Community Canon: Music

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He gained recognition in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). In 2017, Burna Boy signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and its parent company Warner Music Group. His third studio album Outside, which became his major label debut, was released in 2018.

Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, known professionally as King Sunny Adé, is a Nigerian jùjú singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is regarded as one of the first African pop musicians to gain international success and has been called one of the most influential musicians of all time.

North West is an American rapper, singer and record producer. She is the eldest child of rapper Kanye West and media personality Kim Kardashian. West appeared in the music video for her father's 2014 single "Only One", and made several appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with her mother.

Jay Chou Chieh-lun is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actor, director, and businessman. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the Chinese-speaking world, he is referred to as the "King of Mandopop".

What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by the American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla. Recorded between 1970 and 1971 in sessions at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World, United Sound Studios in Detroit, and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California, it was Gaye's first album to credit him as producer and to credit Motown's in-house session musicians, known as the Funk Brothers.

Bitches Brew is a studio album by the American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970, by Columbia Records. It marked Davis's continuing experimentation with electric instruments that he had featured on his previous record, the critically acclaimed In a Silent Way (1969). With these instruments, such as the electric piano and guitar, Davis departed from traditional…

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Known for her vocal ability, artistic reinventions, and live performances, she is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 21st century. Credited with shaping popular music, Beyoncé is often deemed one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

Anaïs Gallagher is an English model, photographer, presenter, editor and Internet personality. The daughter of Oasis musician Noel Gallagher and columnist Meg Mathews, she modelled for Accessorize, Reebok, H&M and Dolce & Gabbana, and presented Friday Download. She also filmed the music video for Inhaler's "My Honest Face" and has written for Teen Vogue and Tatler.

The Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178, also known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 while he was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America from 1892 to 1895. It premiered in New York City on December 16, 1893. It is one of the most popular of all symphonies. In older literature and recordings, this symphony was – as for its first publication – numbered as Symphony No. 5.

Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, known professionally as Peso Pluma, is a Mexican singer-songwriter, and record producer, recognised for his work in regional Mexican music, particularly corridos tumbados. Kabande began playing guitar in his teens and started writing songs influenced by regional Mexican styles. He achieved moderate recognition with his first two studio albums, Ah y Qué? (2020) and Efectos Secundarios (2021). He rose to fame with the singles "Por Las Noches" and the RIAA-certified…

George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr., and John Mayer. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters as a session guitarist at Chess Records and began a musical partnership with blues harp virtuoso Junior Wells.

"Birds of a Feather" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish from her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024). It was released with the album on May 17, 2024, and was made the second official single on June 18, 2024, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish wrote the song with her brother, Finneas O'Connell, who recorded and produced it at his home studio in Los Angeles. A baroque pop, indie pop, new wave, and synth-pop song, "Birds of a Feather" explores themes of…

Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì was a Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers". AllMusic described him as "a musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.

Goliath is the thirteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. The album was released on March 20, 2026. It is their first studio album to feature vocalist Rob Dukes since Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010), and also the band's first album to be released through Napalm Records, with whom the band signed in 2023.

Quincy Delight Jones III, better known as QDIII, QD3 and Snoopy, is a Swedish-American music producer, composer and documentary film producer. He is the son of American record producer Quincy Jones Jr. and his second wife, Swedish model Ulla Jones.

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers. He pioneered many developments in orchestration, violin technique and programmatic music. He consolidated the emerging concerto form, especially the solo concerto, into a widely accepted and followed idiom.

"Rein Me In" is a song by British singer-songwriters Sam Fender and Olivia Dean. It is a re-recorded duet version of a song from Fender's third studio album People Watching (2025), as the original features only Fender. It was released on 20 June 2025 as the sixth single from the album.

Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on March 20, 1989, by Sire Records. It saw Madonna continue to work with the producers Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, with whom she had collaborated on her previous album True Blue (1986), and the soundtrack for the 1987 film Who's That Girl. The musician Prince also collaborated on the record, co-writing and co-producing one of the tracks alongside Madonna. Her most introspective release at…

"Iloveitiloveitiloveit" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bella Kay, released on January 11, 2026, as the lead single from her second EP A Couple Minutes Out (2026), and the lead single from her debut studio album, My Reckless Abandon (2026). It gained traction on the video-sharing app TikTok and became a breakout hit. The song reached number one in Ireland and Norway.

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century. His musical achievements broke American racial barriers and made him a dominant figure worldwide. Through his songs, music videos, concerts, and fashion, he transformed visual performance in popular music, popularizing street dance moves such as the moonwalk, the robot, and the anti-gravity…

Chester Arthur Burnett, better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chicago blues, and over a four-decade career, recorded blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and psychedelic rock. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians ever.

Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, known professionally as D'banj, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, music executive, event host and television personality. Often regarded as one of the greatest African and Afrobeats artists of all time, he signed with American rapper Kanye West's record label GOOD Music to release his 2012 single "Oliver Twist", an uptempo dance fusion of EDM and Afrobeats for which he became best known. With record producer Don Jazzy, he co-founded the record label Mo' Hits Records. His…

At Folsom Prison is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, released by Columbia Records on May 6, 1968. It was recorded at Folsom State Prison, California, on January 13, 1968.

McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues".

GNX is the sixth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was surprise-released on November 22, 2024, through PGLang and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from SZA, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Ricch, AzChike, Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh. Lamar produced the album primarily with Sounwave and Jack Antonoff; other producers include Mustard, Sean Momberger, and Kamasi Washington.

"I Just Might" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released on January 9, 2026, through Atlantic Records, as the lead single from his fourth solo studio album The Romantic, that was released on February 27, 2026. A disco-pop, pop-soul, and funk song, "I Just Might" was written by Mars, Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II, Philip Lawrence and Christopher "Brody" Brown, and produced by the former two. It reached number one in 18 countries, and the top ten in over 25 other…

Yemi Eberechi Alade, known professionally as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress and activist from the Akoko part of Ondo State. Her music is a mixture of Afropop, highlife, dancehall, pop and R&B, and has been of influence in several countries across Africa. She sings in English, Igbo, Pidgin, Yoruba, French, Swahili and Portuguese.

Back in Black is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released on 25 July 1980, by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It was the band's first album to feature Brian Johnson as lead singer, following the death of their previous vocalist Bon Scott. After the commercial breakthrough of their 1979 album Highway to Hell, AC/DC was planning to record a follow-up, but in February 1980, Scott died from alcohol poisoning after a night out in London. The remaining members of the…

Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. His slide guitar technique earned him the nickname "King of the Slide Guitar".

Lee Ji-eun, also known by her stage name IU (아이유), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She signed with LOEN Entertainment in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with the EP Lost and Found (2008). Although her follow-up albums brought mainstream success, it was only after the release of "Good Day", the lead single from her 2010 EP Real, that she achieved national stardom. "Good Day" went on to spend five consecutive weeks at the top of South Korea's Gaon…

"APT." is a song by New Zealand and South Korean singer Rosé and American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released through The Black Label and Atlantic Records on 18 October 2024, as the lead single from Rosé's debut studio album, Rosie (2024). "APT." marked Rosé's first solo single in three years and her first release since departing from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records in 2023. The song was written and composed by various contributors, including Rosé and Mars, and includes…

"WAP" is a song by American rapper Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion. It was released on August 7, 2020, through Atlantic Records and KSR. Originally intended as the lead single for Cardi B's second studio album, it was ultimately included as the final track on Am I the Drama? (2025). Musically, it is a hip-hop song driven by heavy bass, drum beats, and a sample of Frank Ski's single "Whores in This House" (1993). Its sexually explicit lyrics helped with its popularity, and the song peaked…

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through…

A Love Supreme is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane. It was recorded in one session on December 9, 1964, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with a quartet featuring pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones.

Canadian singer Celine Dion has made a significant impact on popular culture through her music, commercial achievements and performances. At age twelve, she pursued a music career as a Francophone artist with the release of her debut single in 1981 and first gained international recognition after winning the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Following the release of her English-language debut album in 1990, Dion steadily amassed fame, success and public interest throughout her career spanning four…

Electric Ladyland is the third and final studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968. A double album, it was the only record from the Experience with production solely credited to Hendrix. The band's most commercially successful release and its only number one album, it was released by Reprise Records in the United States on October 16, 1968, and by Track Records in the UK nine days later. By mid-November, it had reached number 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart,…

Giant Steps is a studio album by the jazz musician John Coltrane. It was released in February 1960 through Atlantic Records. This was Coltrane's first album as leader for the label, with which he had signed a new contract the previous year. The record is regarded as one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. Many of its tracks have become practice templates for jazz saxophonists. In 2004, it was one of fifty recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the…

Lollapalooza is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, but settled permanently in Chicago in 2005. Music genres include alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. Lollapalooza has also featured visual arts, nonprofit organizations, and political organizations. The festival hosts an estimated 400,000 people each July and sells out annually. Lollapalooza is one of the largest…

Muhammad Tulus, better known by his mononym Tulus, is an Indonesian singer and songwriter of Minangkabau descent.

Tijs Michiel Verwest, known professionally as Tiësto, is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by Mix magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was voted by DJ Mag readers as the "best DJ of the last 20 years". He is also regarded as the "Godfather of EDM" by many sources.

Ready to Die is the debut studio album by the American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was…

"Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the album's lead single in 2013, through Star Trak Recordings and Interscope Records. Thicke has said that the song's lyrics are about his then-wife Paula Patton. Musically, "Blurred Lines" is a disco, funk, soul, pop, dance-pop, and R&B track with instrumentation…

The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time clavier referred to a variety of keyboard instruments, namely the harpsichord, the clavichord and the organ, but not the regal and the then newly-invented pianoforte.

"Angel" is a song by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix, featured on his 1971 posthumous studio album The Cry of Love. Written and self-produced by Hendrix, he recorded it for his planned fourth studio album just months before he died in September 1970.

"Stateside" is a song by British singer-songwriter and record producer PinkPantheress. It was released on 25 April 2025 through Warner Records as the second single from her second mixtape Fancy That. The song was produced by Aksel Arvid, Harrison Patrick Smith, Jkarri, and PinkPantheress, and was written by PinkPantheress, Caroline Ailin, Harrison Patrick Smith, and Karen Poole.

Tiwatope Omolara Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage , is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, pop and hip-hop. Savage's contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned her several recognitions.

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most summers.

Tuner is a 2025 crime thriller film directed by Daniel Roher and written by Roher and Robert Ramsey. The film stars Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, and Jean Reno. It follows a piano tuner, Niki White (Woodall), with hyperacusis, a hearing condition that gives him heightened sensitivity to sound. When his mentor Harry (Hoffman) racks up a medical debt, White earns cash to pay it off by using his sensitive hearing to crack safes and becomes embroiled with a…

Anna Ruby Gaye was an American businesswoman, composer and songwriter. An elder sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy, she became a record executive in the mid-to-late 1950s distributing records released on Checker and Gone Records before forming the Anna label with Billy Davis and her sister Gwen Gordy Fuqua. Gordy later became known as a songwriter for several hits including the Originals' "Baby, I'm for Real", and "God Is Love" from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album. The first wife of Gaye,…

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, several symphonies, the opera Eugene Onegin, and the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.