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Steve Molina Contreras / NBC SNL’s New Rap Parodies Tell the Same Old Joke
The show’s been linking trending topics in the news with trending songs in hip-hop. Why do the results feel staler than Weird Al?
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Prince Williams / Getty The Miami Rap Duo Celebrating Female Pleasure Without Apology
City Girls, out with a new record, have rapidly risen to success with cheeky, libidinous tracks that gleefully resist the industry’s ubiquitous misogyny.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Mariah Carey on the Warpath
Caution, the singer’s first album in four years, is both silky and sharp.
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Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Smino’s Funky Raps Soothe the Soul
On his masterly sophomore album, NØIR, the St. Louis–born rapper incorporates gospel, R&B, and jazz influences with an inventive flourish.
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Ringo Chiu / Reuters ‘People Are Entrenched’: Rosanne Cash on Thousand Oaks, Country Music, and Gun Control
The attack on a bar in California follows an attack on some of the very same music fans in Las Vegas.
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Apple Corps Ltd. What the Beatles Sounded Like Unedited
Fifty years after its debut, The White Album has been reissued to include demos and sessions, giving listeners a wider lens through which to examine the seminal work from the band.
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Michael Tullberg / Getty Vince Staples’s Sunny, Somber Love Letter to the West Coast
The rapper’s third studio album features a host of California stars, bouncy production, and lyrics that flow effortlessly from celebration to mourning.
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Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty Rehabilitating Puccini
The immense popularity of operas such as Tosca or La Bohème has long rendered the composer suspect in high-minded circles—but opinion within the academy is catching up with audiences.
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Eduardo Munoz / Reuters Ariana Grande Conquers the Breakup Song
With “Thank U, Next,” the pop star responds to gossip by naming her exes—and asserting her own power.
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Visionhaus Corbis / Getty Nao’s Atmospheric R&B Shines on Saturn
The British singer of so-called wonky funk presents a sophomore record that deftly fuses her decade-spanning influences with honeyed vocals.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Taylor Swift’s Savvy, Smiley Instagram Voter Drive
On the social-media site, the once-apolitical musician has been rewarding new voters with attention.
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Heji Shin Robyn’s Honey: The Thrill Is Gone, and That’s Okay
The cult pop star’s first album in eight years offers a delicate meta-take on dance history—and human emotion.
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Chris Carroll / Getty R.E.M., in Retrospect
With R.E.M. at the BBC, the band culls together 104 songs for a vast and slightly dizzying retrospective.
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Jonathan Ernst / Reuters The Difficulty—and Importance—of Talking About Young Dead Celebrities
Two recent hip-hop controversies show how hard it can be to discuss substance abuse and other fatal trends without offending.
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Michael Putland / Getty The Bizarre Beat of Yoko Ono’s Drum
In her new album, Warzone, the artist updates songs from her catalog, but misses the mark more often than not.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters The Strange Pathos of Ariana Grande’s Breakup
The end of the singer’s relationship with Pete Davidson, coming after the death of her ex Mac Miller, complicates her message of overcoming.
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Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty The Nearly Extinct Movie Tradition Filmmakers Should Bring Back
For theatergoers, the all but obsolete musical overture is a bridge between real life and the world they’re about to enter.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Migos’ Crossover Win at the AMAs Signals an Imminent Industry Shift
In a music business once defined by stark genre separations, consumer culture is shifting the way songs are (or aren’t) categorized.
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Taylor Swift’s Post-Reputation Approach to Politics
The pop star’s call for fans to “get out and vote” in the midterm elections has caused a stir—one that’s best understood as a set of responses to Swift herself.
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Warner Bros Lady Gaga Challenges the Sellout Trope in A Star Is Born
In the film, Bradley Cooper’s Jackson believes Lady Gaga’s Ally is betraying her authenticity, a concept long critiqued by the pop star-cum-actress.
