Kendrick Lamar　

Platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated rapper Kendrick Lamar is one of the rare artists who has achieved critical and commercial success while earning the respect and support of those who inspired him. ..more

NAS　

Beginning with his classic debut, Illmatic (1994), Nas stood tall for years as one of New York City’s leading rap voices, outspokenly expressing a righteous, self-empowered swagger that endeared ..more

James Brown　

Soul Brother Number One, the Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, Mr. Dynamite -- those are mighty titles, but no one can question that James Brown earned them more ..more

Whitney Houston　

Whitney Houston was inarguably one of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker were extraordinary; just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever t ..more

Avicii　

As one of the most popular DJs of the late-2000s EDM boom, Grammy-nominated Swedish producer Avicii went on to top the charts in multiple countries and tour the world with his uplifting house anthe ..more

Mavis Staples　

Born in 1939 in Chicago, Mavis Staples achieved wide recognition as lead singer for the Staple Singers. She first recorded solo for Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts include ..more

Kanye West　

In the span of three short years, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, ..more

Dijon　

Earth, Wind & Fire　

Earth, Wind ＆ Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the ’70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, ..more

Jamiroquai　

Active since the early ’90s, Jamiroquai have amassed a steady stream of hits in their native U.K. and experienced chart success in just about every other area of the world, with an irresistible ble ..more

War　

One of the most popular funk groups of the ’70s, War were also one of the most eclectic, freely melding soul, Latin, jazz, blues, reggae, and rock influences into an effortless ..more

Marvin Gaye　

One of the most gifted, visionary, and enduring talents ever launched into orbit by the Motown hit machine, Marvin Gaye blazed the trail for the continued evolution of popular black music. Movin ..more

Daft Punk　

Even as they evolved from French house pioneers in the ’90s to dance tastemakers in the 2000s to mainstream heroes in the 2010s, Daft Punk remained one of dance music’s most influential and iconic ..more

Khruangbin　

Khruangbin (Thai for airplane, or literally engine fly) are a jet-setting trio from Texas whose smooth, mainly instrumental music is heavily inspired by Thai rock and funk from the ’60s and ’70s, ..more

Aretha Franklin　

For nearly 40 years, Aretha Franklin has been an icon of contemporary pop music, known around the world as the Queen of Soul. With her extraordinary range and incendiary gospel-inspired phrasing, Fr ..more

Daniel Caesar　

Calvin Harris　

Floating Points　

Known on dancefloors and tastefully progressive U.K. radio programs as Floating Points, producer and DJ Sam Shepherd applied his love for gritty funk, slick R＆B, and avant-garde jazz to house, t ..more

Cardi B　

Polygon Window　

Richard James’ recorded his first album for Warp as part of the label’s Artificial Intelligence series. Polygon Window’s Surfing on Sine Waves was released in late 1992, and earned James’ ..more