Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is much more than a country album – it’s actually a journey through the black roots of American music that’s both thematically rich and packed with indelible pop songs across multiple genres. Kendrick Lamar’s virtuoso “Not Like Us,” meanwhile, far transcends its status as the death knell in the Lamar-Drake battle, as it offers astonishing lyrical and musical density – and somehow it’s also the most entertaining, endlessly repeatable track of the year.
In the new episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now Podcast we begin with a multi-part look at the best music of 2024 so far, based on recommendations from our staff – in this episode, Mankaprr Conteh, along with host Brian Hiatt, goes through her favorite R&B, hip-hop and Afropop songs and albums of the year. We make the case for Cowboy Carter as a top choice for the Grammy for Album of the Year – including the obvious fact that Beyoncé is long overdue for one after several rejections. We also argue that “Not Like Us” should be the clear favorite for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
To hear the full episode, head to your podcast provider of choice here, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.
Elsewhere in the episode, we dive deep into albums and songs from artists like Tems, Tyla, Normani, Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion, Tierra Whack, Flo Milli, Card B, Sexyy Red, Schoolboy Q, Ayra Starr, Rema, Tems, Mustafa, Cash Cobain, J. Cole, SiR, Ab-Soul, Denzel Curry, Usher, Pheelz, Nnena and Remi Wolf.
Download and subscribe Rolling Stoneweekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Watch seven years of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies and Gary Clark Jr. And look out for dozens of episodes of cross-genre discussions, debates and explanations with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.
