ALT CTRL Radio with Hanuman Welch

London-based Matt Wilkinson first bubbled up as a writer and editor at renowned UK music magazine NME, where he reported on artists who were changing pop culture one song at a time. His first interview was with Amy Winehouse, in a cemetery in Bristol, when she was one of the biggest names in music—a foundational experience for Matt. “Even though I was totally inexperienced,” he says, “that Amy interview was life-changing for me. When she realized I was there to talk about music rather than her private life, she just came alive—waxing lyrical about ’60s girl groups, hip-hop, the lot. This was the first time I’d ever sat eye-to-eye with a big-name musician and really connected with them. And forging that connection is still what I aim to do when I speak to artists today.” As the host of his namesake show on Apple Music, Matt brings that sense of music history and connection to the air, mining the most interesting new music, chronicling the best of the UK scene, and telling the stories behind the songs of the day with revealing interviews and more. But above all? He’s a music fan obsessed with the idea that “there are still classic songs waiting to be discovered,” he says. “I’m forever looking for the 'hairs on the back of the neck' feeling to happen. That unnameable, rare thing where you hear a song and it suddenly changes your life. It happens every so often and it's the best thing ever.” Hear The Matt Wilkinson Show every Monday through Friday on Apple Music 1 at 4 am LA/7 am NYC/12 pm LDN.

Welcome to 100 Best Albums Radio, where we reveal our definitive list of the greatest albums ever made. Assembled with the help of artists and experts, it’s a love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in. Below you’ll find the official countdown, daily radio episodes with our hosts’ reactions, and stories behind each of the albums. Dive in, (re)discover some classics, and see if your favorite albums made our list.

Jayde Donovan is many things—an award-winning host, a storyteller, a philanthropist, a mother with a wicked sense of humor. But she’s also positive energy personified, so it makes sense that her radio show would offer just that. Weekday mornings, she shares her colorful take on pop hits throughout the decades, curating a nostalgic and lively radio experience that only she can deliver. Jayde is a three-time Gracie Award winner, a writer, a television host, and an active philanthropist through her nonprofit, Apple a Day, which supports kids in cancer treatment. She founded her organization in memory of a friend she lost to neuroblastoma. Jayde and her team have gifted thousands of smart devices to kids fighting cancer throughout the US. Check out Jayde Donovan every morning on Apple Music Hits, Monday through Friday, 8 am-10 am PT.

Asked to describe the months that followed the release of her acclaimed 2022 album 777, Atlanta-hailing MC Latto rattles off a list of accomplishments that sounds like a checklist for impending superstardom. “I went on my first headline tour, I won a BET Award, I attended the VMAs, I dropped the ‘It’s Givin’ music video,” she says, pausing to catch her breath. “‘Big Energy’ is double platinum…” All of which is how we arrive at the launch of her Apple Music show, 777 Radio. Big Latto is ready to open up another channel of communication for her already rabid fanbase. “I’m going to keep it very personal and play what I actually listen to,” she told us of the show. “I'm going to highlight new artists that I feel like the world needs to hear, artists that I think deserve more spotlight. I listen to a lot of female rap, so definitely supporting the girls, and definitely a lot of Southern music.”

New forms of African popular music fuse traditional and contemporary sensibilities, morphing into new sonic fusions that connect Joburg to Nairobi via Lagos and Accra—and reflect the global diaspora. On Africa Now Radio, South African actor, singer, media personality, and entrepreneur Nandi Madida presents the latest African sounds in their lush entirety, be it amapiano, Afrobeats, highlife, alté, house, hip-hop, Afrobongo, or kuduro—along with interviews with the continent’s biggest stars and most exciting emerging acts. Kicking off her television career at just 15 years old, Nandi Madida has hosted some of South Africa’s most popular lifestyle shows, including All Access Mzansi and Coke Studio, and hosted and executive-produced BET Africa’s Made in Africa. Nandi starred in The Road, which won the South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best TV Soap in 2017, and 2020’s Black Is King, the Disney+ visual album and film experience written and directed by Beyoncé. “From the day I was born, I loved entertaining people, I loved the arts,” Nandi tells Apple Music 1. “I think because I got to choose my trajectory—my life, my goals, my plans, where I'm going—that's why I believe I still love it. There's a purpose, rather than the rewards that come with it. I absolutely love entertainment and I've never stopped since.” Through her own music, including her 2012 debut album NANDI and singles like 2020’s “Organic,” Nandi celebrates the natural beauty of African people, while her journey as a fashion entrepreneur led her to co-found the label Colour alongside Project Runway South Africa winner Kentse Masilo; together they’ve showcased vibrant, regal collections at New York Fashion Week. In addition to her creative projects, Nandi currently serves as a Global Citizen advocate and helps to promote gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights. Inspired by her desire to share the beauty of the continent and its people around the world, Nandi sees herself as a true ambassador for African creativity. “I have never been this riveted by the African music scene,” she explains. “What we've been trying to do for so many years is finally happening. Africans are getting the recognition, but from an equal level, where we are not being compromised; we are not being undermined in any way. We’re being appreciated but also respected—and so many people fought for that. I think that's paramount, that people understand that we are so capable, with or without any assistance. We really are. And I think people are seeing that. I think our leaders [need] to understand that as well. Our artists are showing us that whether or not we have the support, we're doing it ourselves.” “I’m big on uniting African people across the continent and across the diaspora,” Nandi continues. “I hope to lift the voices of our African artists even higher, to really be a representative of how incredible this continent is and has been.” Tune in to a new episode of Africa Now Radio every Friday at 1 am LA, 4 am NY, 9 am Lagos/London, and 10 am Johannesburg/Paris on Apple Music 1.

Follow this show, because Apple Music Today is a daily series that highlights one song from Apple Music's catalog of over 100 million and digs into the story behind it. From massive hits to sleeper cuts to the newest surprise drop, our Apple Music hosts dive in across genres and decades to unpack untold stories about the music that soundtracks our lives, 365 days a year. Best of all, with an Apple Music subscription you get to hear the songs in full!