Music

In 2006, a 36-year-old Jay-Z made his highly anticipated return to rap music after a brief yet celebrated “retirement.” On Kingdom Come, the self-proclaimed best rapper alive attempted to strike a balance between club anthems and mature reflections. Critical opinion was divided, and rap fans took aim at its closing …

After looking over the list of potential artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, Duran Duran didn’t think they had a chance in hell. It’s not that they didn’t feel deserving of the honor, but they had spent decades of their career being …

For Maestro Jason Ikeem Rodgers, the founder and musical director of Orchestra Noir in Atlanta, collaborating with Rick Ross for Red Bull’s global Symphonic series seemed like destiny. The project pairs contemporary musicians with classically trained orchestras, and Rodgers says he grew up on the rapper. When he was younger, …

Judas Priest marked their long-awaited induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with a supersized performance of three of their most beloved songs Saturday. Despite years of estrangement and sharp barbs in the press, the quintet — in their signature leather, studs, and metal chains — welcomed original …

Drake and 21 Savage continued the troll-happy viral press run for their collaborative LP Her Loss Saturday with a faux SNL performance for “On BS,” complete with an introduction from actor Michael B. Jordan. “Ladies and gentlemen, your musical guests this evening, Drake and 21 Savage, performing a song off …

Lionel Richie performed his greatest hits — with Dave Grohl on guitar — before accepting his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Saturday night. After being introduced by Lenny Kravitz, the Commodores musician and American Idol judge opened the medley with “Hello” on piano, immediately taking control …

Steve Lacy, SNL‘s musical guest, took the stage Saturday to perform “Bad Habit.” The single comes off of Gemini Rights, Lacy’s “delightfully cacophonous” second studio album, as Rolling Stone’s Mankaprr Conteh wrote in a review. The album also includes “Sunshine,” “Mercury,” and “Amber.” “Bad Habit” reached the top spot on …

Olivia Rodrigo made her debut at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by honoring inductee Carly Simon with a rendition of “You’re So Vain.” Simon’s ubiquitous classic from 1972 was a fitting choice for Rodrigo, who also kickstarted her own career with deeply vulnerable songs. Before Rodrigo took the …

Lionel Richie has one of the most beloved bodies of work of any musician. So when one of his lifelong admirers, Lenny Kravitz, inducted the Commodore into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Kravitz tried to convey who Richie is when the world isn’t watching. Years ago, Richie visited …

Jimmy Iovine has had one of the most illustrious careers in music. Over the course of five decades, from engineer to producer to executive and entrepreneur, Iovine has been at the crossroads of some of music’s biggest moments. On Saturday, Bruce Springsteen recalled a particularly meaningful one during his glowing …