Donna Summer　

Donna Summer’s title as the Queen of Disco wasn’t mere hype -- she was one of the very few disco performers to enjoy a measure of career longevity, and her consistent chart success was riva ..more

Doja Cat　

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

Kenichiro Nishihara　

Nicki Minaj　

Influenced by the unpredictable rhymes of Missy Elliot along with the sexually charged attitudes of Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, rapper, television reality show judge, and household name Nicki ..more

Nujabes　

Nujabes / Shing02　

Hiatus Kaiyote　

Self-termed future soul band Hiatus Kaiyote -- akin to a progressive neo-soul group with a little left-of-center hip-hop production -- formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2011. Fronted by singer, son ..more

haruka nakamura　

Beyonce　

One of the most recognizable figures in contemporary music, Beyonce rose to fame as the central member of pop-R＆B group Destiny’s Child before embarking on a multi-platinum, record-breaking solo ..more

Bill Withers　

Songwriter/singer/guitarist Bill Withers is best remembered for the classic Lean on Me and his other million-selling singles Ain’t No Sunshine and Use Me, but he has a sizable cache ..more

Beastie Boys　

As the first white rap group of any importance, the Beastie Boys received the scorn of critics and strident hip-hop musicians, both of whom accused them of cultural pirating, especially since ..more

Fabiana Palladino　

Four Tet　

Perhaps the definitive indie electronic artist, Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) is a British DJ and producer whose experimental yet highly accessible recordings, which blend organic and electronic soun ..more

FKJ (French Kiwi Juice)　

Bruno Mars　

American singer/songwriter Bruno Mars is a Grammy-winning artist who got his start crafting hits for other artists before taking off on his own highly successful trajectory. An all-around entertain ..more

Prince　

Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the ’80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock ＆ roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together po ..more

Beth Gibbons　

Beth Gibbons, lead singer of the important British alternative band Portishead, is not so much mysterious as intensely private. Born in 1965 into an Exeter farm family, she embraced rural life f ..more

Peggy Gou　

Peggy Gou seemed to appear out of nowhere in 2016, releasing no less than four 12 EPs of bright, slightly hazy house tracks during the course of the year. In actuality, the Seoul-born artist had b ..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