Tag: Dissect

8 New and Returning Podcasts Coming to Spotify This Fall

October 2, 2023

This fall, many fan-favorite Spotify Original and Licensed podcasts are back for more. From binge-worthy scripted series to intriguing personal interviews, there’s a full slate of shows that are already on Spotify ready for listeners. But wait—there’s more. We’re also debuting several new series sure to make you laugh and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Follow along as we dive into new shows, seasons, and episodes perfect for your next drive, workout, or really anytime you’re ready to pop in those headphones.  

Here’s what’s back

Science Vs

In September, Science Vs kicked off a new season, giving fans new episodes that take on fads, trends, and the opinionated mob to find out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. This season will cover even more puzzling and enticing topics and debunk the latest trends on social media to inform listeners on what science has to say. From breathing and breathwork, to UFOs to personality tests, there’s a lot it digs into. 

Call Her Daddy

Season 4 of Spotify-exclusive podcast Call Her Daddy premiered in mid-September, and in the first episode, host Alex Cooper travels to New Jersey to hang out with “it girl” Alix Earle. She introduces listeners to Alix’s life in a way they haven’t before seen or heard.

Case 63

For fans who love stories set in a mind-bending time-travel paradox, scripted audio series Case 63 is back for a second season. This installment takes listeners back to 2012, 10 years before the events of the first season, in a riveting second chapter to the saga. Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac reprise their roles, and new voices for the season include Zoë Winters and Arian Moayad. All 10 episodes are available to stream now. 

Dissect

The Spotify original podcast Dissect is back for its 11th season. Once again, host Cole Cuchna has picked a new album to analyze—song by song—and this time around he’s chosen Radiohead’s critically acclaimed 2007 album In Rainbows. In the season premiere, Cole provides a sweeping history of the band, from its origins in Oxford, England, to its historic run of landmark albums like The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A. 

Heavyweight

Heavyweight, a podcast that follows Jonathan Goldstein as he examines the past like a therapist with a time machine, is back for Season 8. This season features unconventional love stories: What we owe the people we love, and the extremes we’ll go to in love’s name. Premiering October 5, the first episode introduces us to Lenny, who was Jonathan’s childhood best friend, but they drifted apart as they grew into adulthood. Now, Lenny is dying and needs a friend. So Jonathan makes the call.

Must-listen new shows

Hits the Spot

Also on October 5, Spotify debuts a new weekly video podcast called Hits the Spot. Host Lea Palmieri talks news, stories, insights, and trends with top artists, creators, and tastemakers in a way that only Spotify can. 

Breaking Down with Ali Kolbert

Comedy fans should check out the new video podcast Breaking Down with Ali Kolbert. Rising stand-up comedian Ali brings her frank, lively style and unapologetic perspective to conversations with celebrities, experts, and other comedians about everything from pop culture to relationships to mental health. The inaugural season kicked off with​​ Jonathan Van Ness. The Queer Eye personality, stand-up, and author talks healthy versus unhealthy relationships, lesbian reincarnation, and #notallmen. Breaking Down with Ali Kolbert is produced in part by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, which powers our commitment to showcasing and uplifting creators from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the audio industry.

The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark

Earlier this year we announced the expansion of our DC universe with a new show: The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark. Comedian and actor Hasan Minhaj reprises his role as The Riddler, a character previously featured in the 2022 global hit Batman Unburied. The show returns to Gotham City and follows Batman (voiced by Colman Domingo) as he begrudgingly teams up with The Riddler to track down a masked vigilante on the loose in Gotham City. The unlikely duo must solve the mystery before they, too, become victims. The eight-episode show, created in partnership with Warner Bros. and DC, will premiere on October 10.

Looking for more? Check out other new podcast releases on Spotify.

Toast Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary With Our Special Playlist Hub, Murals, Animated Shorts, and More

August 3, 2023

Fifty years ago, hip-hop was born in the Bronx. And today, it continues to influence music and culture on a global scale. To celebrate this massive milestone over the next month, we’re creating murals in some of hip-hop’s biggest capitals, giving fans a personalized hip-hop listening experience with our DJ, and releasing a series of animated shorts. But to kick off the festivities, we’re launching the Hip-Hop Turns 50 hub.

Highlighting the contributions of hip-hop’s greats, this special destination will live on-platform over the next month and house more than 40 global playlists that reflect the various eras, regions, and trends that have shaped the genre over the last half-century. This includes many of our top data-driven and editorially curated playlists, as well as dedicated shelves for the 50 most-streamed rappers and hip-hop albums on Spotify. 

“We wanted to acknowledge the anniversary in more than one way. Three months ago, we kicked off conversations on social media with our Top 50 Hip-Hop lists and are now showcasing how hip-hop’s and Spotify’s history intersects,” said Carl Chery, Creative Director, Head of Urban Music, Spotify. “Throughout August, we’re paying homage to some of the artists that paved the way in their own cities with murals and billboards, creating an animated shorts series narrated by artists, and built out a destination on platform that features a variety of playlists from around the world. Stay tuned for more—here’s to the next 50″

Fans can dive into the best hip-hop songs of each decade with special curations for the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, and ’10s, as well as the ’20s, where listeners can tune in to RapCaviar, our flagship hip-hop playlist, to find the best of hip-hop today. As part of the global hip-hop shelf—which features playlists like Spotify Italy’s Plus Ultra, Spotify India’s Rap 91, Spotify Korea’s KrOWN, Spotify U.K.’s Who We Be, the Spotify Middle East’s Arab Hip-Hop, and Spotify Philippines’ Kayle Hip-Hop—we’re showcasing the hottest, freshest, and most diverse hip-hop sounds being created around the world.

We’re also revisiting some of our editors’ top picks through our 50 years of hip-hop shelf, which features episodes from podcasts like the New York Times’s Popcast and Fab 5 Freddy’s 50 Years of Hip-Hop, as well as Spotify Originals like The RapCaviar Podcast, Dissect, The Ringer Music Show, and Nas and Miss Info’s The Bridge. 

You can check out more of For the Record’s hip-hop content from over the years by visiting our special Hip-Hop Turns 50 hub. 

Spotify celebrates in hip-hop’s biggest meccas

To honor some of hip-hop’s biggest game changers, Spotify is collaborating with illustrator and image-maker Raj Dhunna to design large-scale murals and billboards. These pieces will put a spotlight on artists in their respective hometowns and depict the ways rap’s most influential sounds spread from region to region. 

In New York, Spotify will unveil a mural acknowledging the history of drill as it grew from its origins in Chicago with legends like Chief Keef, and expanded into London and Brooklyn with artists like 808 Melo and Pop Smoke. A second mural will spotlight the impact of women in hip-hop and feature icons like Lil’ Kim and Cardi B. 

In Atlanta, Raj will create a mural that celebrates the evolution of trap music, which was pioneered by Atlanta’s own T.I. and cultivated into a global phenomenon by artists like New York’s Arcángel.

Raj’s designs will also appear on billboards in Miami and Los Angeles. The L.A. billboard will feature Dr. Dre and Mustard, two of the city’s musical titans, with a tagline that reads “Long live the West Coast sound. Hip-hop is everywhere.” The Miami billboard, meanwhile, will pay tribute to the provocative sounds of the region’s most influential women rap acts.

Spotify will also commemorate hip-hop’s growth in Mexico and pay homage to its current and foundational artists with a mural that features over 15 Mexican hip-hop artists, including Akwid, Cartel de Santa, Santa Fe Klan, and Gera Mx.

The party continues

In addition to the on-platform destinations and custom murals, our AI-powered DJ will provide expert hip-hop commentary all month long on Spotify, supplying aficionados with cultural context about musical legends and retracing how hip-hop has grown through history.

To close out the month, Spotify will debut editorially curated animated shorts that underscore hip-hop’s influence in over nine countries, featuring narrations from artists. 

Our celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary will let fans discover and connect with artists of the past, present, and future. But this is only the start. Stay tuned for updates throughout the month as we commemorate one of the most beloved genres in the world. 

Hit play on our flagship RapCaviar playlist and discover the artists who are making their mark in hip-hop’s history books. 

Kayo Chingonyi Decodes ‘Black’ from Dave’s Brit Award-Winning Album ‘PSYCHODRAMA’

May 11, 2021

For the past several years, Spotify Original podcast DISSECT has delved deep into impactful albums, including Frank Ocean’s Blonde, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Beyoncé’s Lemonade, and more. The show crossed the pond this April and premiered in the U.K. as Decode. The new podcast features the same track-by-track analysis and insightful commentary, but with notable albums coming out of the U.K.—starting with rapper Dave’s Brit and Mercury Award-winning 2019 album PSYCHODRAMA. 

Tune in as Zambian-British author Kayo Chingonyi dives into an in-depth exploration of the lyrical metaphors embedded throughout Dave’s breathtaking debut album. With each song, he unpacks the modern British Black experience as Dave relates it to criminal justice, race, poverty, sexuality, toxic masculinity, and mental health stigma. 

Kayo devotes one episode to “Black” and, in particular, Dave’s performance of the track at the Brit Awards in February 2020. Dave’s live rendition included new, politically charged verses that took the audience by surprise, ignited a conversation about racism in the U.K., and resonated with fans: The track saw an 1,889% increase in streams on Spotify after the performance. 

For the Record asked Kayo to reflect on what makes Decode unique to the UK, as well as the impact of Dave’s salient and raw rendition of “Black.”

Decode is a new podcast, but takes its shape after Spotify’s successful DISSECT show in the U.S. What parts of the podcast are you keeping close to the original model?

DISSECT really honours musical creativity, meeting each album with curiosity and passion. With Decode, we’ve kept that sense of reverence and also that passion, that connection to music as a universal language that can travel to all corners of the world, lodging itself in the hearts and minds of listeners. Both shows ask questions about that magical process of communion between artist, song, and listener.

How are you making it your own? How does your own background as a poet, lyricist, and vocalist shape this?

As a writer all that I ever try to do is bring out the latent music in language, in words. As an emcee of Dave’s stripe, that’s a central concern, too. He’s interested not just in what words mean but how that meaning is enacted by their sound. As far as making it my own, I think it’s important to make the connection to Dave’s work as a writer. There’s maybe an inside perspective I can give as someone who has been writing and spitting lyrics since my early teens. I recognise the world Dave describes.

Why is it important for the U.K. to have a version of this show for itself?

The U.K. is a centre of global musical culture. There are many, of course, but I think the U.K.’s role has been downplayed in recent history. Things are starting to shift, and as they do, it’s important to look at musical culture from a global perspective. Black music especially is a global sound. It has always been, because our music travels with us.

What makes PSYCHODRAMA by Dave worthy of “decoding” first?

PSYCHODRAMA is a balance of compositional and lyrical excellence. It’s not just music as entertainment, although you can shock out to it. The album honours the arcane roots of music as a technology, a kind of spiritual communication across distances of culture and space. It’s an album that I think will go on to define our times.

Last week you discussed the track “Black,” which had a moment that stood alone during the Brits last year—it even has its own Genius lyrics page. What did that rendition, at that event, signify?

Adding that verse really showed Dave’s ability to respond to the times and also the way a track like “Black” will, I’m sad to say, always be resonant in a society like ours, built on what it is built on. That was a state of the nation moment at the Brits, an opportunity to step from behind the veil of entertainment that Dave took and ran with. It was the throwing down of a gauntlet—to government, to listeners, to fellow artists.

What conversation are you hoping to spark or continue from the 2020 Brits performance to this podcast episode?

I want to engage people in the layers of history that come together to shape our present moment. There is so much we could be asking questions about and, above all, I think PSYCHODRAMA invites its listeners to keep asking these questions. That’s what I would like people to take from the podcast—this desire to ask.

What album are you looking forward to decoding next?

So many! I’m keen to look at older albums. Look How Long by Loose Ends, Blue Lines by Massive Attack, Timeless by Goldie, or Dummy by Portishead, maybe. In terms of recent albums, Burial’s Untrue made me shed tears the first time I listened to it so it’s high on my list.

Ahead of the 2021 Brits, tune in to the “Black” episode of Decode below.

‘Dissect’ Podcast Explores the Reclamation of Black Culture in Beyoncé’s ‘Black is King’

January 27, 2021

In April 2020, Cole Cuchna and Dr. Titi Shodiya (Dope Labs) came together to examine Beyoncé’s 2016 masterpiece Lemonade as the hosts of the Spotify Exclusive podcast Dissect. This week, the pair returns to the podcast for a surprise seven-episode miniseries that celebrates Beyoncé and commemorates her prolific summer 2020 project, Black Is King. 

In this series, Cole and Titi dive into an in-depth academic exploration of the lyrical metaphors, historical anecdotes, and nods to African spirituality embedded all throughout the project—as well as the verbal and visual commentary on the reclamation of Black culture in Black Is King. For the Record spoke to Dissect host Cole Cuchna on the creation and impact of the surprise series.

Why did you want to dissect Black Is King?

Having learned so much from our analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade for Season 6, I think we were all very eager to unpack Black Is King for that same reason: education. Through the many symbols, themes, and lyrics of the film, you really get a substantial history lesson paired with a practical life philosophy. We originally planned to do just one bonus episode, but it ended up being seven episodes, just because there was SO much to discover in the film. It really is a work of art.

Given the landscape of 2020, can you elaborate on Black Is King’s impact?

For me, it provides important historical context to issues still affecting the world today and puts them into a narrative form that has incredible emotional impact. Stories and music are two of the most transformative forms to communicate and to inspire human beings to act. In an ugly time in our history, Black Is King was a refreshing presentation of the beauty, glory, and rich history of Africa—the place every human being can trace their lineage back to. It’s that sense of global and humanitarian unity that is desperately needed right now.

How long did it take to create this season, from listening to dissecting the lyrics to writing the script and recording?

We began working on the series the moment Black Is King was released on July 31, 2020, and we worked on it all the way up until the week of releasing our series. So almost six months. We had a great team on this, including writers Maggie Lacy and Femi Olutade. We were also able to speak directly to the film’s creatives, including co-director Kwasi Fordjour, stylist Zerina Akers, and music director Derek Dixie. That’s a first for Dissect, and they were able to lend incredible insight to the themes and process behind making the film.

What were some of the images, scenes, or songs that resonated with you most that you were excited to dissect?

For me, it’s the entire last act of the film, because that’s when many of the symbols and images from the beginning of the film show up again, creating this full-circle effect and tying directly into the “circle of life” theme that centers the film. Just the thought and execution of that kind of structuring shows how much attention to detail was given to this project, where seemingly everything we see and hear has an intended meaning, message, or purpose.

What was something you learned through dissecting Black Is King that surprised you or gave you an ah-ha! moment?

I think the biggest ah-ha moment comes when we see the basket floating down the Nile river in the song “Otherside.” It falls down a waterfall, and then the film cuts to adult Simba falling underwater. It’s there, underwater, that we see Simba grab the king chess piece that he lost earlier in the film as a child—symbolizing that he has rediscovered the kingship inside him from birth. That fact that this occurs underwater implies that this is a kind of baptism, a rebirth, which is the first thing that we saw in the film’s opening scene. So it comes full circle. It’s also during this moment that Beyoncé says the word “Bigger,” which is the first song we heard in the film, too. The layers! The connections! Ah!!

Black Is King is similar to Lemonade with the visual component. Did this have an impact on breaking down the music?

Yeah, I would say we actually spend more time dissecting the visuals in this series than the music. It’s really brilliant the way the music and visuals interact to tell the story. That’s what we tried to focus on most: how Beyoncé and her team were really creating a new storytelling medium where we see this unique interaction between not only the music and visuals, but also the ensembles, dances, set pieces, and colors. Everything contributes to the storytelling and theme. It’s really spectacular.

Stream the Dissect special series Black Is King below. 

Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ Gets a Fresh Take on Season 6 of Spotify’s ‘Dissect’ Podcast

April 23, 2020

Back in 2016, Beyoncé’s Lemonade album and film provoked a worldwide discussion about race, feminism, social media, and the music industry at large. Lemonade became the highest-selling album globally at 2.5 million copies, and it brought Beyoncé’s longstanding themes of female empowerment and camaraderie, emotional vulnerability, and the costs and pleasures of fame to the forefront of pop consciousness. It changed culture, politics, music, and their intersections. And now, it’s the subject of Spotify’s Dissect Season 6 podcast. 

Each season, Dissect, a serialized music podcast found exclusively on Spotify, takes an academic approach to analyzing iconic albums. Every episode focuses on one song in the release that had an undeniable influence on music and hip-hop culture. Beyoncé’s Lemonade now joins the ranks of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly (S1), Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (S2), Frank Ocean’s Blonde (S3), Tyler, The Creator’s Flower Boy (S4), Ms. Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Mini Season), and Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. (S5). 

Plus, Season 6 brings new changes worthy of Queen Bey. For the first time ever, host and creator Cole Cuchna will be joined by a cohost, Titi Shodiya (winner of Spotify’s Sound Up podcast workshop and creator and cohost of Dope Labs podcast, a Spotify Original). The two make leaps of interpretative wonder, fusing insights, music theory, instrumentation, and lyric interpretation with social analysis to empower fans to build deeper connections with Beyoncé’s artistry. For the first time in the show’s history, Dissect will also include behind-the-scenes video footage from the hosts’ travels to exclusive music video sites to accompany the episodes. 

Unlike Beyoncé’s previous albums, the 12-track Lemonade is edgy, full of vitriol and real talk. It contains scornful tales and lyrics that address Jay Z’s long-rumored infidelity in the track “Sorry,” as well as references to social injustices and police brutality on “Formation.” The album alongside its accompanying film not only ushered in a new era of surprise releases and visual experiences, but created a ripple effect that kept it front and center in the cultural zeitgeist.

The Dissect series launches on the fourth anniversary of Lemonade’s surprise release. Check out the first two episodes, “Pray You Catch Me” and “Hold Up,” starting today, April 24. All in, the season will include 12 episodes, with a new one airing every Tuesday following today’s two-episode binge drop. 

Get a refreshing take on the album geared for both lifelong Beyoncé fans and Lemonade-era newcomers. Stream the first few episodes below.

Spotify Studios Launches Season 3 of Critically Acclaimed Dissect Podcast

May 15, 2018

Dissect is Now Officially a Spotify Original Podcast Series

Dissect, the podcast music enthusiasts, culture vultures, and sonic super nerds are virtually obsessed with, is now an official member of Spotify Studios’ Original Podcast portfolio. Dissect, launched in 2017 and created and hosted by Cole Cuchna, is a serialized music podcast that highlights one album per season, analyzing the meaning, social context and purpose of one song per episode. Dissect Season 3, which launched on Spotify today, will focus on acclaimed artist, songwriter, and producer Frank Ocean’s 2016 studio album, Blonde.

“Dissect spotlights the artist’s genius and listeners learn to appreciate the music on a whole new level, even if the album was released years ago,” said Cole Cuchna, Audio Originals and Podcasts at Spotify. “Spotify has provided another outlet for fans to indulge in music education and learn about artists they are passionate about or for some, artists they have yet to discover.”

Cole Cuchna, Audio Originals and Podcasts at Spotify and host of Dissect

 

Listen to the trailer here.

In the previous two podcast seasons, listeners dove into the historical and sociological contexts behind Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Kanye West’s My BeautifuL Dark Twisted Fantasy. Available exclusively on Spotify for the first week of release, Cuchna will explore various themes in Blonde,including the complexities of love, childhood, sexuality, authenticity, independence, nostalgia and coming of age.

Giving podcast fans an exclusive first-listen through Spotify is part of the platform’s ongoing commitment to being an audio-first platform.

“We are excited to have Dissect become part of Spotify as we continue to focus on the emerging premium audio landscape,” said Courtney Holt, Head of Studios and Video, Spotify. “A burgeoning cultural phenomenon, Dissect takes its listeners on a journey through the heart and soul of artist’s creative journey. Cole Cuchna is a rare talent and we look forward to seeing what he comes up with in Season 3 and beyond.”

The Season 3 podcast, which encompasses 17 episodes and over 10 hours of audio content, starts out by focusing on Frank’s early career, beginning with his upbringing, transition from songwriter to solo artist, and release of Channel Orange. The latter episodes dive into the unmatched, track-by-track lyrical and musical analysis of Blond. The podcast showcases the genius that is Frank Ocean by examining his beloved lyrical storytelling and exploring how he creates his musical environments. The season finale, will culminate with thoughts directly from Dissect listeners on their thoughts on the album.

The goal of Dissect is to illuminate the artistry and cultural impact of contemporary musical masterworks. Eternally relevant and inventive, Frank Ocean’s Blonde is a natural addition to the mix.

Fans can tune-in to Season 3 here.