Sidney Madden
Sidney Madden is a reporter and editor for NPR Music. As someone who always gravitated towards the artforms of music, prose and dance to communicate, Madden entered the world of music journalism as a means to authentically marry her passions and platform marginalized voices who do the same.
Originally from Boston, Madden graduated from Hofstra University in New York with a bachelor's degree in journalism and sociology. As a freelancer, she earned bylines at MTV, People's Choice, Nylon Magazine and more before joining the editorial team at storied hip-hop pillar XXL Magazine.
During her time at XXL, both as an editorial assistant and assistant editor, Madden pitched, wrote and edited news posts and features for the outlet and interviewed artists ranging from all eras and facets of rap — from Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent to Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B and Lil Uzi Vert. In addition to working on cultural touchstones like the magazine's annual Freshman Class covers, in 2016, Madden assisted in reporting out one of the magazine's seminal investigative packages, The Current Status of Every Murdered Rapper's Case, which revealed the high percentage of unsolved murders involving rappers over the last 30 years.
Madden joined the NPR Music team in 2017, serving as editorial lead for digitizing and editing music stories that air on NPR's premiere news magazine programs, Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. In 2018, she began producing Tiny Desk Concerts with a special focus on bringing burgeoning, left-of-center artists from the worlds of R&B and hip-hop to the desk. To date, her Tiny Desk Concert productions include Jorja Smith, Megan Thee Stallion, DVSN and Snoh Aalegra. She's also created reports for on-air and digital that contextualize hip-hop culture within society's larger strata — whether it's unpacking the genius marketing of Cardi B, Tyler, The Creator's subversive heartbreak or the socioeconomics that fuel Solange's downhome Afrofuturism.
In September 2020, after two years of research, reporting and development, Madden became the co-host of Louder Than A Riot, NPR Music's first narrative investigative podcast that traces the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration.
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The New York City debut from the British soul singer counters the prevailing narrative around her. As she guided fans in spiritual healing, she did it as she has her whole career: on her own terms. -
In some ways, COVID shrank the distance between musicians and listeners. But then, it also threw nearly everything about the industry into disarray, and for many, things have never been the same. -
There are some songs that are synonymous with - or are perhaps more famous than - the movies they accompany.
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The Compton rapper fashioned the Super Bowl halftime show as his victory lap, taking the culture to new heights and his pettiness to new lows. -
With the biggest captive audience of his career, Lamar's performance conjures a medley of hits that spans his 15-year discography, and featured R&B star SZA as a special guest. -
Shortly after Kendrick Lamar took home five Grammy awards, he's getting his biggest single audience ever, as the featured artist of this year's Super Bowl halftime show.
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Her Grammy win for Cowboy Carter will rightly be seen as historic. But for the artist, it's part of a grander thesis long in the making. -
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with NPR Music's Sidney Madden about rapper Drake's new lawsuit against his record label, Universal Music Group.
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The Toronto rapper is suing Universal Music Group for defamation, alleging that the release and promotion of Kendrick Lamar's 2024 hit threatened his life and career. -
In 2024, GloRilla, Latto and Doechii all delivered landmark rap albums. Not just because they had the best bars, but because each trusted themself enough to make an artistic and commercial leap.
