Hazel Cills

Drakeo the Ruler performs during Rolling Loud on Dec. 12, 2021 in San Bernardino, Calif. Timothy Norris/Timothy Norris, Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Timothy Norris/Timothy Norris, Getty Images Drakeo the Ruler performs during Rolling Loud on Dec. 12, 2021 in San Bernardino, Calif. Timothy Norris/Timothy Norris, Getty Images The Los Angeles rapper Drakeo the Ruler, a rising force in hip-hop, has died at age 28. The rapper's death was […]

Kangol Kid, pictured in 2017 in New York City, has died at age 55 after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET hide caption toggle caption Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET Kangol Kid, pictured in 2017 in New York City, has died at age 55 after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET The influential rapper and UTFO member Shaun Shiller Fequiere, known by […]

PinkPantheress Brent McKeever/Courtesy of Elektra Records hide caption toggle caption Brent McKeever/Courtesy of Elektra Records PinkPantheress Brent McKeever/Courtesy of Elektra Records Much of the music I admired in 2021 came from artists working unapologetically on their own terms. I reached frequently for risk-takers — blown-out pop-punk makeovers from unexpected voices, a New Age composer returning to music after stepping away for decades, a bedroom pop producer reworking UK garage samples […]

Fatima Al Qadiri, Danny Harle, and UNIIQU3 all land on NPR Music's best electronic music of 2021 list. Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images Fatima Al Qadiri, Danny Harle, and UNIIQU3 all land on NPR Music's best electronic music of 2021 list. Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images As the world began to open up in 2021, […]