Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep, the newest album by Mykki Blanco, deserves a spotlight to be shining directly on it. Undercutting vocal traditions and mixing pop, rap and R&B styles, it’s only the artist’s (they/their) second LP (a” mini-album” at that) and first since their self-titled debut nearly five…

Raphael Saadiq. Courtesy of Sony Music. OAKLAND — Raphael Saadiq is from here. East Oakland, specifically. He’s an alum of Castlemont High, his mom worked at Highland Hospital. She and several of his siblings were in attendance at the show Noise Pop festival show Friday night. We know all…

Our list of the 20 best hip-hop albums of 2019 includes Danny Brown, Post Malone, ECCO2K, Tinashe, Little Simz, Malibu Ken, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, slowthai, Maxo Kream, Billy Woods & Kenny Segal, Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats, Clipping., YBN Cordae, Kate Tempest, Quelle Chris, Denzel Curry, Injury Reserve,…