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Insecure creator and actor Issa Rae picks her favorite Tiny Desks by artists whose music has been featured on the hit TV show.

Northern Virginia guitarist Yasmin Williams shares how the Tiny Desk Contest changed her life — despite entering it twice and never winning.

On Never Gets Late Here, Shenseea takes the scope of dancehall even higher. And, yet, the Jamaican singer tells NPR that she's already looking forward: “Just look out for new music. We’re not stopping."

Musicians Joe Hunter and Jack Ashford were part of the group of musicians known as the Funk Brothers whose sound defined Motown in the 1960s and 70s. They worked with such legendary performers as Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles and many more. The Funk Brothers are the subject of the new documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

Hear the ZZ Top guitarist like you've never heard him before.

The song "Promiscuousl" has been everywhere lately: the top of the Billboard charts; the No. 1 iTunes download; and all across the radio dial. The song is a dialogue between singer Nelly Furtado and the producer and musician Timbaland. Their flirting conversation in the song generated a conversation among several of the young men and women at Youth Radio.

Scottish singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch has risen to the top of the folk-pop genre by employing hushed, heartbreaking vocals in a style reminiscent of Nick Drake. His new album is titled Time Without Consequence.

Before his own rise up the music charts, Kanye West spent his time producing hits for other top rappers, including Jay-Z. Convinced of the need to display his own unique skills, he released the hugely successful disc College Dropout in 2004.

By 15, Scottish singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald was performing in pubs and open mics in Ireland. Now 21, her album This Is the Life just came out in the U.S. after topping the U.K. charts on the strength of its rich and sometimes dark lyrics.

R&B singer Luther Vandross is continuing to recover from the stroke he suffered earlier this year. His latest CD, Dance With My Father, debuted at number one earlier this summer, and remains in the top 10. Writer Sara Bardeen has a review of the CD.