For his "Rich Spirit" / "N95" medley on SNL, Kendrick Lamar performed with minimal visual accompaniment, perfectly geared for the raw intimacy of his newest material. Will Heath/NBC hide caption
SZA
Bad Bunny, performing in Miami on Aug. 12, 2022. The Puerto Rican superstar's wordplay was front-of-mind for Alt.Latino co-host Anamaria Sayre this year. Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images hide caption
SZA Jacob Webster/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
SZA performs at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival in Ghana. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Global Citizen hide caption
SZA departs The Mark Hotel for 2022 Met Gala. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for The Mark hide caption
The cover of SZA's latest album SOS. Daniel Sannwald/TDE/RCA Records hide caption
Review
Pop Culture Happy Hour
On 'SOS,' SZA both surprises and delivers exactly what we've been waiting for
On 'SOS,' SZA both surprises and delivers exactly what we've been waiting for
SZA performs onstage at Spotify's Night of Music party during VidCon 2022. Anna Webber/Getty Images for Spotify hide caption
SZA Daniel Sannwald/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
SZA Jacob Webster/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Roséwave is light and breezy, but not necessarily unsophisticated — the sound of an experience kissed by sweet summer heat. Vanessa Leroy/NPR hide caption
Doja Cat. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for iHeartRadio hide caption
Doja Cat and SZA's song "Kiss Me More" has been one of 2021's most inescapable tracks. Jamal Peters/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Musicians who made some of NPR Music's favorite songs of 2021 (so far) include (left to right) Silk Sonic, Cico P, Seinabo Sey, Petal Supply and Amber Mark. Courtesy of artists hide caption
Megan Thee Stallion has released her debut album, Good News. Marcelo Cantu hide caption
A screenshot from SZA's video for "Hit Different," featuring Ty Dolla $ign and The Neptunes. YouTube hide caption
The world is changing in hues of amber and maroon. Do you have the appropriate soundtrack? Mint Images/Getty Images hide caption
You don't have to believe in astrology to believe in roséwave. Emily Bogle/NPR hide caption