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The 'Sonic Genius' Behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Has Died

Bruce Swedien and Quincy Jones onstage together, speaking at the Pensado Awards for audio engineering in Culver City, Calif. in 2015. Maury Phillips/Getty Images hide caption

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The 'Sonic Genius' Behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Has Died

November 18, 2020 • Audio engineer Bruce Swedien, who shaped the sound of several albums with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, died Monday at age 86. He also collaborated with artists from B.B. King to Jennifer Lopez.

Chairman and CEO Bang Si-hyuk, center, photographed Oct. 15, 2020, the day his company, Big Hit Entertainment, debuted on the Korea Exchange in Seoul. To his left, Jiwon Park, Big Hit CEO of HQ & Management; right, Lenzo Yoon Big CEO of Global & Business. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Music Features

'Hitman' Bang Si-hyuk, The Brand-New Billionaire Behind BTS

November 18, 2020 • Formerly a producer and songwriter for K-pop's nascent idols, Si-hyuk's own label, Big Hit Entertainment, recently became larger than the other top labels in Seoul combined.

Lil Wayne Faces Federal Charge For Gun Possession

Rapper Lil Wayne (center) watches a basketball game last December. He is facing a federal gun possession charge. Lynne Sladky/Lynne Sladky/AP hide caption

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Lynne Sladky/Lynne Sladky/AP

National

Lil Wayne Faces Federal Charge For Gun Possession

November 17, 2020 • The rapper is facing a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. His attorney calls the weapon in question a gold-plated handgun that was packed in luggage and never brandished.

'Stay In The House': Bobby Shmurda (Pt 2)

The corner of East 96th Street and Church Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, N.Y. Dale Edwin Murray for NPR hide caption

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Dale Edwin Murray for NPR

Louder Than A Riot

'Stay In The House': Bobby Shmurda (Pt 2)

November 12, 2020 • Two young men grow up just blocks apart, each with aspirations to make it big. But while Bobby Shmurda sees his dreams come true, Bryan Antoine is killed by members of Bobby's crew. This is the story that lingers between the lyrics of Bobby's viral hit, "Hot N****." We talk to the family grieving Bryan's loss and review hours of incriminating GS9 phone calls. How does the true story behind the song complicate stereotypes about gang affiliation? And what does the pursuit of justice mean in a neighborhood where labels like "victim" and "perpetrator" can be interchangeable?

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Cándido Camero, A Father Of Latin Jazz, Dies At 99

Cuban-born percussionist Candido Camero, circa 1960. Bill Wagg/Redferns hide caption

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Obituaries

Cándido Camero, A Father Of Latin Jazz, Dies At 99

November 7, 2020 • The Cuban percussionist brought the rhythms of Havana to New York's jazz clubs in the 1940s and never stopped performing.

King Von, Emerging Chicago Rapper, Dead At 26

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King Von, Emerging Chicago Rapper, Dead At 26

November 6, 2020 • King Von, an emerging rapper who was quickly gaining attention for his incisive storytelling, was shot and killed in Atlanta on Friday morning.

The BlackSon And BlackCity Are Generating 'Free Power'

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Music Features

The BlackSon And BlackCity Are Generating 'Free Power'

November 5, 2020 • After his older brother helped The BlackSon get his artistic career underway, the pair now find themselves living in a new "city."

The Songwriting Success Of Singing Rapper Tim Gent And Rapping Singer Bryant Taylorr

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Music Features

The Songwriting Success Of Singing Rapper Tim Gent And Rapping Singer Bryant Taylorr

November 5, 2020 • The pair have found and are maintaining a place for themselves in the professional songwriting world of Nashville.

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Dominique Alexander/Courtesy of the artist

Music Features

A.B. Eastwood's Ever-Expanding Beat

November 5, 2020 • The autodidact producer spent time learning in Florida, before returning to Nashville with a vision for elevating the entire city.

Hip-Hop In Nashville Is Making Its Own Way

Nashville's music industry has never given homegrown hip-hop the support it deserves, so the city's artists and entrepreneurs are creating their own institutions. ilbusca/Getty Images hide caption

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Editors' Picks

Hip-Hop In Nashville Is Making Its Own Way

November 5, 2020 • Rap from Nashville isn't new, nor is the city's tendency to overlook the creators and entrepreneurs behind that music – despite country artists borrowing liberally from the genre over the past decade.

Hip-Hop In Nashville Is Making Its Own Way

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The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

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Louder Than A Riot

The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

November 5, 2020 • Just like his legendary disappearing hat, Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda's career was on the rise in 2014. But so was the evidence in a murder case against his crew, GS9. In the first of three episodes exploring Bobby's story, we look at his come-up through the eyes of former Epic Records exec Sha Money XL, who guided Bobby on his tightrope walk from the streets to superstardom. What happens when the industry capitalizes on a criminal persona? And do record execs have the juice to back Bobby up when things get too hot?

The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

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Stevie Nicks On TikTok, Tom Petty And Claiming What's Yours

Stevie Nicks' new 24 Karat Gold concert film foregrounds songs the artist says never got their due. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Editors' Picks

Stevie Nicks On TikTok, Tom Petty And Claiming What's Yours

November 4, 2020 • An audacious concert film, an unwitting viral hit and a second Rock Hall induction: That's just the past two years for Nicks, who says that at 72 she's finally comfortable doing everything she wants.

Stevie Nicks On TikTok, Tom Petty And Claiming What's Yours

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Arcade Fire Returns With 2020's First Big Post-Election Protest Anthem

"I don't think they understand that I am not a patient man," Win Butler of Arcade Fire sings in "Generation A." Theo Wargo/Getty Images hide caption

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Arcade Fire Returns With 2020's First Big Post-Election Protest Anthem

November 4, 2020 • The band gave fans a rousing preview of "Generation A" as part of Stephen Colbert's election-night special.

Kanye West Says He's Voting For The Only Candidate He Can Really Trust

Kanye West at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on June 1, 2015 in New York City. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images hide caption

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Elections

Kanye West Says He's Voting For The Only Candidate He Can Really Trust

November 3, 2020 • West announced his campaign this summer and is only on the ballot in a dozen states.

Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone's First Staff Photographer, Dies At 83

Baron Wolman, photographed on Aug. 2, 2011 in New York for the release of his book The Rolling Stones Years. Anna Webber/WireImage hide caption

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Anna Webber/WireImage

Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone's First Staff Photographer, Dies At 83

November 3, 2020 • Wolman was the gifted eye behind countless iconic photographs of legendary artists, including Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Miles Davis and Johnny Cash, and the tumult of the first Woodstock.

Tracy Chapman Returns To Sing Of 'Revolution' On The Eve Of Election Day

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Screenshot by NPR

Music

Tracy Chapman Returns To Sing Of 'Revolution' On The Eve Of Election Day

November 3, 2020 • In her first TV performance since 2015, the singer-songwriter performs "Talkin' Bout a Revolution," the opening song from her classic 1988 debut.

Ariana Grande Releases New Album 'Positions,' Her Most Explicit To Date

Ariana Grande has released her sixth studio album, positions. Dave Myers hide caption

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Dave Myers

Ariana Grande Releases New Album 'Positions,' Her Most Explicit To Date

October 30, 2020 • Ariana Grande released her sixth studio album, positions, featuring her first collaborations with Doja Cat and Ty Dolla $ign.

With Lil Wayne, Ice Cube And 50 Cent, Trump Makes Final Push For Black Voters

Even when President Trump unveiled his plan for Black economic empowerment, he put most of his emphasis on telling people why they shouldn't vote for his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Elections

With Lil Wayne, Ice Cube And 50 Cent, Trump Makes Final Push For Black Voters

October 30, 2020 • The Trump campaign has spent more than $20 million on a strategy to appeal to Black voters. But a big part of Trump's message is about what Black people shouldn't vote for Joe Biden.

With Lil Wayne, Ice Cube And 50 Cent, Trump Makes Final Push For Black Voters

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Louder Than A Riot

The Day The Mixtape Died: DJ Drama

October 29, 2020 • In the early 2000s, mixtapes transformed Tyree Simmons into DJ Drama and molded T.I., Lil Wayne and Jeezy into rap superstars. But in 2007, those same mixtapes landed Drama in jail with a bank account balance of $0.00. In this episode, we break down the raid that turned the mixtape from cultural innovation into criminal conspiracy, from the perspective of the man who took the fall when the cops came knocking. "If they can lock up Drama, nobody's safe. It's over."

The Day The Mixtape Died: DJ Drama

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NPR Music's Listening Party For OutKast's 'Stankonia'

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Michael Lavine/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

NPR Music's Listening Party For OutKast's 'Stankonia'

October 28, 2020 • Friday at 2 p.m. ET, NPR Music will host an online listening party for the 20th anniversary of OutKast's landmark album. Join the chat room, ask our expert panel questions and shout your love.

'SNL': Adele Hosts Because 'Album's Not Finished,' But H.E.R. Debuts New Song

Host Adele during the Saturday Night Live monologue on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images hide caption

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'SNL': Adele Hosts Because 'Album's Not Finished,' But H.E.R. Debuts New Song

October 25, 2020 • Adele sang a bit in one sketch but left most of the music to H.E.R., who performed a new song called "Hold On."