In the metal bands Sleep and High on Fire, Matt Pike has always looked to esoteric sources. Over the last decade, however, he's found inspiration in the conspiracy theories of David Icke. Photo Illustration by Estefania Mitre/NPR; Getty Images hide caption
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Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is the first album from Kendrick Lamar since DAMN., the 2017 release that made him the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize. Renell Medrano/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Leikeli47 (left) speaks with NPR's Sidney Madden about how Shape Up tracks the rapper's learning process to embody the confidence she so often preaches onstage to others. NPR hide caption
Margo Price, performing on the roof of Third Man Records on Sept. 13, 2018 in Nashville. Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption
Skylar Tang, a 16-year-old from the San Francisco Bay area, is the winner of the Dr. J. Douglas White Composing & Arranging Contest. John Clayton/ Skylar Tang hide caption
Who says big band jazz is for old people? Not this teenage composer.
Naomi Judd (right) and Wynonna Judd perform during the 2008 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, Calif. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption
Talib Kweli of the rap duo Black Star, photographed performing in New York City on July 22, 2017. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images hide caption
Talib Kweli on Black Star's return: 'We stand tall on the shoulders of our ancestors'
Mazel Tov Cocktail Party's influences are global, but the sound they create is uniquely their own. Laura Carbone/Kathleen Tagg hide caption
Mazel Tov Cocktail Party: Take an ounce of hip hop, dash of polka, then square dance
Jean Baylor pointing to the next song on the list, for the Baylor Project album "Generations", 2020, at Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY, 2018. Deneka Peniston hide caption
A freshly painted street mural outside Liuzza's by the Track in New Orleans on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, celebrates the impending return of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Kevin McGill/AP hide caption
The nouveau swing of Donald Harrison Jr., Big Chief and NEA Jazz Master
Jessie Montgomery's new work Hymn for Everyone receives its world premiere with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on April 28. Jiyang Chen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
In Dua Lipa's ever-expanding world, 'there's no time limit and there's no what-ifs'
Tomberlin's sophomore album, i don't know who needs to hear this..., is a beautiful patchwork of expansive sounds that explores a wide spectrum of emotions. Michelle Yoon/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Culture Corner: The Beasite Boys
Rapper-activist Linqua Franqa is on a mission to change both music and politics
Flora Purim's If You Will is the first album by the influential jazz fusion artist in 15 years and, she says, her last. Mel Gabardo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Rosalía's music, persona and visuals are gripping in a way that's distinct from your typical pop star. Daniel Sannwald hide caption
Since the start of her career, Bonnie Raitt's performance of roadhouse rockers, pop ballads, funky sophistication and plenty else has evidenced a deep understanding of mutuality and its absence. Her new album, Just Like That..., is out April 22. Ken Friedman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
John Foster, Charles Mingus, Roy Brooks, Charles McPherson performs live. Aout 1972. Photo : Christian Rose/Fastimage Christian Rose/Fastimage/Christian Rose/Fastimage hide caption
Charles Mingus, photographed performing in Germany in 1972. Ullstein Bild/Getty Images hide caption
Elizabeth King Bill Reynolds/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
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