Sheldon Pearce
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
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A new mini-album finds the world's biggest girl group in a tight spot: competing with its own legacy. -
Ca$ino, the rapper's second album for his cousin Kendrick Lamar's label, is whiplash embodied, a mirror for the extreme highs and lows of his Sin City hometown. -
Two albums released the same day — Jill Scott's return from a long absence, and Brent Faiyaz's play for a mid-career pivot — offer opposing visions of artistic advancement in the genre. -
The Travis Scott signee came up in the shadow of his mentor's rootless sound. On Octane, he taps his hometown's lineage and finds a star power all his own. -
The crossover hits stacking Grammy nods this year have little in common with the culture that birthed them — but they're winning the chart game. -
The two friends reconnect on Don't Be Dumb, Rocky's first album in eight years — and inadvertently demonstrate how much they've diverged as artists. -
Let the sunshine in: After a decade of chilly trap beats and freaky club tales, the tide is turning on the genre's dominant sound. -
The NPR Music critic and All Songs Considered contributor's favorite records of the year include the best of British rap, whimsical and melancholy electronic experiments and spellbinding dreampop. -
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The girl group had a vision for how to rewire its troubled industry. The industry had other plans.
