2020 was so stuffed with urgent voices it could be hard to discern the melody from the noise. Here's our guide to the greatest albums that emerged from a year of cacophony.

NPR Music speaks with the LA rapper, who struck a plea deal earlier this month resulting in his release from prison after a four-year legal battle.

In 2014, Bobby Shmurda aimed for a rap career and landed in prison. As the end of his sentence approaches, so do new questions about what happened, and who else paid a price.

The latest in a prolific career, Busta's new album is a sequel — delivered 22 years after the first Extinction Level Event — and a characteristically big, ambitious project.

In a ceremony that, like many this year, lacked some momentum, the Latin Grammys were able to find their way towards recognizing the promise of the present.

Megan Thee Stallion is closing out a tumultuous year by releasing her debut album, Good News. The reigning Hot Girl linked with Beyoncé, SZA, City Girls, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Young Thug and more.

Experience the mayhem of what it means to create something new. Three Southern rap experts revisit the 20-year-old classic.

King Von, an emerging rapper who was quickly gaining attention for his incisive storytelling, was shot and killed in Atlanta on Friday morning.

After his older brother helped The BlackSon get his artistic career underway, the pair now find themselves living in a new "city."

Rap from Nashville isn't new, nor is the city's tendency to overlook the creators and entrepreneurs behind that music – despite country artists borrowing liberally from the genre over the past decade.

The autodidact producer spent time learning in Florida, before returning to Nashville with a vision for elevating the entire city.

The pair have found and are maintaining a place for themselves in the professional songwriting world of Nashville.

The platinum-certified Chicago-born emcee performs three songs on a basketball court for his Tiny Desk quarantine concert.

Friday at 2 p.m. ET, NPR Music will host an online listening party for the 20th anniversary of OutKast's landmark album. Join the chat room, ask our expert panel questions and shout your love.

The Trump campaign has spent more than $20 million on a strategy to appeal to Black voters. But a big part of Trump's message is about what Black people shouldn't vote for Joe Biden.