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A crowd of White House press looks on as Kanye West and then-President Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office on Oct. 11, 2018. Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

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Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images

Rappers took the White House. Now what?

May 2, 2024 • A new documentary, Hip-Hop and the White House, considers rap's association with presidential politics — and in so doing, reveals a persistent misunderstanding of how both operate.

Latest Stories From NPR Music

Kendrick Lamar is Drake's biggest hater — and proud of it 2 days ago

Alt.Latino's favorite Tiny Desk Contest entries 1 day ago

Duane Eddy, who put the twang in early rock guitar, dies at age 86 1 day ago

'I can only give the best': Bon Jovi on vocal surgery and the road to recovery 2 days ago

Iranian rapper receives death sentence for songs criticizing the establishment 2 days ago

Playlists

Hand-picked songs curated by the NPR Music staff

The Contenders, Vol. 8: The songs we can't stop playing this week

The artist known as Bnny. Her new album is One Million Love Songs. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The songs we can't stop playing this week

Brittany Luse, host of NPR's It's Been A Minute, joins All Songs Considered's Robin Hilton to update our running list of the year's best songs.

8 Tracks: Beyond the grave, Johnny Cash still shows us how to make music

Songwriter, out June 28, features early '90s demos by Johnny Cash with new backing tracks. Alan Messer hide caption

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Alan Messer

8 Tracks: Beyond the grave, Johnny Cash still shows us how to make music

A new Johnny Cash song got NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich thinking about music released after a beloved artist dies. Check out "Well Alright," plus new music by Arooj Aftab and Tems on 8 Tracks.

AI music isn't going away. Here are 4 big questions about what's next

The anonymous producer Ghostwriter, seen here in February at a Grammy party at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, created a stir in 2023 with the single "Heart on My Sleeve," which used deepfake technology to recreate the voices and styles of Drake and The Weeknd without either artist's involvement or permission. JC Olivera/Getty Images hide caption

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JC Olivera/Getty Images

AI music isn't going away. Here are 4 big questions about what's next WPLN

Tennessee just passed the first U.S. law regulating generative AI in music. But the technology, adept at copying real artists' voices and styles, is moving too quickly for one law to keep up with.

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Chris Sharron

NPR Classical

With a number of American orchestras either choosing or searching for new music directors, check out today's hot young(ish) conductors, from Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and Dalia Stasevska to Elim Chan, Klaus Mäkelä, Lahav Shani, Roderick Cox and more.

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Comic book artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Murder Falcon, Extremity) illustrates the music of Viking's Choice. Horns up! Daniel Warren Johnson hide caption

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Daniel Warren Johnson