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Rapper DOOM, Zev Lov X of KMD, performs at the I'll Be Your Mirror festival in London, July 2011. Jim Dyson/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Jim Dyson/Getty Images

The Record

A Rational Conversation: The 20-Year-Old Album That's MF DOOM's Missing Link

November 6, 2014 • New information on an album shelved back in 1994 has become fodder for even more discussions of the shadowy rapper — some focused on his murky origins and others about his plausible impact.

Dante Ross at an Anthony Hamilton performance in New York City in 2006. Ray Tamarra/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Ray Tamarra/Getty Images

Microphone Check

Dante Ross: 'We Wanted Our Own Universe'

November 4, 2014 • He who signed De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Digital Underground sat down with his old friend Ali Shaheed Muhammad to tell stories about Tribe, ODB, Cypress Hill and everybody in between.

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Carlos Santana uses music to reflect on his career in this week's episode of Alt.Latino. Frank Micelotta/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Alt.Latino

In Music, Carlos Santana Seeks The Divine

November 4, 2014 • The guitarist says he sees music as a "positive thought that creates a million positive vibrations."

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Playlist

Carlos Santana visits NPR for an interview about his new memoir The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light. Maggie Starbard/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Maggie Starbard/NPR

Michel Martin, Going There

Carlos Santana: 'I Am A Reflection Of Your Light'

November 4, 2014 • Musician Carlos Santana shares his journey from a difficult childhood in Mexico to international stardom in the new memoir, The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light.

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Miguel Zenón's new album is titled Identities Are Changeable. Jimmy Katz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Jimmy Katz/Courtesy of the artist

Jazz Night In America

Reconnecting The Circuit Of Puerto Rican Identity Through Music

November 2, 2014 • To understand what it means to be Puerto Rican in the U.S., saxophonist Miguel Zenón spoke with friends and fellow musicians who share his split identity — and put their stories into his music.

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After A Life Of Critiquing Other's Music, 'Sylvie' Makes Her Own Album

November 1, 2014 • Sylvie Simmons has had a long and distinguished career as a music journalist, but she always had a secret desire to perform. She shares her first album, Sylvie, with NPR's Scott Simon.

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Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, has a new album out titled Tell 'Em I'm Gone. Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist

'It's A Bit Of A Gift': Yusuf Islam On His Break And Return To Music

November 1, 2014 • The story is well-known: The former known Cat Stevens became Muslim, changed his name and gave up performing for years. The hiatus gave him a chance to "walk the talk," he tells NPR's Scott Simon.

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Taylor Swift's new album is titled 1989. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

'Anything That Connects': A Conversation With Taylor Swift

October 31, 2014 • Just shy of 25, Swift's been in the music industry nearly half her life. In an extended interview with NPR's Melissa Block, she addresses what's changed in music, media, feminism and her own career.

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George Clinton backstage at the Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria, Queens, NYC. NPR hide caption

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Music Articles

In Conversation With George Clinton

October 31, 2014 • Watch the inimitable funk stalwart sit for not one but two interviews about his work and where it comes from. Along the way, he tells stories about his many decades in the music industry.

In 2011, Glen Campbell announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

No Shame: Glen Campbell Documentary Follows Singer's Goodbye Tour

October 27, 2014 • I'll Be Me follows the musician, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011, on his final tour. The country-singing pop star faces his illness with humor, with the help of supportive audiences.

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Maya Beiser's new rock covers album is called Uncovered. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Maya Beiser Shreds The Cello

October 26, 2014 • Beiser gives some of her favorite rock and blues numbers a modern cello workover on her new album, Uncovered.

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Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips speaks to NPR's Arun Rath about his band's new album, With A Little Help From My Fwends. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

Messing With Perfection: Why The Flaming Lips Took On 'Sgt. Pepper'

October 25, 2014 • Wayne Coyne says his band was dying to take The Beatles' masterpiece apart and see how it works.

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Oratorio Tackles The Issue Of Leaks From 'The Source'

October 25, 2014 • The oratorio is a time-honored way for classical composers to tell a big story. Composer Ted Hearne thinks so too. His new oratorio, The Source, takes on the story of Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks.

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