Black History Month: Pop Culture Podcasts

Black History Month: Pop Culture Podcast Recommendations

February 16, 2023

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Five podcast episodes on a theme, each week curated by a different person

Black History Month:Pop Culture Podcasts

CuratorTakara Small (she/her), host of They Did That

Why did you choose this theme?

I like my pop culture a lil weird and unusual. These podcasts focus on pop culture, but they go beyond gossipy headlines to tell me what's really happening in the world and don't talk down to me.

PODCAST PICKS:Click on the podcast art to listen ðŸ‘‚

Beyoncé's RenaissanceI like my entertainment news with a touch of humor and relatability, which is why EarBuds curator Takara chose this episode. Yes, being a Beyoncé fan helps with this episode, but you’ll enjoy it no matter what, by getting to understand the role sampling plays in her songs and learning about her thoughts on why ‘hyper masculine’ hip hop, disco, pop were all woven together. Also, how often do we hear people break down an entire album and not just the lead songs? It’s a different change of pace. 

The Business of Fashion PodcastSerena Williams: "Pressure is a Privilege"Serena is in the business of being the best, whether it's on the tennis court or in the boardroom. She's always looking to tackle a new challenge which is why this episode about her new business â€” and what it really takes to make it in the cut-throat world of fashion — is so fascinating. She dishes on why she left Nike, what mistakes she made in the early years, and what many people don't get right about the culture. 

They Did That

There's a lot we can learn from the past, especially when it comes to pop culture. Everything that’s new can often be traced or linked to some innovator from the past. In this episode, you get to hear how a woman named Sister Rosetta Tharpe helped create rock and roll and inspired the biggest names in the industry with her voice and swagger before her untimely death.

The CutIn Her Shoes: Issa RaeIssa Rae, like Quinta (see next podcast recommendation), has such a remarkable story. She didn't know anyone in the industry before she got started and in this episode, she dishes on show business, fashion, art, music, and what it really feels like to build a burgeoning empire from scratch. The episode also includes a few great anecdotes about what it's like to be a celeb and the pressure that entails. 

Oprah's Super SoulQuinta Brunson Abbott ElementaryQuinta is the perfect example of what it looks like to ‘start from the bottom’ (as Drake would say) in today’s meme-obsessed world. She was a digital creator who made the leap to primetime cable, which isn’t easy! This interview digs into her recent success, record breaking actions, what it felt like to pitch a TV show to bigwigs, and her overall journey. 

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On Air FestOn Air Fest is the premier cultural event for audio creatives and inspired listeners. It brings together an expansive range of emerging and established voices to explore the creative possibilities of sound. On Air Fest carves a place for artists and storytellers who are defining this moment in audio.The full schedule is now live!

If I Go Missing the Witches Did ItWhere true crime and witchcraft meet!Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe stars in this 2022 Webby Award Winner about a Black writer who goes missing, and the white podcast host with a savior complex who takes up the cause of finding her. With a coven of influencers pulling the strings, they might find themselves suffering a fate worse than being canceled.

FEEDBACK WITH EARBUDS:

This week on our podcast...Takara Small is on the show to share pop culture podcast recommendations for Black History Month. PLUS: We've got a voice clip from this week's spotlight pick, Bear Brook: A True Crime Story. This second season of Bear Brook focuses on the 1988 murder of Sharon Johnson and the conviction of Jason Carroll, who maintains that he is innocent.Subscribe

COMMUNITY:

🎤This week in Podcast The Newsletter: Alphabet Boys is a new multi-season narrative that’s exposing crimes of America’s alphabet agencies, such as the FBI, CIA, DEA, and ATF. With secret recordings and leaked records, host Trevor Anderson looks back to 2020, when the FBI recruited and paid a violent felon tens of thousands of dollars to pose as a racial justice activist and subvert protests in Colorado.

On the EarBuds Blog:🆕Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro share six podcast recommendations for facing and overcoming evil. Read it here. 

🆕EarBuds newsletter and podcast coordinator Devon DiComo interviewed Sophia Lopez, creator of the new QCODE show, How to Win Friends and Disappear People. Read it here.🆕Read the top podcast fun facts of 2022, submitted by podcast enthusiasts from around the world.

✨Send your updates for us to include in our Community section. Submit!

CLASSIFIEDS:

🎧Audio entertainment platform and podcast production studio Podimo has announced 20+ new podcasts made in partnership with leading UK production companies Listen, Mags Creative, Message Heard, TellTale Industries, Tortoise, Vespucci and What’s The Story Sounds.🚚Trailer Park: The Podcast Trailer Podcast is a podcast that showcases podcast trailers. Whether those trailers were made and then abandoned, were made as creative proof, are part of a larger body of work, or were created just for fun, they're welcome here at the park! Season 1 drops on Tuesday.

SPOTLIGHT:

Bear Brook: A True Crime Story

Nearly five years after the debut of New Hampshire Public Radio's hit Bear Brook, 

host Jason Moon 

is back with another ground-breaking case in Bear Brook Season 2: A True Crime Story.

The new season centers on the 1988 murder of Sharon Johnson that resulted in a conviction for 19-year-old Jason Carroll. The only evidence? His own taped confession which he claims was the result of coercion by a veteran detective — and his mother. More than 30 years later, is it possible to get to the truth? 

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