Amplifier Podcast
Photo courtesy of the artist
This has been a historic year for women in rap and hip-hop, all the way to the 2021 Grammy Awards when Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé broke records as the first pair of women to win in the best rap performance category. As NPR Music put it, “To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today.” And to know what the future of Charlotte hip-hop is, one need only turn to rhythmic lyricist ReeCee Raps.
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It's a slow week on the Billboard charts, but Jack Black breaks a surprising record on the chart. Plus, rapper Doechii lands her first Top 10 album and Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' continues to move up the Hot 100. -
To foster equity and community, people gather several times a year to sing together in Portland, Oregon. The woman behind this effort has twice been nominated for a Grammy in music education. -
Grammy-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens brings Biscuits & Banjos, a music festival that features Black musicians on guitars, fiddles and banjos, history, dancing and more, to Durham, N.C. -
Madison McFerrin, who creates instruments in real-time out of her looped vocals, previews songs from her upcoming album SCORPIO backed by a Chicago-based band and a sister vocal trio. -
French violinist and social media influencer Esther Abrami releases her new album, "Women," featuring music by female composers in a bid to redress historic biases and uncover forgotten treasures.
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The seven acts voted into the Rock Hall this year include Southern rap and Midwest garage rock duos, pillars of the grunge and English blues rock eras and the '80s most unusual pop star. -
The legendary west African kingdom of Kaabu has long been memorialized in the songs and stories of griots. That's inspired archaeologists to excavate the kingdom's capital. -
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Samia about her new album, Bloodless, and the inspiration she took from contemplating nothingness.
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For musicians like Rhiannon Giddens and Rissi Palmer, trying to break down doors in the folk and country music scenes has been a long road. A festival in Durham this weekend aims to remedy that. -
Haggard, who died in 2016, spoke to Fresh Air in 1995 about his love of trains. When he became a star, he acquired his own observation car. Now that coach is part of the Virginia Scenic Railway.
