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American music

Musician Cedric Watson

‘There’s something missing in African American music today.’

Music

Cedric Watson is known for playing Cajun, Creole and zydeco music on his violin. He’s from Lafayette, Louisiana. Watson appears on the new album by Malian guitarist Boubacar Traoré.
And through that collaboration, Cedric Watson has been able to find where the music from Louisiana and Mali meet.

Musician Adrian Quesada grew up on the bordertown of Laredo, Texas

A musician’s view of growing up in a border town

Arts
A selection of gospel records and album covers from the 1960s and '70s. Many gospel artists of this era used the B-sides of their 45s for civil rights anthems.

How the forgotten music of the civil rights movement was hiding in plain sight

Music
American rapper Jay-Z performs at Bercy stadium in Paris on October 17, 2013.

Listen to the Egyptian song that has Jay Z in court

Music
The World

For this hip-hop artist, black lives do matter — and it’s time to take a stand

Music
Taylor Mac

Taylor Mac’s new 24-hour epic show is a full history of American pop music — of a kind

Arts

Actor, writer, director, drag performer — Taylor Mac has become one of America’s brightest and boldest theatre artists. A new piece looks at the history of American popular music through Mac’s unique style of interpretation and performance.

The World

Dan Charnas on the history of hip hop as a business

Arts, Culture & Media

It may seem like just yesterday that you first heard The Sugar Hill Gang or Run DMC, but the hip hop business is pushing forty.

Summer in the Global Village: Brasil Summerfest – Marcelo D2, BNegao, and pictures

Global Hit

Reporter Mirissa Neff caught up with the two MC's of Planet Hemp, Marcelo D2 and BNegao, to talk about Brazil's protests, upward mobility, and their inspiration to start rapping.

Battle of the High School Bands: The Winner

In our Battle of the High School Bands contest, we ended up with 350 submissions spanning six decades of adolescence – from psychedelic pop to soulful hip-hop. (For a handful of the very best, check out our two volumes of mixtapes.) Our rock star judges, Andrew W.K. and Thao Nguyen, had the challenging task of […]

VIDEO: Mongolian mandolin player mixes bluegrass with sounds of his homeland

Arts, Culture & Media

Tom Pang’s blend of bluegrass and traditional Mongolian music has gained him much attention in the Shanghai music scene. Though Pang wasn’t the first to come up with the idea, his affinity for bluegrass and his Mongolian heritage make him a natural fit for the hybrid genre.