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Hip Hop's Tale of Three Cities

Atlanta gave birth to OutKast and is now home to acts like B.O.B. and Janelle Monae. Chicago first made it to the hip-hop scene with Kanye West and these days boasts Lupe Fiasco and The Cool Kids. New Orleans launched Lil' Wayne and now it's breeding Jay Electronica, The Knux and Currensy. Leah Rose, former music editor of XXL magazine and co-host of the Sirius Satellite Radio show "Lip Service," explains how these three cities are shaping the future of hip-hop.

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on rappers without borders

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Soundcheck's CD Picks of the Week

David Byrne and Brian Eno, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today"

Singer David Byrne and producer/composer Brian Eno made a landmark record together in 1979 called "My Life In The Bush of Ghosts" that predated both the sampling technology that would revolutionize hip-hop and the burgeoning interest in the world music. Well, it's taken nearly 30 years, but the two have finally done another record together. Swapping files of music electronically, and using Byrne's voice for the most part, the duo has produced a virtuoso display of modern album-making techniques that still has an organic sound. And they’ve released it themselves, in a digital-only format. --picked by John Schaefer

"Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" is available here.

Rabih Abou Khalil, "Em Portugues (In Portuguese)" (Enja Records)

Rabih Abou-Khalil is a Lebanese composer and oud player who has lived in Germany since the '70s. He has spoken many musical languages, having recorded with traditional Arab musicians, jazz ensembles and classical string quartets. What he doesn't speak is Portuguese, but that didn't stop him from setting several poems from Portugal to music for his new album. He partnered with 26-year-old fado singer Ricardo Ribeiro, whose powerful voice and intense performance gets the message across. --picked by Gisele Regatao

"Em Portugues" is available for purchase at Amazon.com

Mozart: Early Piano Concertos, D Major, K. 175; B-flat Major, K. 238, and C Major, K. 246. Suedama Ensemble; David Greilsammer, piano and conductor (Naive)

Sometimes a composer's youthful works aren't as childish as you might expect. Mozart wrote some pretty outstanding piano concertos as a teenager that rarely get as much attention as his popular late ones, which is a shame, as this new recording by David Greilsammer, a young Juilliard-trained Israeli pianist makes clear. Greilsammer took an unusually entrepreneurial approach in making this recording. Besides playing the solo parts -- for which he composed some very unique cadenzas -- he formed his own orchestra, Suedama Ensemble (that’s "Amadeus" spelled backwards). --picked by Brian Wise

"Mozart: Early Piano Concertos" is available for purchase at Amazon.com

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The Plight of Musicians in Iraq

Throughout the Iraq War, Karim Wasfi, cellist and director of the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra, has continued to perform with his fellow musicians – despite the constant threat of shootings, suicide bombings, and kidnappings. He joins us today along with Allegra Klein, an American violinist who has worked with Iraqi musicians since 2003, to talk about the challenges facing musicians in the war-torn country.

Video: Iraq National Symphony Orchestra performs in May 2008

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