Music

It's go big or go home for The Revivalists

Stephen Kallao

Miguel Perez

The New Orleans band talks about their new album, Pour It Out Into the Night.
National

Clarence Avant, a major power broker in music, sports and politics, has died at 92

Anastasia Tsioulcas

Clarence Avant boosted the careers of a vast array of influential figures, including Michael Jackson, Jim Brown and Barack Obama. He came back into the news after his wife was murdered in 2021.
National

Kings and queens gathered for 'Hip Hop 50 Live' at Yankee Stadium

Anastasia Tsioulcas

An eight-hour concert Friday night was a procession of generations of hip-hop royalty, from the Sugar Hill Gang to current stars like Lil Wayne. Run-DMC gave what was billed as their last performance.
International

Opinion: The Taliban is cracking down on music, and joy

Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on two years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, including the recent burning of musical instruments and equipment.
2023 'Til Infinity

Sheldon Pearce

Giving rap the future it deserves means smashing the infrastructure as it is. But with the battle lines drawn, we can still take heart in the artists teasing just how much further the culture can go.
How three female artists lead this summer's billion-dollar pop culture revival

Bilal Qureshi

This summer, three women at the peak of their powers lead a spectacular pop culture revival. Barbie, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift shattered records and created a communal economy of irrational exuberance.
Arts & Culture

San Diego weekend arts events: Aklasan Fest, new visual art, Peter Heller and more

Julia Dixon Evans

This weekend in the arts: Filipino punk music, a free park xylophone concert, Barrio Art Crawl and more.
How LA proved hip-hop could go global — by staying thoroughly local

Jeff Weiss

There may be no better case for the power of hip-hop's geographic diversity than Los Angeles, whose sprawl of distinct creative microclimates is a genre unto itself.
National

Robbie Robertson, guitarist for The Band and Bob Dylan, has died at 80

Otis Hart

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer helped write the blueprint for Americana music, with songwriting credits including "The Weight" and "Up on Cripple Creek."
How the Bay Area became a rap incubator with a chip on its shoulder

Andrew Nosnitsky

Though the Bay's vibrant rap community lit the fuse on many of the stars, styles and innovations that have blown up across the map, the region might still be best known for being underestimated.