The Cobain 50
Kurt Cobain’s influence went beyond just the music he created with Nirvana. He also put the masses on to some of his own favorite artists. One particular document from his journals has been instructive to many fans – his top 50 albums. Each week, The Cobain 50 podcast digs into albums from this famous list and how they may have influenced Cobain and Nirvana. While learning the individual histories of the different albums on the list, we gain new insights into artists on the fringes as well as some of the biggest groups of all time. The podcast takes us through the legacies of acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Breeders, Public Enemy, PJ Harvey, Black Flag, Mazzy Star, The Shaggs, Shonen Knife, and more. Episodes drop weekly starting January 10, 2024.
Episodes
Dusty Henry revisits 2017 with DoNormaal, a rapper formerly based in Seattle, to look back at her 2017 album THIRD DAUGHTER and explore what it means to truly embrace freedom as an artist.
Interview by Dusty Henry.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It’s a crossover episode with El Sonido: Cancioneros! Albina Cabrera revisits 2020 with the album Atrevido by Trueno, whose influences highlight the larger connection between hip-hop and Latin America.
Written by Albina Cabrera.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Larry Mizell Jr. revisits 1979 with the track “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang. It was an obvious choice for this podcast. Upon release, this legendary song received mixed reactions, and we’re giving it an honest tribute with insights from DJ Lady Love and Ishmael Butler.
Written by Larry Mizell Jr.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dusty Henry revisits 2013 with the track "3005" by Childish Gambino (aka the actor, writer, rapper, and all-around wunderkind Donald Glover). His album Because The Internet brought about a larger conversation about "authenticity" in hip-hop.
Written by Dusty Henry.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Larry Mizell Jr. revisits 1985 with the track "I Can't Live Without My Radio" by LL Cool J. This young upstart from Queens delivered the seminal anthem for a generation of boombox-lugging, D-battery draining peace-disturbers.
Written by Larry Mizell Jr.
Audio production by Emily Fox.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas team up to revisit the 2003 double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast. Since Big Boi and Andre 3000 each recorded their halves separately, we'll bring you two separate perspectives on the legacies of Outkast's founding duo.
Written by Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...
Janice Headley revisits 1981 with the track “Rapture” by Blondie, who leveraged their celebrity to shine a spotlight on hip-hop.
Written and produced by Janice Headley.
Mixed and mastered by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dusty Henry revisits 1989 with the track “Cha Cha Cha” by MC Lyte. This hit single represents one of the first times when a woman broke the glass ceiling in hip-hop through training, collaboration, and her own genius.
Written by Dusty Henry.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
KEXP’s DJ Supreme La Rock talks with the renowned DJ Hollywood, who was there when it all started in 1973. Hip-hop fans are quick to celebrate a certain party in the Bronx as the “official” birthday, but DJ Hollywood reminds us that there was so much more brewing in New York that led to the birth of this worldwide movement.
Engineered by Dusty Henry.
Produced by Roddy Nikpour.
Dusty Henry revisits 2004 with the track "All Caps" by Madvillian, the brainchild of MF DOOM and Madlib. These two underground legends brought two coasts together in the name of depravity.
Written by Dusty Henry.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Roddy Nikpour and Martin Douglas revisit 2009 with an earworm: the Reese’s Puffs rap. From cereal to sneakers, we'll explore how hip-hop’s commercial success made it a useful marketing tool.
Written by Roddy Nikpour and Martin Douglas.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Vitamin D and Supreme La Rock join Larry Mizell Jr. to revisit 1984, a year so foundational in hip-hop history that we couldn’t focus on just one artist.
Engineering assistance by Dusty Henry.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Isabel Khalili revisits 2019 with the album Ben Haana Wa Maana by the Arabic hip-hop pioneers DAM. The group formed more than 20 years ago when they saw what hip-hop was doing in the U.S., tapped into its power, and used it as a vehicle for change in their home across the world in Palestine.
Written by Isabel Khalili.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Isabel Khalili talks with two members of DAM, Tamer and Maysa, about their influences, the themes from Ben Haana Wa Maana, as well as the power (and limitations) of hip-hop as a tool for change.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Larry Mizell Jr. revisits 2008, a pivotal year in the rise (and fall) of Kanye West. As a standout producer and Black icon, his gradual alignment with far-right ideologies has affected how we talk about hip-hop, Blackness, and mental health.
Joining the conversation are Martin Douglas, Stas THEE Boss, DJ Yaddy, and Christy Karefa-Johnson (DoNormaal).
Audio engineering and production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.or...
Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas revisit 1995 with the track “Shook Ones, Pt. II” by Mobb Deep, who we’ll hear from in this episode. After shaking off the commercial flop of their first album, their DIY mentality set them up for success with their sophomore album, which features one of the most recognizable rap songs in history.
Written by Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp...
Janice Headley takes us back to 1976 with an exclusive interview with graffiti artist Lee Quiñones. He and his crew, The Fabulous Five, made history by tagging a ten-car train in a single night.
Written and produced by Janice Headley.
Mixed and mastered by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Dusty Henry takes us back to 1982 with the track “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy. Her story is one of innovation: how Jamaican tradition contributed to hip-hop stylings that are still popular today. It's also a story of unrecognized talent: how decades passed before Sister Nancy finally received the recognition she deserved.
Written by Dusty Henry.
Audio production by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
To celebrate Indigenous People's Day, Kevin Sur revisits 2014 with the album Sheplife by Briggs. Emily Fox talks with KEXP's Kevin Sur, host of Sounds of Survivance, to unpack the music and advocacy of this Aboriginal rapper.
Produced by Emily Fox and Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Janice Headley revisits 1992 with the track “Tennessee” by Arrested Development. It's a Grammy-Award-winning single inspired by grief on an immediate level — as well as an intergenerational level.
Written and produced by Janice Headley.
Mixed and mastered by Roddy Nikpour.
Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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