Noname

The Chicago rapper and poet is among the greatest lyricists of her generation. In asking tough questions of the art she practices, her third album reveals a fearless and visionary performer.

Think of the best songs of 2021 as a playlist catering to the most basic human urges. Within it, booties were called, muffins were buttered and bloody revenge was contemplated. It was quite a year.

NPR member stations share a mix of the most popular songs on their airwaves this month, including music from CHAI, Joe Chambers, serpentwithfeet and more.

To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today. Our 23-song playlist represents but a handful of the many women rappers who left their mark on 2020.

2020 was defined by the sounds of rage, resolve, mourning and solidarity. Here are 20 songs and albums that represent the best protest music of the year.

Think of these 100 songs (Nos. 40-21 here) as a silver linings playlist for the worst year of our collective lives.

The independent artist started a book club with the intention of promoting works by authors of color; now she's encouraging community engagement, too.

NPR Music's Ann Powers and Rodney Carmichael discuss albums they're looking forward to, as well as the artists they're begging to come back.

Fatimah Warner, best known as the rapper Noname, has been quietly gaining attention for her feminist and socially aware lyrics. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Warner about her sophomore album, Room 25.

Our list of the year's best hip-hop is an encapsulation of a year awash in trolls and tabloid fodder, grief and grit and escapist fantasy, and also an attempt to extract meaning from the chaos.