Music Popcast

Our critics spar over their year-end lists (and agree on Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler, the Creator) in a wrap-up of the year in LPs. Guests: Jon Pareles and Lindsay Zoladz.

A conversation about his legacy, his engagements with pop music and whether he has any true inheritors. Guests: Jesse Green and Elisabeth Vincentelli.

Will we ever see a star who unites audiences like this British musician again? Guests: Jon Pareles and Pitchfork's Jillian Mapes.

What does the rerecorded song from “Red” say about how power and the past have shaped her career? Guests: Joe Coscarelli, Caryn Ganz and Lindsay Zoladz.

A conversation about how the band was experienced in its time, and how Todd Haynes’s new documentary explores the world that birthed it. Guests: Jon Pareles and A.O. Scott.

The tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld turned attention to how rap festival performances are increasingly oriented toward the rowdy. Guest: Masked Gorilla and Masked Records' Roger Gengo.

Answering your questions about pop’s big names, the state of the music video and more. Guests: Joe Coscarelli and Caryn Ganz.

A conversation about one teen’s rapid ascent, and what the future might hold for a singer and sound evolving in real time. Guest: The Fader's Alex Robert Ross.

Remembering Jacob Desvarieux, John Davis and Chucky Thompson. Guests: The New Yorker's Doreen St. Felix; Billboard's Gil Kaufman; Jeff Mao.

A conversation about the testimony, the meaning of the verdict and the long quest for proper recompense for the singer’s victims. Guests: Troy Closson and Jim DeRogatis.

A conversation about the tug of war over her musical legacy, and how her songs — even without a digital presence — impacted the evolution of contemporary R&B. Guests: Naima Cochrane; Billboard's Gail Mitchell and Dan Rys.

The singer and songwriter’s “Star-Crossed” documents the end of her marriage. But reports of her divorce from Nashville have been greatly exaggerated. Guests: Amanda Hess and The Guardian's Laura Snapes.

“Certified Lover Boy” dominated the charts, but something seems to have shifted in the most influential pop star of the past decade. Guests: The Ringer's Charles Holmes and Rolling Stone's Jeff Ihaza.

West has always been dreaming big, speaking loudly, courting controversy and channeling all of that into music. But one thing has changed. Guests: Vibe's Datwon Thomas and The Ringer's Justin Charity.

How successful is a sunny new phase of her career, and what does it mean to choose to move away from the expectations of superstardom? Guests: Joe Coscarelli and Lindsay Zoladz.

How West has used fashion to signify musical evolution, how he’s been regarded by the fashion industry and how other musicians are following in his footsteps. Guests: GQ's Rachel Tashjian and Vogue's Steff Yotka.

A conversation about New York hip-hop in the 1990s and early 2000s, and a night that brought the spirit of battle back to the pandemic-era staple. Guests: Jayson Rodriguez and Jayson Buford.

How has the teenage phenomenon’s songwriting, and her relationship to the larger music machine, evolved between albums? Guests: Joe Coscarelli and Lindsay Zoladz.

A conversation about his unconventional path to success, his unconventional methods of maintaining it and his possible futures beyond it. Guest: Jazmine Hughes.

New albums from Doja Cat and Tyler, the Creator place their creators — children of the internet with a taste for friction — in a new light. Guest: The Ringer's Justin Charity.

A look at the challenges touring musicians faced over the last year, and how the industry is adjusting to the new normal. Guest: Ben Sisario.

An exploration of how the arrangement has intersected with her work, the latest legal updates and what might come next. Guests: Joe Coscarelli, Liz Day and Samantha Stark.

A conversation about bringing musicals to the big screen, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s artistic choices and the critical blowback to the film’s casting. Guests: Sandra Garcia, Isabelia Herrera and Lena Wilson.

Few artists making pop music have risen to the top in the past several years. What made this Disney star click with listeners? Guests: Olivia Horn and Lindsay Zoladz.

The rapper’s sixth No. 1 album is here. Listen to a conversation about his career, and the long exchange between hip-hop and basketball. Guests: The New York Times's Elena Bergeron and Rap Portraits' Yoh Phillips.