“I viewed it as a make-or-break record,” Kramer tells David Fricke.
Inarguably original, remarkably consistent and deeply influential, Wu-Tang's Chef hits a half-century.
He was more elaborate than most, but he also drummed in the service of the song.
Must-see shows featuring Robert Glasper, Brandee Younger and more.
Featuring Juliana Hatfield, Mercury Rev and Ben Lee.
Exploring the legendary prog band's sometimes strange, often overlooked later years.
How strong women, guided by honesty and openness, overhauled the look and sound of pop in the 2010s.
Will the pianist-composer permanently transform the way we listen to classical music?
How a young producer, Kanye West, helped an aspiring R&B singer-pianist, John Roger Stephens, become a legend.
How Chronixx, Protoje, Jah9 and others have tapped into Jamaica’s rich musical past in strikingly new ways.
The Puerto Rican artist’s debut album introduced the world to a new mold for Latinx stardom.
From its underground geniuses to the EDM megastars, electronic music blew up in the 2010s.
How memes, dance challenges and other online madness revolutionized hip-hop culture.
In R&B, the 2010s will go down as the decade when a new aesthetics of abstention took hold.
Our roundup of the year's most indelible moments, sounds and stars.
How one South American nation revitalized a genre and a movement.
How the album invented a new archetype for women in hip-hop.
After decades of cult status, Americana becomes a commercial coup.