"My grandmama ain't the only girl calling me `Baby,'" T-Pain sings at the end of Kanye West's "Good Life" and it's true. T-Pain's stock rose in 2007 as he became the Steve Nash of the R&B game, dishing …

Alex Ross is a blogger, author, and the music critic for The New Yorker. His new book takes a look at the music (and the people behind the music) of the 20th century. To celebrate the arrival of …