Music

Rappers Farid Bang and Kollegah, performing on stage during the Echo Awards show in Berlin on April 12.

Music & Culture

Charges Of Anti-Semitism Roil German Music Awards

6:08pm April 19, 2018

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The hip-hop duo of Farid Bang and Kollegah, whose lyrics have been described as anti-semitic, won the Germany equivalent of a Grammy, prompting several to return their own awards in protest.

Music & Culture

Sam Baker On Mountain Stage

3:29pm April 19, 2018

During the Austin songwriter's second appearance on Mountain Stage, he performs a career-spanning set.

Vocalist and accordion player Jorge Hernández engages the crowd of inmates in the main yard of Folsom State Prison.

Music & Culture

50 Years After Johnny Cash, Los Tigres Del Norte Perform At Folsom Prison

2:41pm April 19, 2018

by Felix Contreras

The norteño band became the first major Latin band to play at Folsom Prison since Johnny Cash did in 1968.

Queue Listen Now

To Curb Ocean Pollution, U.K. May Ban Plastic Straws, Stirrers And Cotton Swabs

2:35pm April 19, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

Prime Minister Theresa May called plastic waste "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world." The government said it will work with industry to develop alternatives.

Lykke Li's so sad so sexy comes out June 8.

Music & Culture

Lykke Li's Two New Songs Dance At The Edges Of Pop Music

2:01pm April 19, 2018

by Lars Gotrich

The Swedish singer is a pop star, but she doesn't necessarily make pop music. Listen to two singles from her upcoming album, so sad so sexy.

Music & Culture

From The Vaults, A Showstopper: Hear Prince Perform 'Nothing Compares 2 U'

1:45pm April 19, 2018

by Stephen Thompson

As news swirls about culpability for Prince's death, his estate has released a major find: a long-lost 1984 recording of his classic composition, along with rare video footage from his rehearsals.

Music & Culture

Erika Wennerstrom On World Cafe

1:45pm April 19, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

The Heartless Bastards front woman details her experience on a trip through the Amazon and how it informed the art she made on her latest solo album, Sweet Unknown.

Prince performing in New Orleans on July 2, 2004.

No Criminal Charges To Be Brought In Prince's Death

1:42pm April 19, 2018

by Andrew Flanagan

Prince likely was unaware that the pills he was taking to combat chronic pain were laced with a powerful opioid, according to an attorney for Minnesota's Carver County who made the announcement.

Clockwise from top left: The Asia Project; TATYANA; The Variants; Samira Gibson

Music & Culture

Even More Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Love

1:21pm April 19, 2018

We're almost ready to announce the 2018 Tiny Desk Contest winner. Here are a few entries we wanted to highlight this week in the meantime.

Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music this week, becoming the first non-classical or jazz artist to do so.

Music & Culture

How The Pulitzer Jury Opened Its Doors To Hip-Hop

12:05pm April 19, 2018

by Rodney Carmichael

The Pulitzer Prize for Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. represents a shifting tide in rap's cultural status. But a juror who helped select the prize says it means as much for an institution like the Pulitzers.