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Music Features

Wednesday

Stressed Out: How 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' Gave Anxiety A Home In Hip-Hop

Left to right: Scarface, Bushwick Bill and Willie D of the Geto Boys perform in Houston in 2015. Marco Torres/HOU/VMG via Getty Images hide caption

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Marco Torres/HOU/VMG via Getty Images

American Anthem

Stressed Out: How 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' Gave Anxiety A Home In Hip-Hop

Gangsta rap had been known as aggressive, rebellious and political, but the Geto Boys' 1991 hit made it something new: vulnerable. Hip-hop's relationship with mental health has never been the same.

Stressed Out: How 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' Gave Anxiety A Home In Hip-Hop

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Tuesday

Friday

ECM At Big Ears: A Boundless Label Meets A Broadminded Festival

Carla Bley Trio Eli Johnson/Courtesy of Big Ears Festival hide caption

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Eli Johnson/Courtesy of Big Ears Festival

Jazz Night In America

ECM At Big Ears: A Boundless Label Meets A Broadminded Festival

WBGO and Jazz at Lincoln Center

We head to the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville for the 50th anniversary of ECM Records. Hear three riveting performances by Carla Bley, Avishai Cohen and Nik Bärtsch's Ronin.

ECM At Big Ears: A Boundless Label Meets A Broadminded Festival

Thursday

Joel Ross And His (Exceptionally) Good Vibes

Joel Ross performs at Lantaren Venster on May 2, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Peter Van Breukelen/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

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Peter Van Breukelen/Redferns/Getty Images

Joel Ross And His (Exceptionally) Good Vibes

The vibraphonist has a "love-hate relationship" with his instrument that has been helpful in perfecting his craft — but it wouldn't mean much without the deep emotional well he pulls from.

Joel Ross And His (Exceptionally) Good Vibes

Listen · 4:55
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Wednesday

Monday

Thursday

Meet Quinn Christopherson, Winner Of The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest

Quinn Christopherson is the winner of the 2019 Tiny Desk Contest. Ash Adams/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Ash Adams/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Meet Quinn Christopherson, Winner Of The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest

Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Christopherson is a thoughtful songwriter with a powerful sense of perspective.

Meet Quinn Christopherson, Winner Of The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest

Listen · 4:43
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Announcing The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

And the Tiny Desk Contest winner is... NPR hide caption

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NPR

All Songs Considered

Announcing The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

After receiving over 6,000 entries this year, we've picked a winner of the 2019 Tiny Desk Contest. Meet the gifted songwriter who captivated our panel of judges.

Announcing The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

Listen · 3:27
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Saturday

Wednesday

'A Song For Any Struggle': Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' Is An Anthem Of Resolve

Tom Petty performs with the Heartbreakers in Belgium in 1992. Gie Knaeps/Getty Images hide caption

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Gie Knaeps/Getty Images

American Anthem

'A Song For Any Struggle': Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' Is An Anthem Of Resolve

Petty's song has been used by striking workers in defiance, by political candidates to show grit, on national stages in the aftermath of tragedy. We asked what "I Won't Back Down" means to you.

'A Song For Any Struggle': Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' Is An Anthem Of Resolve

Listen · 8:00
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Monday

Brooks & Dunn's Excellent Adventure

Kix Brooks (left) and Ronnie Dunn (right) of Brooks & Dunn perform with Luke Combs (center) during the Academy Of Country Music Awards in April. Combs appears on Brooks & Dunn's new album, Reboot, which features contemporary country stars collaborating with the duo on a dozen of its classic songs. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Brooks & Dunn's Excellent Adventure

In the '90s, Brooks & Dunn helped to broaden country music's audience with its embrace of a wide range of sounds and on-stage spectacle. 25 years later, their influence is everywhere in Nashville.

Preserving The House Of A Pioneering Musician — Who We Will Never Hear

The only known photograph of Buddy Bolden, standing back row and second from left, horn in hand. Also pictured: guitarist Brock Mumford, bassist Jimmie Johnson, clarinetists Willie Warner and Frank Lewis, and trombonist Willie Cornish. Courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz Museum hide caption

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Courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz Museum

Music News

Preserving The House Of A Pioneering Musician — Who We Will Never Hear

New Orleans has a fairly spotty track record when it comes to preserving cultural landmarks, but Buddy Bolden's blighted former residence may avoid being lost to time, as he nearly was.

Saturday

The Birthplace Of Country Music's First Hit Is Being Threatened By Modern Construction

Kyle Kessler holds a pressing of Fiddlin' John Carson's "The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane," which was recorded at 152 Nassau Street in Atlanta. Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption

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Debbie Elliott/NPR

Music News

The Birthplace Of Country Music's First Hit Is Being Threatened By Modern Construction

A grassroots drive to preserve a historic building in downtown Atlanta is highlighting the city's somewhat forgotten role in early country music.

The Birthplace Of Country Music's First Hit Is Being Threatened By Modern Construction

Listen · 6:22
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