Moor Mother
Projects released by Young Thug, Tyler, the Creator and Little Simz are included in NPR Music's best hip-hop albums of 2021. Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images hide caption
Singer and rapper Lil Nas X's debut full-length Montero is on NPR Music's shortlist of the best new albums out on Sept. 17. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Jazz artist Nate Smith performing in the Netherlands. Smith's song "Square Wheel" feat. Kokayi and Michael Mayo was one of Jazz Night's favorites of the first half of the year. Peter Van Breukelen/Redferns hide caption
Clockwise from top row: Duma, Стереополина, Moor Mother, Meurtrieres, Maral, Backxwash. Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Music speaks truth to anger and frustration, but also provides a sense of hope and beauty. Rashida Chavis for NPR hide caption
To bolster the fun and success of her already chart-climbing 2020 single "Savage," Megan Thee Stallion manifested a remix from Beyoncé. Bob Levey/Getty Images for Spotify hide caption
NPR Music's Top 14 Songs Of April
The Best Of April, 2020
The slamming brutal death metal of 01101111011101100110111001101001 — that's binary for "ovni," or UFO — will make your gut drop. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Kali Uchis performs onstage during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 20, 2018 in Indio, California. Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella hide caption
Moor Mother's album Fetish Bones came out last year. Bob Sweeney/Courtesy of the artist hide caption