This has been a historic year for women in rap and hip-hop, all the way to the 2021 Grammy Awards when Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé broke records as the first pair of women to win in the best rap performance category. As NPR Music put it, “To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today.” And to know what the future of Charlotte hip-hop is, one need only turn to rhythmic lyricist ReeCee Raps.

Girls Rock Charlotte music director Krystle Baller on finding her voice through rock and inspiring the next generation of women and gender diverse artists.

Grammy Award-winning Charlottean Anthony Hamilton shares new music and what we can all learn from being raised in the South and pivoting through the pandemic.

Charlotte-by-way-of-Jamaica songwriter Sanya N'Kanta shares his experience navigating race, religion and reggae music in America.

In a recent report, Charlotte ranked 111th out of 200 top cities for music fans. But if you ask Charlotte creative leader Tim Scott Jr., who’s been the artist-in-residence at Charlotte Center City Partners and toured the world with Grammy Award-winning North Carolina group The Foreign Exchange, you’ll hear how the Queen City deserves to sit higher up on the list of music cities. He talks about it in the latest Amplifier.

How Charlotte-based band Moa crafted dark, dreamy music for Netflix documentary series "Night Stalker."

Singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey takes the 200-year-old lilt of traditional Irish folk music and places it in a 21st-century context (with contemporary references to Facebook, Whitney Houston and even the 2019 Women’s World Cup). On his 2019 full-length release "A Lovely Day," Sharkey sings to the theme of home: of finding home, of feeling at home with loved ones, of the nostalgia of remembering his home in Ireland and of making a new one here in North Carolina.

As NPR Music shared, “2020 was a year defined by the sounds of rage, resolve, mourning and solidarity.” That includes the sound of Grammy-nominated North Carolina trio The HamilTones (Tony Lelo, J. Vito and 2E), who released the incredibly profound record “1964” and shared joyful splendor through “A HamilTones Christmas.” After gracing the world’s stages (both physical and virtual), the acoustic R&B group sits down to share some harmonious memories and hopes for Charlotte in the new year.

As NPR Music shared, “2020 was a year defined by the sounds of rage, resolve, mourning and solidarity.” That includes the sound of Grammy-nominated North Carolina trio The HamilTones (Tony Lelo, J. Vito and 2E), who released the incredibly profound record “1964” and shared joyful splendor through “A HamilTones Christmas.” After gracing the world’s stages … Continue reading "Grammy Nominees The HamilTones On Finding (Musical) Joy And Creating (Soulful) Harmony"

Boris "Bluz" Rogers is an award-winning emcee, slammaster poet and hip-hop enthusiast based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The past few years have shown that nerd culture is the new cool, with “Black Panther” becoming the first comic book film to score a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, “Game of Thrones” becoming a cultural phenomenon and even Walt Disney World opening up its first official Star Wars-themed hotel in Florida. Which makes … Continue reading "ENCORE: Nerdcore Duo GameBreax On “Leveling Up” And Bringing Pop Culture To Hip-Hop"

Alfred Sergel IV has three decades of experience as a professional jazz musician — not as a jazz singer or jazz pianist, but as a jazz drummer. Between performing with Grammy honorees and recording with Billboard-charting artists, Alfred (or, as his friends called him, Al) still finds time to create original music that merges new-age … Continue reading "ENCORE: Drumming Up Memories with Charlotte Jazz Musician Alfred Sergel IV"

Charlotte rapper Elevator Jay shares his story of gritting, grinning and Southern-fried resilience in the face of music adversity.

Charlotte piano pop band Tennis Elbow wrote and produced their 2020 album entirely during the pandemic.

Self-taught on the drums at the age of 6. Raised on a mix of A Tribe Called Quest, Chuck Berry, and Lauryn Hill. Taking meetings with Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation before her debut release even dropped in 2017. Just like her music, the stories of up-and-coming R&B star Cyanca are anything but ordinary.

Long before the coronavirus pandemic, Charlotte musician Si Kahn understood the power of resilience. For the past 55 years, Kahn has dedicated his life's work to civil rights activism, chronicling the ebb and flow of progress through world-renowned labor anthems like "Aragon Mill" and "Go to Work on Monday."

Charlotte singer Kelsey Ryan has spent the COVID-19 quarantine writing new songs and finding new meaning through the "grit and grin" of country music.

If you lived in Charlotte in the early 2000’s, you lived through the golden age of Rock En Español in the Queen City. Latin reggae band Bakalao Stars (led by Christian Anzola) took root during this fertile musical period, a time of locally-produced and supported Latin music which was heralded as “the soundtrack of Charlotte’s … Continue reading "ENCORE: Bakalao Stars On Charlotte’s Golden Age Of Rock En Español"

As America reckons with racial injustice, the music industry has scrambled to show its support for the Black community. Recording companies took a day off work and opened up their checkbooks with #BlackoutTuesday. Major labels like Warner Music Group and Sony Music created multi-million dollar funds to combat systemic racism. Here in Charlotte in recent … Continue reading "What’s Stopping Charlotte From Being ‘The Next Music Hub?’ Jermaine Spencer Shares His Solution"

Award-winning pianist, saxophonist and producer Harvey Cummings II shares his outlook on jazz and Charlotte music.

Charlotte venue owner Jamie Starks (Tommy's Pub) on the uncertain future of live music and the uphill battle for local venues impacted by the coronavirus.

Progressive R&B artist and Charlotte native Whitney Hall is a self-described “trifecta:” a black lesbian woman who is proudly centered in communities of color, LGBTQIA+ and music. On the 50th anniversary of Pride’s Stonewall Uprising, amid nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism following the death of George Floyd, Whitney H shares her thoughts … Continue reading "‘It’s Our Responsibility:’ R&B Artist Whitney H On Centering LGBT Voices of Color"

DJ Fannie Mae talks about the power of music in breaking down barriers and creating a stronger, more harmonious city in Charlotte.

David “Dae-Lee” Arrington (FAIR PLAY CLT) and Rick Thurmond (Music Everywhere CLT) created the Charlotte Music Community COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Charlotte-based Bold Music Lessons on pivoting to virtual music instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.