In September at a Goldman Sachs-sponsored technology conference in San Francisco, Warner Music Group CEO Steve Cooper made what, for many, was a startling claim.

“We cannot let him continue to influence our youth and our society as a whole”A petition that was started to remove Kanye West from streaming

Alongside landmark records from Kendrick and Beyoncé, the year saw standout tracks from Steve Lacy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more More on the best culture