Sheldon Pearce
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New projects by three rap artists — chart juggernaut Lil Baby, pop-rap heartthrob Jack Harlow and Bay Area grinders SOB x RBE — offer three ways to relight a flickering star. -
Controversy over an artist being fake — or someone thinking they are — is hardly new. Here are some of the craziest moments in recent music history when the boundary between real and fake collapsed. -
From generational classics like J Dilla's Donuts to the star turns of Sudan Archives and Anderson .Paak, one small LA label has made history for 30 years — without losing its roots. -
The dam appeared to break in 2024, as South African phenom Tyla made Grammy and chart history. But for a wide field of buzzed-about voices, the path to a crossover has narrowed. -
The English artist made her name with thoughtful pop-R&B. On What Are the Odds, she pulls her dancier roots to the surface. -
Taja Cheek's psychedelic project L'Rain has always been tagged as experimental. On fata morgana, she asks what separates music like hers from the mainstream. -
TikTok made "Love Me Not" a Top 10 hit, but its rise felt disembodied from the artist behind it. On Blue Island, Lenae responds to a career plot twist by stepping into the past. -
The R&B group's breakout stars released new solo albums on the same day — one leaning out of the spotlight while the other confronts viral fame. -
The singular singer's third album finds a message worthy of her instrument: Great romances are defined not by what you want, but by the act of wanting. -
On the eve of America's 250th birthday, NPR's Juana Summers talks with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Sheldon Pearce about songs that reflect the country's complex identity.
