwriters. "People see original music as this living proof that we are moving forward," Laura Mam says.

Music & Culture

Across Languages And Generations, One Family Is Reviving Cambodian Original Music

8:21am February 29, 2020

by Quinn Libson

Laura Mam is Cambodian American, and her mother, Thida Buth, is a Khmer Rouge survivor. They're fostering the pop music movement in Cambodia that was wiped out almost 40 years ago.

Caroline Rose is featured on this month's Heavy Rotation.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 8 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

5:00am February 29, 2020

This month, NPR member stations bring you a mix of songs, featuring music from Green Day, Caroline Rose and North Carolina rapper Lute.