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News from Somalia usually involves violent warlords or pirates hijacking ships off the coast. Other than that, average Somalis don't have much of a voice. The rapper K'Naan is trying to change that, and in the world of hip-hop, he's become an artist to watch.

With so many classic Christmas carols to choose from, creating brand new ones can be daunting, but English conductor-composer John Rutter has been at it for nearly 50 years. He shares his tips on what makes a good carol.

The world-famous cellist has a challenge for his fans and fellow musicians: Get online and produce a virtual collaboration with him. Simply download Ma playing "Dona Nobis Pacem," add new music, mix and then upload it back to the site, where the rest of the submissions can be heard. Ma says he'll play music, in person, with the winner.

George Tillman Jr.'s sketch of the life and death of the Notorious B.I.G. looks at how the Brooklyn rapper changed hip-hop. Corey Takahashi takes a look back at the man who would become Biggie Smalls.

He didn't see it coming when his sensitive crooning launched him to pop fame in 1996. But with one Tony Award-winning musical in the books and another production on the way, his work as a stage composer has put him in the spotlight again.

Protesters in Sri Lanka who spent the weekend occupying the president's palace have now entered and torched the prime minister's private mansion as well.

The move on the prime minister's office follows the country's president fleeing the country.

Abortion rights advocates in Michigan are hoping a wave of newly-motivated activists will turn out this year to override an abortion ban and put broad reproductive rights in the state constitution.

She's best known for her original songwriting, but her cool, insinuating delivery is perfect for classics, too. She visits NPR's Studio 4A for a performance from her latest album, The Cole Porter Mix — plus a certain Valentine's Day standard.

Joss Whedon's new television show, Dollhouse, follows a group of young women and men who have volunteered to have their personalities and memories erased.

Pizzarelli is known as one of jazz's great chord soloists, as well as an extraordinary rhythm player. Now 83, Pizzarelli was recently honored by the New York Public Library as one of its speakers at the "Duke Jazz Talks," an interview series in which he performed with his son, John Pizzarelli.

With a husky whisper of a voice and a well-developed acoustic guitar style, Matt Ward might easily be pegged as a folk singer. But reviewer Meredith Ochs says his new album, Hold Time, points in many musical directions.

Last November, for the first time in his career, Morrison revisited his second album, Astral Weeks, in concert. The result, Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, arrives this week, offering a fresh take on one of the key recordings in late '60s rock.

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle says that although filming in India presented a variety of difficulties, working on-location also helped him capture an "incredibly rich and complex society."

Rose Marie McCoy is one of the most prolific songwriters of '50s American pop music, yet her legacy remains relatively unknown. During her career, the artist published more than 800 songs, some of which were recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Dizzy Gillespie and James Brown.

A widely admired virtuoso on the drum kit, Bellson was best known for his work leading and playing in big bands of the '40s and '50s. But over a career spanning seven decades, he also wrote more than 1,000 compositions. Bellson was 84.

The accordion has traveled the world, and its sound has been altered by every culture it touches. Music critic Banning Eyre says Argentinean Chango Spasiuk takes lowbrow music from the countryside and transforms it into sophisticated urbanite fare. He reviews Spasiuk's new album, Pynandi Los Descalzos.

Washington, D.C., is known more for suits than fun, but it also has a long history as a home to diverse styles of music — from Duke Ellington to hardcore to go-go — and some of the hottest guitarists to ever touch the fretboard: Roy Clark, Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton. Today, the city is home to an experimental music scene that's thriving under D.C.'s official radar.

He still isn't very well-known in the U.S., but Solal is considered one of the greatest living European jazz musicians. And at 81, the pianist still keeps a schedule of concerts and club gigs that would wear out someone half his age.

Friend and patron to several generations of composers and artists, Freeman was the catalyst behind the opera Nixon in China by John Adams, as well as pieces by John Cage, Harry Partch, Thomas Ades, Philip Glass and dozens of others.

Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer, has released a solo set of at-home demos called Alone and Alone II.

Before Barack Obama's election, a group of musicians recorded and released a collection of 43 original songs, one for each U.S. president. Titled Of Great and Mortal Men, the three-CD set ended with the presidency of George W. Bush. Now, just in time for the inauguration, the creators are making their 44th song available for download here.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement return for a second season of their music-driven comedy series, which follows two hapless New Zealanders trying to make it as a folk-pop band in New York City.

After nearly 20 years without recording for a major U.S. label, jazz singer Abbey Lincoln has a new album, World is Falling Down.

You probably haven't heard the band Freezepop on the radio. But if you've played the games Guitar HeroM or Rock Band, you've probably played along to its music. The Boston band spoke about playing for crowds and playing for Playstation.