Sixty-six tracks that tell the story of the year: a posthumous political statement, a hyperpop star finding his footing, an emerging force’s debut smash and a superstar’s 10-minute redo.

#adele-singer, #arts-year-in-review-2021, #barnett-courtney-1988, #bieber-justin, #bridges-leon-1989, #c-tangana-1990, #camilo-singer, #cardi-b-1992, #carll-hayes, #dacus-lucy-1995, #del-rey-lana, #drake-rapper, #drexler-jorge, #felice-brothers, #fivio-foreign-1996, #glaive-singer, #half-waif-music-group, #harding-aldous, #howard-charlton-the-kid-laroi, #irreversible-entanglements-music-group, #james-loraine, #jlin-musician, #kasai-allstars-music-group, #lil-baby-rapper, #lil-nas-x-rapper, #linda-lindas-music-group, #lizzo-1988, #low-music-group, #montero-call-me-by-your-name-song, #musgraves-kacey, #patria-y-vida-song, #poarch-bella, #polachek-caroline, #pop-and-rock-music, #prince-1958, #rap-and-hip-hop, #richard-dawn-1983, #rodrigo-olivia-2003, #rostam-1983, #silk-sonic-music-group, #smith-abbey-yebba, #snail-mail-music-group, #spotemgottem-rapper, #swift-taylor, #sza-singer, #teddy-afro-1976, #tems-1995, #two-thousand-twenty-one, #tyler-the-creator, #ware-jessie, #wave-rod-1999, #weather-station-music-group, #yendry-singer, #youngboy-never-broke-again-rapper