Everyone has to pause and take a break from listening to music sometimes.
For the hopeless obsessives among us, here’s an alternative: music podcasts. If you can’t stop thinking about your favorite songs, albums, and artists, there are plenty of great podcasts that dive into the nerdiest details of any genre. From interview-focused hip-hop podcasts like Drink Champs to serialized programs that analyze full albums on a song-by-song basis like Dissect, there are plenty of great options on Spotify, Apple, and other streaming platforms. The only potential problem comes from having to sift through a sea of options to find must-listen hidden gems.
So we put together a list of the very best music podcasts. Check it out below.
(This was originally published on March 26, 2020.)
Good episode to start with: “The DEFINITIVE Breakdown of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”
Music fans like to throw the word “genius” around to describe their favorite songs, albums, and artists, but what does that really mean? Though not the series’ express purpose, Dissect, hosted by Cole Cuchna, explores albums that have been heralded as “genius,” and allows listeners to decide for themselves whether or not that label fits. It’s a fascinating look into how and why our favorite songs and albums sound the way they do. Cuchna covers everything from instrumentation to lyric interpretation to contextual analysis, with the goal of getting music fans “to respect hip-hop as an art form” and “empathize with artists more.” So far, Dissect has provided in-depth analysis of classics like Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy. The latest season features an in-depth analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. —Carolyn Bernucca
Good episode to start with: “André 3000 | Broken Record (Hosted by Rick Rubin)”
Getting to hear legendary producer Rick Rubin share stories from his past and connect with other icons is reason enough to subscribe to Broken Record.
But if you need more motivation: the podcast is hosted by Justin Richmond, with interviews conducted by Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, Leah Rose, and Bruce Headlam. The latest season features incredible conversations with Rico Nasty, Will Smith, Bootsy Collins, and more. —Eric Skelton
Good episode to start with: “DJ Hed & Mal Reflect on Drake vs Kendrick Beef One Year Later”
Four years after being fired from The Joe Budden Podcast in very public fashion, Rory and Mal have thrived on their own. New Rory & Mal has become one of the more popular hip‑hop–focused shows out there, thanks largely to the natural chemistry between the two (shout out to Demaris, too). What separates Rory and Mal from the JBP is the silliness they’ve embraced over the years: they’ve tried everything from skits to fun gimmicks (like Mal debating DJ Hed). And Mal has leaned into his “OVO Mal” persona in increasingly unhinged ways. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Good episode to start with: “Sean “Diddy” Combs (Pt. 2): The Explicit Story Behind the Indictments”
Combining the suspense and drama of true crime podcasts with the stories of the most fascinating characters in music’s history, Disgraceland is one of the most unique and entertaining shows on this list. Telling stories that range from the sex-crazed, drug-filled life of Rick James to the murder of John Lennon, host Jake Brennan has a flair for the dramatic that separates him from most podcast hosts. This is theater. Disgraceland is the kind of podcast that will suck you in and make you to binge half a dozen episodes before you realize what happened. —Eric Skelton
Good episode to start with: “André 3000 Surprise Office Concert + Interview: Watch!”
Hosted by Jon Caramanica and regularly featuring reporter Joe Coscarelli, Popcast is a music podcast from The New York Times that dives into a wide range of topics under the umbrella of popular music. While Caramanica’s hip-hop background often gives the show a rap-focused tilt, episodes have covered everything from interviews with Bon Iver to debates about Dua Lipa’s “flop era” to a full ranking of Taylor Swift’s albums. —Eric Skelton
Good episode to start with: “Pharrell Williams – Piece By Piece”
Dissecting music too granularly can sometimes ruin the magic of the artform, but Hrishikesh Hirway’s Song Exploder maintains the thrill of the sum while making you infinitely more informed about how the parts came to be. Both an artist and a composer, Hirway is able to explore the narratives around songs and the technical aspects with deftness and an infectious curiosity. —Grant Rindner
Good episode to start with: “50 CENT: MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME EPISODE 289”
Childhood friends Gillie Da King and Wallo 267 have lived a million lives. Both were once part of Philly rap group Major Figgas; Gillie went on to have a semi-successful solo rap career, while Wallo served nearly 20 years in prison for robbery. After his release, the two linked back up and launched Million Dollaz Worth of Game, a podcast that’s even funnier than its title suggests. Today, it’s one of the most popular rap podcasts out, known for in-depth interviews with both legends (like Will Smith and 50 Cent) and contemporary rappers (Rio Da Yung OG and Bay Swag). —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Good episode to start with: “Fancy Feast”
Every Wednesday and Saturday, Joe Budden and his crew of cohosts sit down to tackle the biggest topics in hip-hop. Ten years in, Joe’s podcast is still going strong. Since the split with Rory and Mal, the couch has only gotten more crowded. These days you’ll find Joe alongside Ish, Ice, Melyssa Ford, Parks, Emanny, Flip, and the newest addition, Marc Lamont Hill. No matter the lineup, the debates can get heated. Over the years, the show has kept the loose, unpredictable energy that made it great in the first place. — Eric Skelton
Good episode to start with: “Lori Lightning & The Baby Groupies”
Lost Notes is put out by KCRW, home of the influential radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic. That fact alone should be enough to get music fans to add the show to their podcast feeds immediately. On top of that, the show offers some of the best music journalism anywhere. From Donnell Alexander delving into the mysteries of why the Boston-based New Edition would film a video with the Lakers to getting Susan Orlean’s take on the Shaggs, each episode gives you an in-depth view of a story you had no idea was so essential until you start listening. —Shawn Setaro
Good episode to start with: “Fat Joe & Jadakiss REACT to Complex’s hip hop duos list, Mike Tyson stories, LeBron James to Knicks?”
N.O.R.E. recently claimed that there are only three rap podcasts that matter: The Joe Budden Podcast, Million Dollaz Worth of Game, and Drink Champs. That assessment doesn’t give enough credit to the latest rapper-led show to launch, Joe and Jada, which is hosted by Fat Joe and Jadakiss—two of the most beloved rappers from the ’90s. The dynamic works surprisingly well. Joe takes the lead, driving most of the topics and telling the wildest stories, while Jadakiss plays off him perfectly, mixing bewilderment with a wink that he’s in on the joke. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Good episode to start with: “Wiz Khalifa on Work Ethic & The Creative Process”
Songwriter Ross Golan uses his podcast And the Writer Is… to explore the relationship between songwriters and singers, while working to give credit to the important people behind the scenes. Golan, credited on successful tracks from the likes of Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, and Flo Rida, spends an hour per episode dissecting all aspects of what it’s like creating a track through interviews with creators such as Mike Posner, Justin Tranter, and Charli XCX. Golan works hard to highlight the intimate and introspective process of writing a song—bringing listeners behind the scenes to examine how a track is really made. —Alessandra Maldonado
Good episode to start with: “RZA On Wu-Tang Forever, ODB’s Freedom, Nas Tour Stories, The $4M Album, Biggie & More”
With more rappers becoming podcast personalities every day, N.O.R.E.’s pivot into the podcast world has yielded so many positives for hip-hop culture. Launched in 2015, Drink Champs is a weekly, two-to-three hour talk session that brings together the gregarious Queens rapper with Miami hip-hop pioneer DJ EFN. Each episode, they interview guests in front of an audience as they sip drinks and trade war stories about their careers in hip-hop, while offering veteran insights. N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN are constantly finding new approaches to uplift hip-hop’s forefathers, interviewing legends like Marley Marl, KRS-One, and LL Cool J to give rich details on history that listeners have never heard before. “We want to interview legends, and we want to give people they flowers when they can smell them, they trees when they can inhale them, and they thoughts when they can think them, and they drinks when they can drink them,” N.O.R.E. has said. All facts. —Eric Diep
Good episode to start with: “50 Terrible Songs on Great Albums”
If you’ve ever enjoyed flipping through the pages of Rolling Stone magazine, the storied publication’s podcast Rolling Stone Music Now is worth subscribing to. Echoing the diverse coverage found in the magazine itself, podcast episodes range from in-depth interviews with artists like Alice Cooper to of-the-moment conversations like reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show performance. Hosted by Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt, the podcast features insightful opinions and top-notch reporting from some of the most well-respected journalists in the business. —Eric Skelton
Good episode to start with: “All Songs Considered At 25”
All Songs Considered is the OG of music podcasts. The NPR-based program was born nearly two decades ago, in January 2000. Since then, the show (founded by Bob Boilen and co-hosted by Boilen and Robin Hilton) has continually evolved. The format morphed from a provision of basic information about audio used as music bumpers during NPR flagship radio show, All Things Considered, to a podcast that also presents itself as a daily blog and live-show vehicle. —Kiana Fitzgerald
Good episode to start with: “Top 10 Rap Discographies of All Time with Fantano”
You might know NFR Podcast from their prolific posting on X, but yes…it’s also an actual podcast. Hosted by Montrealers Luca Guerini and Anthony Paul D’Aliesio, the show is a haven for nerdy deep dives into both contemporary and classic rap music. The two know the internet thrives on rap debates, so they lean into it that space, tackling questions like “What are the best rap songs of the 2020s?” or “Who has the top 10 discographies of all time?” —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Good episode to start with: “Ghazi on EMPIRE’s Rise in Music”
If you like your music coverage to focus on the business side of things, it’s hard to do better than Trapital. The show is hosted by Dan Runcie, who turned his newsletter of deep dives into a podcast about the strategies behind the music we all love and obsess over. Runcie casts a wide net with his coverage, whether he’s breaking down how 50 Cent went from mixtape star to rap mogul, or exploring the economics of independent label empires. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
