Sidney Madden
Sidney Madden is a reporter and editor for NPR Music. As someone who always gravitated towards the artforms of music, prose and dance to communicate, Madden entered the world of music journalism as a means to authentically marry her passions and platform marginalized voices who do the same.
Originally from Boston, Madden graduated from Hofstra University in New York with a bachelor's degree in journalism and sociology. As a freelancer, she earned bylines at MTV, People's Choice, Nylon Magazine and more before joining the editorial team at storied hip-hop pillar XXL Magazine.
During her time at XXL, both as an editorial assistant and assistant editor, Madden pitched, wrote and edited news posts and features for the outlet and interviewed artists ranging from all eras and facets of rap — from Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent to Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B and Lil Uzi Vert. In addition to working on cultural touchstones like the magazine's annual Freshman Class covers, in 2016, Madden assisted in reporting out one of the magazine's seminal investigative packages, The Current Status of Every Murdered Rapper's Case, which revealed the high percentage of unsolved murders involving rappers over the last 30 years.
Madden joined the NPR Music team in 2017, serving as editorial lead for digitizing and editing music stories that air on NPR's premiere news magazine programs, Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. In 2018, she began producing Tiny Desk Concerts with a special focus on bringing burgeoning, left-of-center artists from the worlds of R&B and hip-hop to the desk. To date, her Tiny Desk Concert productions include Jorja Smith, Megan Thee Stallion, DVSN and Snoh Aalegra. She's also created reports for on-air and digital that contextualize hip-hop culture within society's larger strata — whether it's unpacking the genius marketing of Cardi B, Tyler, The Creator's subversive heartbreak or the socioeconomics that fuel Solange's downhome Afrofuturism.
In September 2020, after two years of research, reporting and development, Madden became the co-host of Louder Than A Riot, NPR Music's first narrative investigative podcast that traces the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration.
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Singer Frankie Beverly led the soul group Maze through a number of R&B hits in the 1980s. Beverly died on Tuesday at the age of 77.
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The Nigerian singer-songwriter has become one of the most sought after voices in popular music. Her debut album processes the risks and epiphanies it took to get here. -
Sean “Diddy” Combs is accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit. It's the latest case in a growing number of claims against Combs, who has previously denied all allegations.
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The South African singer brought a homegrown genre, amapiano, to new ears with a viral hit and a Grammy. With her debut album, she wants to prove the world is ready for a full-blown African pop star. -
Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is being accused again of sexual misconduct — this time by one of his former music producers.
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R&B Singer Cassie Ventura has filed a civil lawsuit against hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, alleging she suffered physical and sexual abuse for more than a decade.
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Rapper Megan Pete, known as Megan Thee Stallion, took the stand in a LA courtroom to testify against rapper Tory Lanez. Pete says Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, shot her in 2020.
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Ayesha Rascoe talks with Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael of NPR's Louder Than A Riot about the RICO charges against Young Thug and the wider intersection of criminal justice and hip-hop. -
NPR's new podcast Louder Than A Riot looks at the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration.
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A year after fans filled the streets of Los Angeles to celebrate the life of Nipsey Hussle, fans take to the Internet to remember his legacy.
