When we remember 2021, few things will be more evocative than the music that provided the soundtrack to the world as we re-entered it after a long year filled with uncertainty and social distancing.

"Only here to sin." That admission from NPR Music's song of the year lies at the heart of many of the stories told across these 100 tracks. Perhaps the crowning of Cardi and Megan's "WAP" last year ...

As we emerged from the harsh year of 2020, 2021 became—while still in recovery— a year to break free. While the entertainment industry was getting back in full swing, more and more music came to us as ...

A pair of rappers pulling off the best Tom Tom Club sample since Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” (G Perico & Rucci), an iconic New Wave band trafficking in tongue-in-cheek nostalgia (Duran Duran), a ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The biggest music stars in the world didn’t disappoint in 2021. Everyone from Taylor Swift and Adele to Drake and Kanye West delivered engaging new material. But it wasn’t just the ...