The podcasting world has exploded over the last few years, giving you everything from true crime shows like Serial to elaborate fictional worlds like Welcome to Nightvale. However, sorting through the huge variety of options can be time-consuming, especially if you are looking for something specific. So, here is a list of six podcasts hosted by black people for black people that encompass varying topics.
The podcast that started it all, for me at least, is The Read. Hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle West, a gay black man and a queer black woman, this podcast takes on everything and anything it wants, from Beyoncé to Little Bow Wow to “white people whiting.” This dynamic duo is able to be serious or inconsequential. The hosts make the topics they cover seem both hilarious and palpable, while also giving you the only advice you will ever need: “say no to fuckboys” and “break up with him.” If you do nothing else on Thursday, give this podcast a listen.
The Friend Zone is “your weekly look at mental health, mental wellness, and mental hygiene” with three hosts that make the most unlikely combination that works perfectly. Assante (aka the Music Man), Francheska (aka HeyFranHey), and Dustin Ross (aka Mr. TV Land) have created a space that allows us to confront our musty brains with topics ranging from epigenetics to how to find a black therapist and a wellness segment that quiets us with everyday tools. Along with, music, TV, and the black business of the week, this group brings you a little bit of everything to brighten up your Wednesday.
Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton have found the sweet spot between addressing heavy topics—race, gender, feminism, and mental health—and telling jokes with a friend. With everything from career advice from Stacy Marie Ishmael, to interviews with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Tracy’s Animal Corner, there is a little bit of everything for anyone.
Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins take lusting to a whole new level. These two black women talk about, and sometimes to, celebrity men that they find attractive. They have discussed everyone from Chris Evans to Mahershala Ali to, most recently, Ryan Coogler. By addressing the work that each man has created, discussing representation in film, asking why there are not more black women in romantic comedies, and writing fanfic, they weaponize their thirst for good.
Insecuritea: The Insecure Aftershow
Remember Crissle West and Francheska? Well, when Insecure is on, they team up to give you a more than just your average recap podcast. Not only do they go over point by point everything that happened in the latest episode of Insecure, but they address the topics within the show ranging from cheating, dating, workplace microaggressions, and the different ways the show breaks down stereotypes. If you watch Insecure, you have to listen to this!
Travel is tricky, but it gets especially complicated when traveling while black and female. However, On She Goes—hosted by a team of women of color and produced by Serita Wesley—discusses the fact that there is no place where black women don’t belong; it’s just about finding those pockets of blackness. In the last episode, they showed that Portland, Oregon—a white city surrounded by Trump country—can still be safely traversed and enjoyed, showing that there is blackness everywhere. And if you are trying to find it, give this podcast a try.
all images via the podcasts
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