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How Seattle rap crashed the mainstream by swimming against the current

Sir Mix-a-Lot, Macklemore, Lil Mosey & Ishmael Butler. Collage by Jackie Lay / NPR. Sipa USA via AP / Kevork Djansezian / Bennett Raglin / Theo Wargo/Getty Images / AP hide caption

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Sipa USA via AP / Kevork Djansezian / Bennett Raglin / Theo Wargo/Getty Images / AP

Hip-Hop 50: All Rap Is Local

How Seattle rap crashed the mainstream by swimming against the current

August 7, 2023 • United more by strategy than sound, the city's stars are fans-first nonconformists, who have often succeeded by doing the opposite of what the industry deems bankable.

25 Years Later: Was 1993 The Greatest Year In Music?

U2's eighth studio album, Zooropa, was released on July 5, 1993 on Island Records. Courtesy of Island Records hide caption

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Courtesy of Island Records

World Cafe

25 Years Later: Was 1993 The Greatest Year In Music?

WXPN

November 8, 2018 • We had several watershed debuts, a handful of hip-hop classics, and alt-rock was still having its moment. Hear the playlist.