Featured stories about Music
Stories about Music
15 August 2017
A Viral Rap Battle Has Everyone in Russia—Including Business Journalists and Politicians—Talking
Even opposition leader Alexey Navalny weighed in, saying despite the profanity, the raps are "100 times more cultural than any comedy show or song contest you see on state television."
12 August 2017
Music Group Bokanté Serves Up Songs in the Key of Creole
The fusion of West African music, Mississippi Delta blues and Caribbean rhythms are what the band Bokanté is all about.
31 July 2017
Young Kyrgyz Music Star Rejects Appointment to Head Museum After Online Backlash
"We are tired of officials’ spouses and kids who get into managing positions.”
29 July 2017
The Kyrgyz “Dancing Kelin” Protests Early Marriage By Calling Attention to the Harsh Realities of Rural Brides
“Life in the village is round-the-clock work. Brides finish one chore and start another. They work 24/7.”
21 July 2017
Brazil’s First Indigenous Online Radio Station Uses Digital Media to Promote Native Languages and Communities
Rádio Yandê uses technology to shred stereotypes and misconceptions about Brazil’s native communities.
20 July 2017
Up-and-Coming Trinidadian Soca Singer Devon Matthews’ Journey Comes to an End
The 36-year-old, whose "star was on the rise", collapsed after performing at a Carnival band launch and was rushed to hospital, where he could not be revived.
14 July 2017
Ethiopian Musicians Charged With Terrorism for ‘Inciting’ Song Lyrics
In the face of government repression, Afan Oromo musicians have risen as a visible -- and audible -- source of inspiration for the opposition movement.
7 July 2017
A Pop Star Who Sings About Social Justice Is Uganda’s Newest Legislator
Bobi Wine used to sing about policy issues. Now he has a chance to shape policy in parliament.
29 June 2017
Beatles Memorial Day Marks the Anniversary of the Iconic Band’s First Visit to Japan
The 1966 visit by the Beatles to Japan is regarded as a turning point in Japanese postwar culture.
15 June 2017
No Limited Abilities: Meet Georgia's Paralympians
"I feel most proud of the 2017 Tbilisi championships where both olympians and paralympians participated - I managed to get second place."
17 May 2017
Among First Nations Youth, Hip-Hop Is a Tool for Self-Expression and Cultural Preservation
"This is the day you’ll hear our scream / cause we lost our way in life as youth / but I believe that one day we will rise."
16 May 2017
Dresden Musicians Take Reagan’s Advice for Gorbachev to the U.S.-Mexican Border
To protest against the border wall that divides the U.S. and Mexico, Germany's Dresden Symphonic Orchestra will stage an international concert with musicians on June 3, 2017, at the border.
14 May 2017
Bangladesh: Where Heavy Metal Dies at the Doorstep
Heavy metal fans in Bangladesh were heartbroken after Brazilian death metal bands Krisiun and NervoChaos were forbidden from performing at their sold-out concert in the capital Dhaka.
Everybody Is Hailing Billboard-Topping Musician Teddy Afro, Except Ethiopian State Media
State broadcaster EBC failed to air an eagerly awaited interview with a beloved artist known for his political independence.
11 May 2017
Law Enforcement's Selective Crackdown Curbs Indie Music Space in Hong Kong
"...the latest raid seems more like part of a well planned campaign aimed at crashing every business that does not belong to the big business."
9 May 2017
Russian Pensioners Troll Opposition Leader in Awkward Rap Video
The video was produced by a fringe activist organization in Krasnodar called "Social Justice."
7 May 2017
Singer Teddy Afro's New Album Holds Fast to His Vision of a Diverse, Yet United Ethiopia
Known as the Bob Marley of Ethiopia, some claim that Teddy Afro’s songs represent a defeated ideology -- but his albums are generating record sales.
30 April 2017
Police Raid on Kingston Dub Club Puts Noise Pollution Issue on Replay
One of Jamaica's "music/tourism gems" gets shut down by police after neighbours complain about the noise levels. But is there a compromise to be had?
29 April 2017
Despite Some Ambivalence, the Expanded Jamaica Carnival of 2017 Was a Hit
Jamaica Carnival is still considered an import from Trinidad and Tobago, but that doesn't mean that Jamaicans haven't been embracing the festival and its economic benefits.
21 April 2017
Japanese Metal Legends LOUDNESS Turned Away at US Border
"After spending 27 hours in the air I'm back in Osaka. Just devastated."
