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Jay-Z is one of the most successful hip-hop artists of all time. On Fresh Air, he discusses growing up in Brooklyn surrounded by drugs and violence, and the stories behind many of his famous songs.

The New York Times calls Stephen Sondheim the "greatest and perhaps best-known artist in American musical theater." Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for, among others, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods andCompany. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his career in musical theater.

Producer Jack Perry and White worked together until the singer's death in 2003. Perry recently compiled and produced a four-disc retrospective box set spanning White's career, titled Unlimited. NPR's Steve Inskeep recently spoke with Perry about the late soul singer.

Hillary Clinton has taken charge at the U.S. State Department. The secretary of State named George Mitchell to be a special envoy to the Middle East and Richard Holbrooke to be a representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rapper Percy Carey, a.k.a. MF Grimm, has survived several murder attempts, including one that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He's got a new album, The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man, and he's just published an autobiographical graphic novel.

At 92, film legend Kirk Douglas has returned to live theater for a one-man show that's a biography of his life and career. The last performance is Sunday at, fittingly enough, the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif.

Author Mark Helprin's latest novel is a sprawling tale of love, honor and danger in the years just after World War II. Returned soldier Harry Copeland spots a mysterious woman in white on the Staten Island Ferry. She turns out to be an heiress with Broadway dreams and a complicated past that threatens their growing love.

A decision to let her son enjoy a few moments of independence and beauty ended in tragedy. But out of Rich Stark's death in a car accident, Myra Dean managed to extract small comforts.

The Houston Texans used the NFL draft's No. 1 pick to take Jadeveon Clowney. The story of the night was how the Cleveland Browns wound up with a new quarterback, Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

Hamas formally takes power as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas swears in the 24-member cabinet. Israel and much of the international community say Hamas is a terrorist organization and they will cut aid to the Palestinian Authority. Members of the new government say their goal is to serve their people.

Most retrospectives of 1967's "Summer of Love" skimmed over the emergence of soul and R&B music. Pop culture expert Mark Anthony Neal talks about the political and social significance of the music.

Astronauts from the space shuttle Atlantis went on their third space walk Saturday to repair the Hubble space telescope's camera and install new equipment. Guest host Rebecca Roberts talks about how the Hubble has impacted the world of astronomy with astronomer Dave Rodrigues, also known as the AstroWizard.