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Southern rappers' contributions to the genre have long been underestimated in favor of coastal hegemony – but the region has long steered the sound of hip-hop and deserves its story told in full.

On his story-of-the-year album The Boy Who Played the Harp, the gifted Londoner puts an eye on the human casualties of fame and success.

2025 had no shortage of major music news stories. Here's a rundown of some of the biggest of the year.

With lyrics poking at the ways young women are scrutinized and exploited, Happier than Ever finds Eilish in some dark corners — but the pop supernova tells NPR she's got lots to feel hopeful about.

From tributes to Philip Glass and French opera to the roaring silences of Morton Feldman and virtuosic choral singing, 2017 proved to be another vibrant year in classical music.

The ambitious rapper's debut album starts with an acid trip and ends with a paean to a rap pantheon. In between, says writer Christina Lee, it offers crucial lessons about playing by your own rules.

I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, the artist's fifth album and first since his Kanye collabs made him a snark target, swings back at everyone in sight — but saves a few knocks for himself.

An international panel of 137 jazz writers voted on the best albums of 2017. The winner took the top spot by a wide margin.

"Opera Shop" host Darren Hellwege visits with some of the talented young people bringing a production of Gian Carlo Menoti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors" to Columbia. The production will be Dec. 5th and 6th at First Baptist Church of Columbia. Our guests are Molly Symmonds (Ahmal) Kennedy Kinnick (mother) and Carter Thiemann, who is the pianist.

This year's best hip-hop — including Westside Gunn, Mach-Hommy and Moor Mother — comes from death and defiance, erotic power and provocation, Black joy and pain — and that's just the shortlist.