Each month, Podcast Review’s staff offers recommendations on the best new podcasts to listen to. Here are our favorites for June:
The Blog Era is a love letter to a transitional moment in hip hop’s history, particularly to the now-defunct website NahRight. Hosts Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, known as ItsTheReal, make a clear argument that hip hop websites took the place of the major labels as rap’s star machines during the “Blog Era,” which they locate in 2007-2012. The podcast is fast-paced and obsessed with the means by which hip hop is created, consumed, and celebrated. The podcast also covers how corporate giants have reasserted themselves during the past decade of streaming.
Based on the novel by Kim Hooper, People Who Knew Me is a mini-series starring Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Hugh Laurie (House). Along with additional British talent, including Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away With Murder), the show is a who’s-who of faux American accents. After faking her death in the chaos of 9/11, a woman is forced to face her past following a breast cancer diagnosis. Connie’s past, including her retreat to California from New York, is packed with enough intrigue to grip you from the first episode. This isn’t Pike’s first foray into podcasting. She starred in Edith! to general acclaim, a performance she surpasses in this latest project with the BBC. Marked by gritty writing and real suspense, People Who Knew Me will appeal to fans of Tracks and Passenger List.
Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas
The latest season of Slate’s long-running series documents the life and times of Clarence Thomas. Host Joel Anderson traces Thomas back to his hometown of Pin Point, Georgia, and opens the series interviewing Thomas’ 94-year-old mother, Leola Williams. Slow Burn aims to capture Thomas’ life in chapters, in hopes of understanding how he became one of the most powerful conservatives in the country. Early episodes cover Thomas’ family life as well as his efforts to become a Catholic priest.
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