Megan Thee Stallion performs during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival. Rich Fury/Getty Images hide caption
NPR Hip-Hop
Brittany Davis Lance Mercer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
A sixth lawsuit against the rap mogul alleges that he drugged a model before assaulting her. Scott Dudelson/Getty Images hide caption
Bad Bunny performs on SNL on Oct. 21, 2023. NBC/WIll Heath/NBC hide caption
Bob James performs a Tiny Desk concert. Elizabeth Gillis/NPR hide caption
Since Ventura filed her lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, the mogul has faced allegations of assault in four additional suits. Paras Griffin/Getty Images hide caption
Children from Cork, Ireland sing "The Spark," in a music video. Creative Ireland/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
Gunna performs during the event "A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop" on Nov. 08, 2023, at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy hide caption
Ana Tijoux performs a Tiny Desk concert. Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR hide caption
Rapper Tupac Shakur performs at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images hide caption
Slick Rick is known for his eyepatch and the crowns he often wears. Janette Beckman /Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery hide caption
After a whirlwind rise, Dallas singer 4batz has released his debut mixtape, u made me a st4r. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Drake onstage during Drake's Till Death Do Us Part rap battle in 2021. Amy Sussman/Getty Images hide caption
Kendrick Lamar performs during the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2023 and Drake performs during Day 2 of Lollapalooza Chile 2023. Last week, the two rappers' long-running feud exploded in a flurry of diss tracks. Jesse Wensing/ANP/AFP and Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images hide caption
Black Thought and Your Old Droog feature on Madlib's new track, "REEKYOD." Mathieu Bitton /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Kiefer performs a Tiny Desk concert at NPR Music in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth Gillis/NPR hide caption
Kendrick Lamar cannot stand Drake; "Euphoria" lists the ways. Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images hide caption
On G Perico's new album, G Slim's Revenge, a certain rap archetype that has faded since its '90s ubiquity appears to be alive and well. Estevan Oriol/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Metro Boomin and Future perform during 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. The producer and rapper have linked for two sprawling new albums this year, released weeks apart. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for MTV hide caption
The Phoenix rapper RiTchie, on the heels of his genre-breaking group Injury Reserve, returns from a creative block with his solo debut, Triple Digits [112]. Patrick Driscoll hide caption
Thursday's first song in 13 years, "Application for Release From the Dream," is a soaring, searing return. Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images hide caption
There's a trio of fantastic records featuring drummer Jim White all out in the first half of 2024. Anna White/Courtesy of the artist hide caption