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With more than 20 million streaming songs at our fingertips, is the idea of owning music becoming a thing of the past? Or are we redefining the connection between songs and listeners?

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with New York Times writer Jazmine Hughes about the unique pop stardom Lil Nas X is creating for himself.

NPR Music got 7,000 entries this year for its annual Tiny Desk Contest. Here are some favorite contest entries from up-and-coming rappers.

The jazz drummer shares why he opens his latest album with a recitation by his grandfather, "the ultimate bad hombre."

"I think most videos from the '80s are pretty cheesy, to be honest," Astley says. He speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about his career, his new album — and yes, rickrolling.

After a decade of genre-blending, the definition of rock is very much up for debate. But for us — and for the purposes of this list — it means one thing: Guitars.

Everyone wants to make the sound that makes the girls dance. Twerking reminds us that women's contributions to Southern rap and culture, while often devalued, can create space for liberation.

This year, the Latin Grammys will be held outside the U.S., in Seville, Spain. The location raises larger questions about how the awards perpetuate inequalities related to race, class and colonialism.

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Mercury Prize-winning singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka, about his latest album, "Small Changes," and his musical influences.

One of the great post-World War II conductors, Abbado had a searching musical intellect that he employed in orchestral and operatic music from Mozart to Verdi to contemporary composers.