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Stephen Thompson looks at the biggest songs and albums of the week, and digs into the stories and trends beyond the Top 10.

In 2015, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly spawned a protest anthem, Hamilton rewrote history and Sufjan Stevens dug into his own past.

In "Texas Hold 'Em," the singer is accompanied by a banjo. It's often thought of as a quintessential Americana instrument. But the history of the banjo tells a different story.

Holiday music rules the pop charts once again this week, as Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" scores its 17th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 — the third longest run of all time.

Ronson's memoir, Night People, is a love letter to late-night 1990s New York City. Ronson would go on to produce music for Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and other pop superstars.

For 15 weeks this summer, Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" had the No. 1 song in the country, but a new song breaks its streak this week. Plus, pop fans mourn Liam Payne.

Our list of the best songs, albums and mixtapes by Southern rappers is a celebration that recenters the South as a creative center of hip-hop and honors the region for all that it has given to us.

With a major label debut looming, the Bronx rapper's unchecked charm remains her biggest asset — her Swarovski-encrusted skeleton key to the halls of fame.

The Louisiana band takes gospel into the garage, and what comes out is fiery rock 'n' roll. Watch Seratones perform three songs in the NPR Music offices.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band expertly crafts steel drum versions of hip-hop and funk classics from the '70s to the modern day.