Louder: Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ at 50
Plus: NBA YoungBoy, Latin Grammys, Basinski and more
Louder
November 15, 2025

Sometimes, an album turning 50 is such an influential landmark, we break out a format we started to celebrate Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” and Stevie Wonder’s “Talking Book.” This year, the choice was clear: Patti Smith’s “Horses.”

The difference this time? The LP’s creator was available to talk with Jon Pareles, providing incredible insights into its creation. With commentary from Smith’s close collaborators Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty and John Cale, and a cast of admirers (Bruce Springsteen, Courtney Love, Michael Stipe, Florence Welch, Thurston Moore, Blondshell and more, with interviews by Evelyn McDonnell and Ben Sisario, too) our photo and design experts (Meghan Morris, Tala Safie and Amanda Webster) helped us weave together a beautiful reading and listening experience. Spend some time with this one this weekend!

And you won’t get a better picture of the year in rap than Jon Caramanica’s notebook on YoungBoy Never Broke Again (better known as NBA YoungBoy), who followed three years of house arrest and a pardon from President Trump with a 40-plus-date arena tour that brought his pained, anxious music to his fervid audiences for the first time live. YoungBoy is a superstar — over 100 platinum and gold certifications, more than 30 of his videos have over 100 million views on YouTube — but he remains “largely invisible” outside of his fan base, Jon writes, “proof of how some of the most meaningful performers working today aren’t mass mainstream figures, but rather mass cult.”

A black-and-white photograph shows a young woman in T-shirt and jeans, sitting in a room and staring into the camera while holding an electric guitar.

Nonfiction

Taking Stock: Patti Smith Looks Back on Everything

From cradle to late life, the godmother of punk remembers it all — including, especially, her life with the late Fred “Sonic” Smith.

By David Hajdu

A man with slicked-back hair and a graying mustache sits in a leopard-print chair. He’s wearing a tan sweater and black pants and is sitting in front of shelves of albums and a rack of audio equipment.

How ‘The Disintegration Loops’ Saved William Basinski’s Life

The composer’s ambient masterwork, created from disintegrating magnetic tape, became synonymous with 9/11. When he made it, his own life was falling apart.

By Grayson Haver Currin and Sela Shiloni

At a podium, a man in a big furry coat and a dark ball cap throws up a peace sign at another man in a blue sports jersey with the number 32 on front and a bright orange knit hat.

Outkast, the White Stripes and Cyndi Lauper Join the Rock Hall

Gen X celebrated its heroes at the ceremony, where Soundgarden and Salt-N-Pepa were honored alongside Chubby Checker, Bad Company, Joe Cocker and Warren Zevon.

By Brian Raftery

Bad Bunny, in a white shirt, black suit jacket and white cap, stretches out his arms and holds a Latin Grammy in one hand at a podium.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Bad Bunny Tops the Latin Grammys: 8 Key Moments From the Show

The multicultural awards ceremony hinted at rediscovered roots and ways forward as Karol G, Paloma Morphy and Liniker also earned big wins.

By Jon Pareles

A blond woman in a white fringy tank top adorned with the Rolling Stones red lips logo sings into a microphone against a yellow and pink background.

Rob Grabowski/Invision, via Associated Press

A Latin Grammys Primer in 11 Songs

Prepare for the big show on Thursday with tracks by nominated artists: Karol G, Sued Nunes, Ivan Cornejo and more.

By Jon Pareles

A large crowd watching a giant screen, set up outside, that shows Juan Gabriel singing.

Before Bad Bunny, the World Had Juan Gabriel

The transgressive icon of Mexican music, who died in 2016, still has millions of fans. On Saturday, more than 170,000 filled Mexico City’s central plaza to watch footage of a landmark concert.

By Annie Correal and Cristopher Rogel Blanquet

NEWS

Sean Combs, dressed in sunglasses and all white with a diamond cross necklace.

Rehab Program Could Trim Sean Combs’s Prison Sentence by a Year

A spokesman for the fallen music mogul, who is serving a four-year sentence for prostitution-related offenses at the Fort Dix prison complex in New Jersey, said he has been accepted to the program.

By Julia Jacobs and Ben Sisario

The exterior of a white building with a large sign on it that reads “John Williams Stage.”

Hollywood Bowl Names Its Stage for John Williams

The celebrated venue dedicated its stage to the composer for “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park” and other blockbusters, a first in the bowl’s 103 years.

By Derrick Bryson Taylor

Sting is seen from the shoulders up, playing a guitar and singing into a microphone.

Coming to the Metropolitan Opera: Sting

After his musical “The Last Ship” failed on Broadway, Sting is bringing a revised version to the Met as the house looks for new sources of revenue.

By Adam Nagourney

Rod Wave stands onstage holding a wireless microphone.

Rod Wave, Hip-Hop Artist, Arrested on Drug and Weapons Charges

The rapper, whose real name is Rodarius Green, was released on an $8,000 bond. His lawyers said he had been “unjustly profiled.”

By Derrick Bryson Taylor

OBITUARIES

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Ken Parker, Who Reinvented the Guitar, Is Dead at 73

He built groundbreaking guitars that were displayed in art galleries and played by Joni Mitchell, Trent Reznor and many others.

By Alex Williams

Cleto Escobedo III, wearing a suit and holding a saxophone, stands with other musicians on a talk show set.

Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content, via Getty Images

Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel’s Bandleader, Dies at 59

Mr. Kimmel said that he and Mr. Escobedo, who led Cleto and the Cletones on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” had been “inseparable since I was 9 years old.”

By Sopan Deb

POPCAST

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Popcast

5 Takeaways From This Year’s Grammy Nominations

Breaking down the story lines to watch for the 2026 awards show, including big nominations for Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga.

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44 MIN LISTEN

MOVIES

From left: Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas standing in a snowy field, holding luggage.

‘A Very Jonas Christmas Movie’ Review: O Come, All Ye Faithful

In their fan-oriented and self-mocking holiday comedy, the millennial boy band delivers pure festive sugar rush.

By Chris Azzopardi

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